Tech Executive Leads Nonprofit Feeding Thousands in India
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Alwyn Joseph. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
By day, Alwyn Joseph is a senior executive in the technology industry, living with his family in Suwanee, Georgia — a life made possible, he’ll tell you, by the opportunities the United States provided to him as a first-generation immigrant from India. But his evenings, weekends and a significant portion of his own money belong to something else entirely.
In 2020, when COVID-19 lockdowns stripped daily wage workers in India’s slums of their livelihoods overnight, Alwyn rallied friends across the U.S. and abroad to send monthly grocery packages to affected families. What started as an emergency response evolved into Abundance Kitchen, a volunteer-led nonprofit he formally co-founded in 2023 that now operates across 45 slums and villages in Tamil Nadu, India.
Built on three pillars — food, clothing and education — the organization delivers nutritious weekend meals to children whose government schools only feed them on weekdays, distributes clothing and school supply kits, and works to pull the most vulnerable students away from cycles of poverty before they’re lost to them. With 95% or more of every rupee going directly to beneficiaries — and Alwyn personally covering overhead costs — Abundance Kitchen’s reach already runs into the thousands. Its sights are set on a million lives by 2035.
What inspired you to start Abundance Kitchen?
I’ve been engaged in community service in different forms since my engineering school days in India, back in 2004, 2005. Even before I graduated, I started an organization focused on anti-corruption and social activism. After I moved to the States, that work continued more informally — helping people with school fees, college fees, finding jobs.
First-gen immigrant and tech exec Alwyn Joseph leads Abundance Kitchen, a nonprofit delivering meals, clothing and education across 45 slums in India.
Then COVID hit in 2020. In India’s slums, most people are daily wage workers. When the government deployed stay-at-home orders, they lost their livelihoods overnight. These families have to work every single day just to feed themselves and their kids. So, I started rallying friends here in the States and around the world, and we supplied monthly grocery packages to close to 3,000 families. That’s when we really saw the depth of the need and decided to formalize it.
Can you walk us through what Abundance Kitchen does?
It started with food. Government schools in India typically feed kids breakfast and lunch on weekdays. But on weekends, those children are left to go hungry unless their parents can manage. So, we set out to fill that gap with consistent weekend meals.
From there we moved into clothing and school supplies. We collect gently used clothes and toys, clean and sanitize them, sort by age group and size, and distribute. Last year we reached 1,000 kids with full kits of clothing and school supplies. This year we’re targeting 2,000.
The third pillar we’re trying to venture into is education. There are plenty of organizations that support kids who are already doing well in school. But the pattern that we see in the slums is by the time a girl reaches ninth or tenth grade, family circumstances often pull her into household work and she gets stuck there. For boys, the pull is often toward the patterns of a parent who is in prison or involved in crime. We want to catch those kids before that happens and give them vocational skills like tailoring, electrical work, plumbing, something they can actually build a livelihood from.
Your co-founder, Clement Barnabas, actually lives among the communities you serve. Can you tell us about him?
He’s been doing community service for 15 years, and a few years ago he made the decision to move his entire life into the slums — gave up his home, lives among the people we serve. His wife has a good job, they could live very differently, but that’s the commitment he made. I’ve known him since our engineering school days, more than 20 years now. He’s much more intense than I am. These communities are not easy to navigate. There are people who try to take advantage, nonprofits that get lost trying to help. His being there gives us the confidence that we’re reaching the actual beneficiary and not getting fooled around.
You immigrated from India yourself. Why does this cause hit so close to home for you?
Childhood hunger is hard. I haven’t experienced a lot of it myself, but I’ve experienced some of it, and I had friends who experienced it deeply. I saw those hardships up close. Whenever I see a child go hungry or in dire need, I relate it back to my own two kids. That breaks my heart every time.
And logically, somebody has to break the cycle. It’s a vicious cycle that goes on generation to generation. By the grace of God, I’m in a position of power on the corporate side, I’m doing well. So I think it’s only right to channel those blessings into something like this. If you are blessed, it’s not just for you — it is for you to be a channel of blessing to others.
What do you hope for the children Abundance Kitchen is serving?
I’ll be very glad if even 10 or 15 percent of them break the cycle of poverty and go on to have extraordinary lives. Over a period of time, I believe the kids we’re helping today will become our volunteers in five or 10 years. There will be a pay-it-forward model. We’re building a critical mass right now, and in a decade, I think we’ll have thousands of people who are willing to pay it forward— and that network effect is what will make the mission grow faster than anything else.
