Living With Dignity While Living Outside

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Bella Brown. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

There are more than 150 million people worldwide who don’t have homes to live in. Seventeen-year-old competitive dancer Bella Brown, was confronted with that reality early in life growing up in an urban area. In 2020, she and her younger sister began handing out “care bags” full of snacks and useful items to people struggling, but a year later, the issue became personal when their mom revealed that she had a brother, and he was unhoused.  

After meeting her uncle, Bella’s dedication to those without a home increased. As did her care bag production. She and her sister founded Living Outside to offer material support and encourage direct engagement and education as a way to reduce associated prejudice. In four years, Living Outside has embraced more than 150 volunteers who, together, have distributed 2500+ care bags. Bella’s compassion and drive to chase evidence-based strategies has inspired 18 new chapters around the world. 

What inspires you to volunteer? 

There are so many things that you have to wait until you’re older to do, but the ability to be a nice person or to solve a problem is available at any age. I’ve tried my best to use the resources and opportunities I have to solve problems I’m passionate about. 

Where did the inspiration to create Living Outside come from? 

Growing up in Chicago and seeing a lot of homelessness always had a deep impact on me. Before I was able to understand all of the factors that lead to it, I was confused why society had allowed it to happen. Things shifted into something bigger when I learned about my uncle. When we flew out to where he was living in Beverly Hills to spend a weekend with him, he’d been unhoused for about eight years, but he had a vibrant and welcoming community that he’d curated. 

It allowed me envision a society where, instead of walking past someone who’s living on the street or avoiding eye contact, we acknowledge one another. That was the impetus behind the organization. Jay considered himself someone who lived outside. He passed away a couple months after our visit, and a lot of what we do now is in his honor. 

Tell us about your volunteer role with Living Outside. 

I’m the co-founder and president. What we do is twofold. We distribute supplies–food, water, hats, gloves, hygiene kits,

handwritten notes, etc.–directly to those who are living outside. Volunteers who assemble care bags at distribution events also hand them out. And we recognize that unhoused people are humans and have social relationships, so we include stamped postcards with a pen. That allows the care bag recipient to reach out to someone they’re hoping to reconnect with. 

We often include multiples of items or give someone multiple bags so they can give one to a friend. You receive a serotonin boost when you’re able to positively impact someone else, and we want to give that to people living outside. It’s empowering when you’ve been in a position of receiving aid for so long to get an opportunity to be generous.  

Our second mission is to destigmatize homelessness through advocacy and education. We’re in the midst of partnering with different organizations to increase awareness. We also hand out informational resources, run webinars and write a blog. As an AP research student last year, I found that care bag distribution reduces levels of individual stigmatization as well.  

What is something that you find people often overlook homelessness or get wrong?  

In my family, it was always natural for us to ask someone if we could buy them a meal or to introduce ourselves. Arden and I kept care bags in our car and, whenever we were out, would distribute them. Other people thought it was a great idea until they realized that we didn’t take them to shelters but handed them directly to people in need. 

There’s a disconnect. People have good intentions, but they also have fear that is preventing them from engaging with the community they hope to impact. When we visited Jay, the number of people he had in his circle who were open to allowing him to be a part of their lives was touching. Jay, despite his circumstances, was happy. He attracted people regardless of housing status, and his community improved his quality of life. Living Outside isn’t just giving someone supplies; we’re telling them they have a community that cares about them. 

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization? 

We also want to shift the narrative and decriminalize the experience of being unhoused. There are a lot of policies that serve to criminalize actions that unhoused people do just to survive–sleeping in a public space, begging, loitering—without solving the issue. 

And we want to help people who are ready find a home. My uncle had tried other environments, and to him, finding that community in Beverly Hills was the right move. He wasn’t ready to find a home. It’s okay to support, acknowledge and love those people from afar until they make the decision. Living outside is incredibly nuanced, and we have to approach it as such. 

What are some ways you recommend starting a conversation? 

Action can be as simple as a smile. Oftentimes, when someone is asking for food or money and you have nothing to offer, say, “I’m so sorry. I don’t have anything, but I hope you have a great day,” or introduce yourself and ask for their name. Tell them you’d love to hear their story. Those are worldview-changing. 

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work? 

So many people, in tears, have told me something that they wanted to get off their chest and never felt like they had the opportunity to, because no one stopped and asked. Listening is powerful, and we don’t do it enough. It can transcend barriers and bring communities closer. 

What do you want people to learn from your story?  