What do you want people to understand about the communities you work in?
It’s very easy to judge from the outside. When you actually get close and see people’s lives, it’s a very different story. The struggles are real. The perspectives are different from what you imagine. Yes, there is crime, there is poverty — all of that is true. But these kids are innocent. They have the same potential as any of our children. What they lack is opportunity. If you want to be fair to them, give them an opportunity and see how they thrive.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own nonprofit?
Just go do it. I know a lot of people have great intentions and then run a lot of worst-case scenarios in their minds before they ever start. The best way to learn — and to get truly hooked on this kind of work — is to just get hands on and do it. You’ll make mistakes. Every time, you’ll get better. You’ll learn how to serve more effectively, use money more wisely, identify the right beneficiaries. But none of that happens if you never begin. If you have the intention, go do it.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Austin Koziarski. Read his story, andnominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
When Austin Koziarski walked into JaxTHRIVE as a high school freshman, he was looking for a place to put his energy toward something that mattered. And he found it. Tutoring newly arrived refugee children, many from Afghanistan, Austin has helped this Jacksonville program grow into a vibrant community outreach.
Now co-president, Austin leads more than 200 volunteers from 18 area high schools, coordinates twice-monthly “Super Saturday” tutoring sessions, and organizes drives for school supplies and holiday baskets. He rebuilt the organization’s website, streamlined volunteer training, and partnered with groups like VyStar Credit Union to host a financial literacy Reality Fair, helping to teach refugee students about budgeting, taxes, and insurance that will shape their futures.
As co-president of JaxTHRIVE, Austin leads more than 200 volunteers in tutoring refugee children across Jacksonville.
For Austin, the reward is personal. He remembers helping Mehran, a 10-year-old who quietly confided his dream of becoming an engineer as they built a paper-towel-roll bridge together. Austin told him that with hard work, any dream was possible… and watched the boy break into a confident smile.
“Even though I’m young, I can still have a big impact on someone who needs my help,” Austin says. His work is a reminder that connection crosses every border, and that deep down, we’re all more alike than we are different.
Teen’s Nonprofit Brings Music to Kids with Disabilities
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Ryan Qi. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
When Ryan Qi’s younger brother was diagnosed with a developmental delay at 2 years old, the family faced an uncertain road. Then, one afternoon as Ryan practiced on the piano, his brother — who usually kept to himself — wandered over and joined in, tinkering with the keys and dancing alongside him. That moment of connection inspired Ryan to found Bright Beats, a youth-led nonprofit that brings free, adaptive music sessions to children with disabilities.
Today, the 17-year-old from Virginia leads a team of more than 100 volunteers who bring sing-alongs, rhythm games and instrument play to families across several states and countries such as China, Vietnam, and Uganda.
What inspired you to start Bright Beats?
About three years ago, my brother was diagnosed with a developmental delay when he was about 2 years old, and that was a really hard moment for our family. We had to start caring for him a lot, and his future was uncertain in terms of his educational goals and things like that. One day I was playing piano, and my brother, who usually just keeps to himself, came over and started playing the piano with me. He started tinkering with it and dancing, and it was really amazing to see him interacting with us in a way he hadn’t before. That’s the point where I really started to see how powerful music was for fostering that kind of connection, and that’s what prompted me to start Bright Beats: to bring music to more families who are facing a similar situation as mine was.
Ryan (left) plays the glockenspiel at a holiday event in partnership with another nonprofit organization./ Courtesy Ryan Qi
How has Bright Beats grown since you started it?
It started out really small, within our community. My first programs and sessions were at my brother’s school, which is specifically a school for special education. During their summer session, my sister and I would go to the school, go to all the classrooms, and provide music sessions for them. We have sing-alongs, rhythm games, and music games like musical chairs. We also have a lot of percussion instruments for the kids to free-play with, like bells and drums, so they can express themselves however they please. For our sing-alongs, we choose songs a lot of the kids probably already know, like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “The Wheels on the Bus.”
The sessions last about 45 minutes to an hour before we switch classrooms, and we’ve basically carried that structure over into our current sessions. I spent a lot of time at that small scale really designing the core session well, and then, about a year and a half later, I started to expand Bright Beats to other locations in our community. We established a library session that happens about monthly at our local library, so more kids and families can join. They don’t have to be part of a school; they can just come to the library and experience the music sessions. We also expanded to virtual sessions for families who don’t live in Virginia or near where I live, so we can connect with families one-on-one or in small groups over Zoom and provide adaptive Bright Beats sessions. And we established some new partnerships, like with an organization called The African Child, which is located in Uganda. We send them pre-recorded sessions to help the kids they engage with, who also have disabilities.
What’s been the most rewarding part of this work?
I think my favorite part of Bright Beats is sharing the music with the children. It really makes me happy to see them learn and have fun in a safe community where they can interact with their peers.
Is there a specific moment or memory that sticks out to you?
At one of our library sessions, there was a kid who at first was really nervous and shy, and didn’t really want to play with the volunteers or the instruments or talk to the other kids. But as the session went on and we sang some familiar songs, that child soon felt more comfortable and welcome, and by the end of the session, the child was playing with the instruments and having a lot of fun. I think that really shows that Bright Beats sessions can help kids feel welcome and comfortable.
What have you learned from running your own nonprofit?
I think the most important thing about running a nonprofit is having a core purpose. I know a lot of youth nowadays create nonprofits just to get into college, but I think making a nonprofit is really about helping people in your community. It’s important to understand what your purpose is in creating a nonprofit, because that itself will really guide the founder and the leaders to figure out how they’re actually going to help their community. That’ll help them design their events, their branding, and whatever else they need.
What are your long-term plans for Bright Beats?
As for the chapter in Virginia, when I graduate from high school — and we’re actually already facing this in some of our other chapters, where leaders are graduating and going to college next year — we have a big leadership team, so Vice Presidents and Directors will move up and fill in the roles the President or Vice Presidents have left behind. That’ll really help the chapter stay sustainable. As for the graduating leaders and volunteers, they join an alumni network, or a mentor network, that continues to guide the leaders who are actively involved in the chapter. So we can kind of keep all the chapters sustainable. And graduates can also take Bright Beats to where their college is and start new initiatives there.
Why do you think it’s important for people to get involved with causes they care about?
I think it’s important because it really allows you to pay it forward in your community, and for all the skills you gain along the way, you’ll have a way to show the world what you really care about and make a better impact on the world.
What do you hope people take away from your story?
I hope people can take away that there’s always help out there. Even though there’s a lot of stress and anxiety in the world, there are always people who are volunteering and willing to help you, no matter how bad your situation is.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Laura Gibbons. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
With as much volunteering 50-year-old Laura Gibbons does, people may be surprised to learn that she’s also a full-time recruiter for CompHealth. This married mother of two was adopted from South Korea when she was just 1 ½ years old and grew up in a family of 11 before eventually moving to Utah. She points to a culture of helping others and kind adult figures in her life as motivators for her hundreds of hours of volunteering – and that’s just since she started keeping track in 2025 – particularly with kids.
Her own kids have picked up the culture that has been so important to Laura, and both are active volunteers. Once, at the request of her daughter, Laura and her family stopped to assist at an animal shelter while vacationing in Thailand.
If the goal was to raise the next generation of kind humans, Laura has undoubtedly succeeded. Not only has she inspired those she has helped but those she has volunteered with. Even today, younger siblings of her kids’ friends ask to join in her work.
What inspires you to volunteer?
My parents instilled the idea of helping others from a young age. We’d volunteer in our community every year starting when I was around 9 years old. People have also always helped me throughout my life, so I continued to do it when I came to Utah. I love it.
We’re given so much, and there are many people who have less than we do. I try to teach my children that. It’s important. That’s probably why I volunteer with kids a lot.
Tell us about your volunteer roles and what inspired you to get started with each initiative.
I was never in Girl Scouts, but I knew it was a great program. There were some really hard times in my life growing up. I had really good youth leaders in my life who made a huge impact on me, and I felt like I should be the same for others. I wanted to teach my daughter that. So, I decided to be the troop leader when she was in second grade.
22 girls joined my troop, and every year, along with building outdoor skills and confidence, we’d volunteer. We’d clean up beaches, help at shelters, donate food, etc. They’re all adults now, but they stay in touch, and many have gone on to create their own initiatives.