Anyone, regardless of age or background, can work towards acknowledgement. I encourage people to rethink their internal reaction next time they encounter someone living outside and shift it towards one that is helpful. I hope they will one day get to a point where they, too, are able to sit down with someone and listen. 

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Bella? Find local volunteer opportunities. 

Inspiring Hope: Teen Teaches Peers About Prevalence Of Birth Defects

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Jasmine Liu. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

Jasmine Liu’s journey began with a two-week summer camp.  

The summer before her junior year of high school, Jasmine earned a coveted spot at Kode with Klossy, the exclusive coding camp for teenage girls. There, she and her team focused their project on exploring birth defects. They learned about the prevalence of neural tube defects, which affect the brain, spine or spinal cord. However, they also learned about the unfortunate disparity in treating these defects. 

 It was from that experience that Jasmine’s idea to start NeuraHope sprouted. As the founder and CEO of the organization, which specifically works to educate youth about neural tube defects, Jasmine has plenty on her plate. Whether she’s running a clothing drive for a local maternity care organization or leading a summer workshop to educate her peers on the topic, Jasmine’s devotion to spreading awareness of birth defects always reigns supreme.  

Now a senior in high school, Jasmine is busy filling out her college applications. Still, she works daily to keep NeuraHope running, and hopes to maintain her role leading the organization when she continues her education next year.  

What inspires you to volunteer? 

One thing that really inspires me is seeing everybody around me doing their best to contribute to their community. This past summer, I was at a program in Washington, D.C. where I met so many inspirational changemakers who were also around my age. Seeing them do this amazing work and really make an impact in their community has truly motivated me to push forward with my organization.  

Tell us about your volunteer role with NeuraHope. 

I lead a team of around 45 members from 15 different countries. We have several different departments that I generally oversee, including our events, marketing, funding and grants and podcasting. So, my role includes making sure that all of the departments are working together, and that every member is contributing to the team and doing their tasks. 

That’s a lot of work on top of a normal high school workload. How do you find time to get it all done? 

It’s been pretty difficult, honestly. I’m currently a high school senior, so I also have to do college applications. Google Calendar is my best friend when it comes to managing my schedule. Over the summer, I’ve been able to do a lot more work in terms of advancing our organization and doing outreach. The good thing is, because I have a big team, I’m able to get a lot done. I would say on a daily basis, I do around two hours of work for my organization, but over the weekend is when I have most of my meetings with the departments and the directors to keep everyone on track. 

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?  

We noticed there weren’t really any organizations that focused on the educational aspect of birth defects, particularly for the younger audience. Because we did so much extensive research beforehand, we thought that shouldn’t just be contained to this project. Even though there’s sexual health education in schools right now, birth defect education isn’t covered in schools, even though we believe it really should be since it’s a prevalent issue that applies to everyone.  

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer? 

I never expected this initiative to expand as much as it has. In the beginning, I was sort of  ill-prepared for the amount of work it required. It takes an immense amount of work and planning to be able to run an initiative like this. So one thing I’ve learned is that I need to become more accustomed to asking for help when it’s needed and to make sure I have a good, supportive network around me. 

Tell us about future partnerships, programs or events that you are excited about. 

We’re working with the Department of Education to potentially add birth defect education in sexual health education in schools. We’re working on doing that in Massachusetts and some other states, so we’re hoping to get that implemented in maybe two or three other states. Additionally, we currently have 17 chapters this year, but we really want to expand. So we’re hoping to potentially get to around thirty chapters to expand our reach and do a lot more fundraising and supporting hospitals. Our fundraising campaign is aiming to raise $12,000 to support people in low-to-middle income countries to access the health care they need.   

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about? 

Many of us may not recognize how much privilege we have. Other families around the world may not have the same opportunities, and I think it’s extremely important to really engage in your community and try to help as many people as possible. It’s really important to have a sense of community so that we’re able to bring each other together through hardships or difficulties. We’re at our best when we have each other around. 

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering? 

Just go for it! Go to your local community organizations and just go for it. Honestly, the hardest part about going out to volunteer is reaching out. You are going to end up experiencing so many new things and meeting so many amazing people. Just get out there and try to interact with your community. You really learn a lot while helping those around you. 

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Jasmine? Find local volunteer opportunities.

Volunteer Dedicates Decades to Ensuring Vision- and Physically-Impaired Can Read

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Gerry Garvelink. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

The Talking Book and Braille Center celebrated 50 years of bringing free audio and Braille materials to the Kent District Library last year. Patrons who struggle or are incapable of reading traditional books because of a visual or physical impairment can participate in a cherished pastime and learning experience thanks to funding from the Library of Congress’ Library Service. Their support extends to a network of libraries across the country.  