I also volunteer at Roots Charter High School with underserved students that also has a farm where students work during the week. They have classes on topics like cooking and finances, so that when they graduate, they’re more prepared to be self-sufficient adults. They also grow and sell plants.
Six years ago, I went to a Thanksgiving lunch my friend was catering and decided to volunteer. I started bringing my kids and their friends to help in fourth or fifth grade, and I’ve become one of their main volunteers.
I organize an annual Easter egg hunt when all the animal babies are born. Girl Scout troops started asking if I’d do a farm day to educate kids, so I’ve been doing that as well as introducing prospective families to the school. I also organize youth service and secure funding.
As a Project Hope for Kids board member, I help put on events–like bowling or a trip to a pumpkin patch–for refugee and immigrant students to let them know they’re not alone. And we work with other local refugee programs to address basic needs.
It can be scary when you don’t speak English and you’re adjusting to something new, especially if your family doesn’t have money and support. My daughter’s two best friends in high school were refugees. One was the first to graduate from high school, got a full-ride scholarship to the University of Utah, and is now applying to law school. When she and my daughter played basketball together, I’d bring her dinner along with my daughter’s, because there were days she hadn’t eaten. I think about others like her who can get the support they need with this organization.
I’ve been the President of the Football Booster Club for the past two years at Judge Memorial Catholic High School. More than 70% of students there are on some form of scholarship. We raise funds to help people participate in sports who can’t afford it. We also offer student-athletes free tutoring and a food pantry for those facing food insecurity.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
Some of these kids have been around since grade school, and it’s been so rewarding to see how my volunteering has impacted them and to see that they’re thriving as adults.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
At Roots’ first annual fundraiser, a farm-to-table meal using everything the students grew and raised, students spoke about the school. I didn’t know how much this school impacted their self-esteem. This isn’t just a high school; it’s a safe haven.
I’ve also learned balance. You have to pick and choose what you want to be passionate about. I used to volunteer for everything, and I’d spread myself too thin.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
Adults have the power, whether they’re a teacher or a coach, to set the tone for children’s self-esteem and who they can be. You never know what a child’s going through. And you can teach more than just your kids how to volunteer. Just be an example of being good to others.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Ava Zhang. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Ava Zhang used to cut her dolls’ hair as a child. Over a decade later, she’s leading an organization that helps those who are struggling to find confidence and strength, through haircuts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, salons and barbershops were closed for safety regulations. Ava had already developed a hobby of cutting hair for family and friends and found plenty of people eager for a fresh haircut while everything was closed. But she also wanted to take her skills and combine them with her passion for helping others through volunteerism. She started giving haircuts in the parking lot of her local grocery store for strangers, and discovered that the relationship formed with a client in her chair was one of tremendous confidence. But when Ava reached out to shelters and asked if she could provide haircuts to their clients, she was informed that she needed a cosmetology license to cut hair.
Instead of feeling defeated, Ava went on to enroll in cosmetology school. She trained for as many as 1,500 hours and passed two state board exams to get her cosmetology license. Now, she spearheads Cuts for a Cause, a youth-led nonprofit providing free, professional hair-cutting and styling services to marginalized communities. Ava is responsible for coordinating with shelter partners, recruiting and managing volunteers, planning service events, and providing the haircuts. But she has also expanded the organization’s scope, hosting self-care health education workshops for over 800 individuals. By providing personal care and beauty services for underserved communities, Ava is giving each client the respect and dignity they deserve.
Now a rising high school senior, Ava is looking toward the future. When she heads to college, she would like to expand the organization beyond her own involvement. While she has a supportive team of volunteers, she’s still the only one providing haircuts and is hoping to find another young person with the proper qualifications to cut hair. Ava may be the youngest licensed barber in Virginia, but she’s also a volunteer powerhouse. She dedicates 45 hours per month to her work with Cuts for a Cause and has no intention of slowing down. With every snip of her scissors, Ava is giving her time to build someone’s confidence. Her willingness to combine her talents with a passion for helping others is an incredible example of the power of volunteerism.
AVA ZHANG (SECOND FROM RIGHT) STANDS WITH FELLOW VOLUNTEERS AT A CUTS FOR A CAUSE BAKE SALE FUNDRAISING OUTSIDE HER LOCAL GROCERY STORE TO RAISE FUNDS FOR CUTS FOR A CAUSE. /COURTESY AVA ZHANG
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
Haircutting has always been one of my favorite hobbies. When I was a little kid, I would cut the hair on my dolls, and I began cutting hair for my family and neighbors. During COVID, a lot of salons were closed, so I wanted to practice my haircutting skills more. I went to Giant, the grocery store, and provided haircuts for people. One man came up to me, and when he sat down in the chair and I gave him his haircut, we talked about his life. He didn’t just thank me for the haircut, but he thanked me for the time that I took to really listen to him.
That’s when I noticed how much a haircut can really mean. It’s not just the haircut that improves someone’s confidence, but the time it takes to build that trust and relationship in the chair. That made me want to start cutting hair for people who don’t have that access and could really benefit from being listened to. I began reaching out to local shelters in Northern Virginia, and now we have around five partnerships.
Tell us about your volunteer role with Cuts for a Cause.
I have a team with a Fundraising Director, an Outreach Director, and a Secretary, and I’ll assign them certain tasks, whether it’s reaching out to more shelters or reaching out to restaurants or other places we can partner with for fundraisers. I also coordinate with student volunteers who can help out at the haircutting events. I do the designing for Instagram posts, but I generally oversee what my team does.
What inspires you to volunteer?
Volunteering to me is such an amazing thing because I’m not just doing what I love, but I’m also helping the community and restoring dignity and confidence to these people who cannot access services like health education and grooming.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
The most rewarding part is that haircuts allowed me to sit down with someone and hear about their lives and their experiences. Some people are excited to tell me what haircut they want, or just want someone to listen to them. I love working with children too because they’re always very excited and talkative, and seeing someone look at them afterward, smile, and see that confidence is really rewarding. It’s really more than just changing someone’s appearance.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
Helping someone starts with listening to them instead of just assuming what they need. Every person who sits in my chair has different experiences and ways of communicating, and I’ve definitely learned how to adapt. Whether that means communicating with someone who doesn’t speak much English or working with a nervous child, I’ve learned a lot about leadership because running an organization means communicating with shelters, coordinating with volunteers, and figuring out what to do if things don’t go as planned.
AVA ZHANG WEARS A BLACK APRON AS SHE PROVIDES A FREE HAIRCUT AT THE FAUQUIER FAMILY SHELTER THROUGH CUTS FOR A CAUSE. /COURTESY AVA ZHANG ● [Good Shep]: AVA ZHANG (LEFT) PRESENTS AT THE PODIUM DURING A SELF-CARE WORKSHOP FOR RESIDENTS AT GOOD SHEPHERD HOUSING. /COURTESY AVA ZHANG
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
Getting involved with something you genuinely care about makes volunteering feel much less like an obligation or a job, and more like being who you are. I loved cosmetology before starting Cuts for a Cause, but volunteering showed me that a personal interest could also meet a need in a community and serve other people. You don’t need to start a nonprofit or have a service-oriented skill to make an impact. When people find what they care about and what their community needs, service becomes much more personal and sustainable.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
Find something you love and start with something you know how to do. Don’t wait until you feel completely prepared, because when you’re a young person and you have a passion, you really need to get out there. You can’t keep waiting. When I started, I didn’t have a large organization or hundreds of volunteers. I just had a skill that I knew could help someone. To this day, it’s still just me doing the haircutting.
Check out organizations in your community and ask what they actually need. Be willing to start small, because your first effort doesn’t have to impact a bunch of people to really make an impact. One meaningful interaction can show where you can go next, and as you gain more experience, listen to people you serve and let what you learn from them shape how you continue helping.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
Doing what you love and helping other people can make such a bigger impact than you think. My organization isn’t expanded throughout the country or the world, but these one-on-one interactions with the people are much deeper than giving a simple haircut, because you’re building trust and community. I want people to learn that you don’t have to be a huge organization to feel like you did something.
Helping Golden Retrievers Find Their Forever Homes
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Jane Krom. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Jane Krom always loved animals, but it took a dire situation for her to realize she wanted to take action. Back in 2010, Jane was reading the newspaper when she discovered that 70 golden retrievers had been rescued from an overbreeding situation where she and her husband had gotten their beloved pup, Casey. Realizing that the dogs in danger could be Casey’s parents, Jane was horrified. Inspired to make a difference, Jane started volunteering at Southeastern Virginia Golden Retriever Rescue, Education, and Training, Inc., a volunteer rescue group that takes in golden retrievers from shelters, animal control facilities, or owners who can no longer care for their dog. At that time, Jane never could have expected how much her role would grow.