“The program has been in existence since the ‘30s. It was originally designed for veterans who were coming back from the war with loss of eyesight, and it’s just expanded,” cites Susan Greene, an equipment technician who runs the Lansing hub department that sends out equipment to patrons across Michigan. “It’s such a wonderful program where it can take a person who would otherwise feel isolated and allow them to function in book clubs or Bible studies or with their grandchildren who are reading books in school. They can read the same books. They can have meaningful discussions with their family and they can use these books to keep abreast of the things that are going on in the world.” 

People who have permanent limitations or temporary issues (like those recovering from an eye surgery or a hand injury that makes it hard to hold a book) can sign up for the service. The center also lends to schools, nursing homes and rehab centers. 

Equipment allows a patron to listen to a book or magazine and navigate the hierarchy of an article, easily referencing different parts of, for example, a religious text while adding bookmarks or notations. Machines with refreshable Braille displays are also available. Ninety-year-old Gerry Garvelink, a man who repairs, maintains and mechanically restructures the center’s devices, has been a dedicated volunteer for 21 of those 50 years. 

Gerry grew up on a small dairy farm with dreams of being a farmer himself. With eighth grade coming to a close, he

thought his school days were over, but the state then officially required kids to continue to the age of 16. By then, his feelings about learning had changed.

“As years went by, I started to like it more and more. So, I did end up going to college,” he says, recalling his journey to completing his Master’s degree in engineering with encouragement from teachers along the way.  

He married and moved back to Grand Rapids for a career in computer programming at Lear, the company that became Smith’s Industries by the time he retired in 1997. Through a Boeing contract, he even did some work on their 737’s navigation system. By 2003, he had done some volunteer work with his church, but when he saw in the center’s ad in the newspaper calling for helpers to recondition talking book players, he knew it would be a good fit.  

“I always liked to take things apart and try to fix them, so that sounded good to me,” he points out, reminiscing about putting an alarm clock and the family car back together at various points in childhood only to find both still malfunctioning. 

For the first several years, Gerry and fellow volunteers would meet every Monday and spend the day working on cassette-compatible machines. 

“They were very challenging. There was always something considerably wrong with them. I enjoyed that,” he laughs. 

But when the tech advanced, so did Gerry’s skills. After 12 years of Mondays, thanks to Susan and her colleague Bob, a blind staff member knowledgeable about the devices, Gerry learned the ins and outs of maintaining today’s digital machines.  

“Every time [machines] come back, they are cleaned and put through a series of tests. And then, anything that is wrong with them is fixed, and they are given a brand-new charged battery,” Susan explains. “All the old information is completely wiped clean, so [patrons are] essentially getting a brand-new machine.” 

A few years later, COVID hit. While the local branch shut down, Lansing’s was deemed essential though staff was reduced from 20 to five. Gerry continued with his routine of being helpful and convinced them to box up devices for him to pick up at his local branch to recondition at home, a change that has remained in place. Sixteen devices and necessary supplies arrive for him each week and take him 10 to 12 hours to look over.

“It works out very well,” he admits of managing his own time. “And it feels good, too, because I think I’m doing blind people and disabled individuals some service.” 

While Gerry and Susan have only met in-person during that training almost a decade ago, they touch base at least once a week and, during the pandemic, kept a humorous text chain going with Bob to help each other stay positive. Susan is always there for questions or when Gerry needs a part.  

“What Gerry does is just miraculous for us. It’s allowed us to provide service in such a timely fashion to our patrons,” Susan affirms. “There’s just no way that we could keep up with the repairing and all the things that he has done over the years when he’s volunteered his time.” 

Since mid-2020, Gerry has maintained over 4,000 devices with his 526th box shipping out just days ago. With over two decades of experience, he has really gotten to know the people he volunteers with and appreciates the stability of repetition. Though he’s never personally met anyone who benefits from the center, he’s happy knowing he is making life a little easier for people facing those challenges.  

“This activity has been really good for me in a lot of ways–emotionally, physically, mentally. I think it’s just so good for a person to be doing something worthwhile for others. I think that’s so important for a very contented lifestyle,” he says. “It just seems to me that that it’s the right thing to do.” 

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Gerry? Find local volunteer opportunities. 