In the last 15 years with SEVA GRREAT, Jane has tackled almost every role in the book, from President and Fundraising Lead to her current role as Foster Coordinator. In this role, Jane approaches the complex task of matching dogs to the right homes, ensuring they end up in places where they’ll thrive. While her role is one with many responsibilities, it also requires tremendous multitasking ability, as the organization cares for 50 animals at a time. From transporting the dogs out of dangerous situations to their foster homes and eventually to their forever homes, Jane is the reliable face that each pup can lean on when they’re facing instability.
Jane has also bolstered the organization as a whole, doubling the number of foster homes that are available for needy pups. Whether she’s removing dogs from a hoarding situation in South Carolina or from Turkey after the 2023 earthquake, her ability to handle difficult situations is an asset to the group. As a mentor to other volunteers, she serves as a guiding light for anyone hoping to serve as a champion for animal rights. Giving 80 hours per month to SEVA GRREAT, Jane has helped the organization welcome more than 1,410 dogs, including 81 so far this year. Her volunteer work in the field of animal rights and rescue can serve as a template for anyone inspired to make a difference, no matter the cause.
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
It started after something I read in the newspaper. Back in 2010, the rescue group Southeastern Virginia Golden Retriever Rescue was involved in rescuing 70 golden retrievers at once from an overbreeding situation, and that got me. I think partially because I’ve just always loved golden retrievers, but I had actually gotten the golden retriever from that place six years prior. Everything seemed fine. I never suspected that there would be any issue. When I saw that, it just got me going.
JANE KROM, THE FOSTER COORDINATOR FOR SEVA GRREAT, TRANSPORTS A NEW DOG TO FOSTER CARE. /COURTESY JANE KROM
What inspires you to volunteer?
I’m a nurse by background, so I think I’m naturally an empathetic and caring person. My husband and I didn’t have kids, so the dogs are basically our children who have been in our lives over the years. It’s something that I enjoy, and it keeps me busy.
Tell us about your volunteer role with Southeastern Virginia Golden Retriever Rescue, Education, and Training, Inc.
I’m what’s called the Foster Coordinator. I’m responsible for when we get a request to bring in a new dog and find it a foster home, and then oversee their veterinary care while they’re in the rescue and getting ready for adoption. Right now, we have over 50 in our care, so it’s a lot to keep track of. I’m very involved in helping physically bring them in once they’re coming to a foster home. They need to be picked up and transported to that home, and oftentimes I’m one of the ones who actually picks up the dog and gets them to their foster home. It helps me get to know them a little bit and establish a relationship with the foster homes.
What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?
Continuing to move us forward and keeping us able to provide care for the dogs. I feel like it’s getting harder and harder to find volunteers, particularly ones who will be on the board and take on the major roles. There are a lot of people that want to help in many ways, but actually taking on a board responsibility is a bigger ask because there’s much more day-to-day involvement. Recruiting and making sure we keep building our team. We’re proud of the fact that we’ve been in existence for 35 years, which is a long time for a volunteer organization.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
That has to be just the dogs. Seeing them get better and get the care they need, and then making families really happy. The people that adopt the dogs are usually just so unbelievably happy to have a family member, and seeing them get to that point is great.
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
Because there’s such a great need there, and always will be. People seem to be very passionate about things, and they want something to be done, but it doesn’t happen by assuming others will do it. Everybody has to do at least a small part. If we had more people doing a small part, it would make it a lot easier.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
Think about a cause that they feel strongly about or that they think they would enjoy and that has some relevance to them. Just reach out and ask what the needs are, because there’s usually going to be something. If they’re underage, it’s getting the parent on board too to be able tohelp with their volunteer time. But for other adults, it’s just reaching out.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
You can make a difference, and no matter what, devoting some time to a cause that’s important to you definitely helps. My role within the organization has grown, and I feel very much appreciated. I’m constantly getting a lot of good feedback for it, which is not what I’m looking for, but people notice. You will definitely make a difference. You don’t necessarily have to be in the spotlight. It’s just doing your part of it.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Cameron Murray. Read his story, andnominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Cameron Murray was in first grade when a dual-immersion teacher rolled small robots into the classroom and taught the students to code. That spark never faded. Entering high school, Cameron turned it into CodAmigos, a nonprofit delivering free, bilingual computer science education to elementary and middle school students in underserved communities — many of whom have never had a computer of their own.