Banding Together to Fight Childhood Cancer

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Olivia Zhang. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

You might not expect that Olivia Zhang, a 19-year-old college sophomore studying economics and global health, is the founder and CEO of the world’s largest youth-led cancer organization. But when she speaks, her knowledge and compassion show her to be a highly capable leader. 

With a parent whose career was centered on supporting the unhoused, Olivia and her sister learned about nonprofits at a young age, with Olivia’s sister even running social media for some by middle school. In 2019, after multiple loved ones were taken by the disease, Olivia founded Cancer Kids First (CKF). Her goal is to normalize the hospital environment and provide community and support for kids in treatment.  

Many of Olivia’s activities both in and outside of school revolve around community service, including her TikTok account where her nonprofit tips and advice have been viewed more than 30 million times and inspire many to get involved. It’s this presence that has helped spur CKF’s growth from a leadership team of three to 30 with 40,000 volunteers across 80 countries. She works with 72 hospitals and 39 businesses. Olivia’s success has also earned her seats on two health boards — WEGO Health and World Child Cancer — where she advises on project development, marketing campaigns and patient leadership opportunities. 

What inspires you to volunteer? 

My mom is the CFO of a nonprofit. She works with unhoused people. Growing up, she was adamant about making sure my sister and I were giving back to our communities and appreciative of everything that we have. I witnessed how to learn about other people’s stories and best utilize my platform and resources to help others.  

I used to sell artwork on Instagram and to my classmates to raise money, because it was a hobby of mine. When I lost two loved ones to cancer, rather than fundraising a few thousand dollars for research hospitals, I wanted to create more of an impact. So, I started Cancer Kids First to honor their legacies of helping children. 

Tell us about your volunteer role with Cancer Kids First. 

I generally have three to five meetings a week either with our leadership directors to follow up about events and fundraisers we’re planning or with our partners. Then, I run through all our departments. We have many- – service programs, volunteers, events and fundraisers and social media.  

I make sure that every month we’re planning a certain number of events and fundraisers, and all our service programs are efficiently helping patients. Sometimes, I’ll create social media posts or plan a calendar for our social media heads to follow.  

I also answer emails from partners and coordinate our bigger fundraisers. For instance, this month is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and we do an annual fundraiser with Kendra Scott, so I’m the point of contact. In general, if we’re hosting an in-person event, I’m the one organizing the location, coordinating volunteers and leading it.  

How do you normalize the hospital environment and build a supportive community for these kids? 

We have five service programs. For the Arts program, we create personalized cards and crafts for kids with cancer, including inspiring messages to show support. We deliver entertainment—and medical resources—to the Child Life director at partner hospitals with our Toys and Books program. Items provide normalcy and give patients something to do while getting treatment.  

Our Care Packages program provides patients celebrating a milestone like a birthday or finishing chemotherapy with a dream gift shipped directly to them. And our Treatment Services program focuses on increasing access to treatment for international patients by either delivering medical resources or covering transportation costs.  

Lastly, our Patient Interaction program aims to decrease isolation by pairing patients with volunteers with similar interests for monthly video calls to talk and play games. The goal of all these programs is to spark some joy and give patients a community of people they can count on.   

How did the pandemic affect the organization so soon after you started it?  

I was still pretty shy, and securing partnerships and belief in our organization was challenging. The pandemic allowed me to reflect and take online courses on things like how to pitch. I also started focusing on online marketing.  

As our membership grew, we got amazing leadership team directors who helped guide us, and I learned the importance of reaching out to your target community to see what they needed most. The pandemic created a lot of new challenges for hospitals that we were able to address, so it opened up a lot of opportunities for us. 

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work? 

Number one is being able to help patients as young as three years old through something like brain tumors and getting to hear about how we’ve been able to help their families with costs and stress levels. Empowering other young people to be more engaged in community service is also amazing.

What is 51 Forward? 

Because of CKF’s growth and my work on social media, I got thousands of messages from young people wanting to build their own nonprofits. I used to post videos or answer DMs directly, but in 2020, I started directly mentoring high school and college students. Through 51 Forward, I’ll meet one-on-one every month with nonprofits to advise on things like marketing strategies and increasing their volunteer base. So far, I’ve worked with 187 leaders in 100 youth-led nonprofits. 

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about? 

There are so many problems in the world that can be addressed if people are willing to put in the time and energy. And, in general, it’s important to be a global citizen. We’re all on the same earth, so taking care of it is important. Taking care of people facing unjust treatment in our communities is very important. If you have the ability to help someone, why wouldn’t you?  If you don’t, who will? 

What do you want people to learn from your story? 

Don’t be afraid to be authentically yourself and pursue your dreams. Start an organization if you want to. Believe in yourself and take steps to find mentors or learn through books. Hopefully, people are inspired by that say-yes mentality. 

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Olivia? Find local volunteer opportunities. 

Making Connections, One Meal at a Time

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Ed Isbell. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

Some people find hobbies in retirement. Ed Isbell, 70, found volunteering. Six years ago, after a demanding career working for railroads and a transportation-logistics company, he retired. Wanting to stay active with his new unclaimed time, he started evaluating how he could help the people around him.  

Ed coached with Special Olympics for many years, including regional basketball team Wilmington Wizards for the last five. Before Covid-19 concerns shut the program down, Ed also drove people to medical appointments with Friends in Service Helping (FISH). He continues to deliver pet food with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) twice a month to people who have trouble getting out to buy their own. 

The role that he spends the most time in is delivering food for Meals on Wheels. Ed delivers five days a week and goes above and beyond to be a light in his clients’ day whether it’s bringing in their mail, putting a trash can away or simply making sure they’re ok. Ed is a people person who values the connections he makes with the communities he serves.  

What inspires you to volunteer? 

When I was working, I was traveling some. Then, when I started working remotely in 2004, I was more or less dedicated to doing just that, because when you work out of your house, you tend to work a lot more.  My wife said, “You can retire as long as you have something to do.” There’s only so much golf you can play, so it was after retirement that I began volunteering.

Tell us about your volunteer role with Meal of Wheels. 

I show up around 10:30am and go to a couple of the local senior centers. They have a caterer that brings in the hot meals every day. One day a week, it’s a cold meal, something like tuna with bread to make a sandwich. We deliver between 10am and lunch. If I have a double route, I might be done at 12:30pm.  

The route I did today was probably the longest with 18 meals and 14 stops. Some husband-and-wife deliveries get multiple meals, and one household gets three. Shorter routes are 10 or 12, some fewer. If somebody cancels, I usually pick up their route, too. I do double routes with anywhere from 22 to 30 deliveries two or three times a week. I want to do as much as I can to help out.  

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?  

Meals on Wheels always intrigued me, because I used to see pictures on TV, and I’ve known some people involved with Special Olympics who also did Meals on Wheels deliveries. They raved about it. I like that I can somewhat set my own schedule.  

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work? 

Some of the clients don’t have access to a lot of family. A lot of them are older with physical limitations. I’ve created really nice friendships with some of them as well as with younger people with physical disabilities who also depend on these meals.  

I may be the only person they see all day, and I get a kick out of showing up at their door and presenting them with a meal every day. It’s hard for them to do anything physical, so I like to make sure that they’re getting everything that they need.  

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer? 

When I first started this, I was new to Wilmington. I knew that if I was out there delivering every day, I would learn the area pretty well, and I have. I’ve learned pretty much every route and don’t even need GPS anymore unless it’s a new client. I just enjoy the friendships and making sure they have good food. People truly appreciate it. 

Tell us about future partnerships, programs or events that you are excited about. 

Every year, we provide Thanksgiving meals for the people who can’t make one for themselves. I’ve helped for six years now. It’s only about five or six clients on each of these routes, but that’s the only Thanksgiving meal they’re going to get.  

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about? 

I think it makes you a better person. You recognize that we should feel fortunate that we’ve had the life that we’ve had, and it’s of utmost importance to provide to those who are less fortunate. In everything that I’ve done — Special Olympics, Meals on Wheels, SPCA — the people I’ve interacted with don’t have a lot of what we have. We worked for 40 plus years and have a nice retirement, and now it’s time to give back. 

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering? 

You can use any search engine to look for volunteer opportunities in whatever city you live near, and just pick what’s good for you. Some people want to get involved with politics. My oldest daughter, goes to the polls and helps out on election days. That’s her way of giving back.  

Find something that you think you would enjoy and give it a try. If you don’t like it, there are all kinds of other volunteer organizations that have different things you can do for them. Something that you really enjoy you’ll want to stick with for years. I plan on doing this until I’m at least 80. I’m going to just keep doing what I’m doing as long as I can drive.  

What do you want people to learn from your story? 

If you’re going to retire, and you want to do something with your life, volunteering is excellent. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as you’re contributing and making somebody’s life better. If I can bring an 80-year-old woman cat food who can’t get her own, and I see the happiness on her face, it makes me feel good that I’m helping. 

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Ed? Find local volunteer opportunities.