The approach is hands-on and joyful. Using grant-funded robots and donated laptops, students write simple block code and instantly watch their commands come to life as a robot spins or flashes a light. Since the first session in 2024, Cameron and a growing team of recruited high school instructors have reached over 100 students, running weekly sessions through the Torrance Unified School District.
• Cameron Murray founded CodAmigos to bring free, bilingual computer science education to elementary and middle schoolers.
What Cameron watches for is the moment confidence takes hold, like the once-reluctant student who quietly started following lessons on her own and became one of the most engaged coders in the room. To keep the program growing, Cameron built training protocols and a manual so other students can launch programs of their own. “I’ve learned that students work at different levels, and it’s important to meet students where they are,” Cameron says.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Claire Kim. Read her story, andnominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
For Claire Kim, volunteering is an act of love. As Vice President and Civics Project Director of Empower Girls of Color (EGC), she builds educational projects that help girls of color see the power of their own voices. Her signature initiative, V.I.V.A. (Voices Inspiring Voter Awareness), connects the overlooked stories of women-of-color suffragists to today’s activists, making civic history feel personal and possible. Claire and her team have distributed more than 500 illustrated booklets through libraries and community centers and built a workshop series that has reached over 2,000 children and families.
Beyond civics, Claire conducts EGC’s Empowerment Interviews with women leaders, helped publish the anthology Our Mothers’ Colorful Stories, and created Friends Around the World, a puppet storybook celebrating diverse cultures. Through EGC’s Tutoring Project, she worked one-on-one with a student from a single-mother household, watching hesitation turn into pride as the girl began sharing solved math problems and favorite books.
Across partnerships with Oasis NJ, YMCA Paterson, Give Chances NJ, and the Korean Community Center, Claire has learned that change comes from trust and connection. “I’ve come to recognize an inner spark in each person,” she says. Her mission is now to help young people find their own.
Through EGC’s V.I.V.A. initiative, Claire Kim has helped distribute 500+ educational booklets and reached over 2,000 children and families across New Jersey.
Do you want to make a difference in your community like Claire? Find local volunteer opportunities.
This Volunteer Provides Comfort During Cancer
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Anshika Goyal. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
In the United States, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. 16-year-old Anshika Goyal’s mom was one of them. The experience, though ending with a positive outcome, wasn’t without its stress and fears. Empathizing with others going through it and touched by the thoughtfulness of volunteers when her mom was in the hospital, Anshika now dedicates over 50 hours each month to supporting breast cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and their families through Stronger Than Cancer.
Her organization has delivered 1,200 comfort care kits, mobilized student and community volunteers who have put in a collective 6,000 hours of work, and distributed more than $60,000 of donated products and resources since 2025. They organize awareness events and educational resources to help people dealing with the disease.
Thanks to a routine mammogram, Anshika’s mom caught her cancer early. After surgery, she is now cancer-free. For this reason, Anshika is working hard to make such screenings—and other resources—more accessible with her new Resource Hub.
What inspires you to volunteer?
The first organization I ever volunteered with was Vibha, an organization that funds education for kids in India without access, when a neighbor got the kids on our street involved. I was 8 or 9 years old and didn’t really grasp what it was for. I was just excited to have a plant sale or a bake sale with friends. Then, my mom talked to me about it. In 2024, I accumulated over 100 volunteer hours with them and received the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
I realized that what I was doing was making an impact. It felt like a good community to be a part of and made me feel good about myself. Helping others uplifts you as well.
Representing her organization at a community event, Anshika raises awareness about breast cancer and shares volunteer and patient support opportunities.
What inspired you to get started with Stronger Than Cancer?
My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2024, and her surgery was in January 2025. When she was in the hospital, her nurse navigator gave her a heart-shaped mastectomy pillow someone had donated, and I thought that was really cool.
I wanted to help other people going through cancer and support them in a way that made them feel as happy as she did. So, I started volunteering with the National Breast Cancer Foundation to see how they did it, get some ideas, make some connections, and help people. It was a really good community, and it was fun. That experience helped me develop my own nonprofit, which is what I focus on today.
Tell us about your role.
I’m the founder. I focus on getting everything set up. My mom helps me reach out to hospitals, cancer centers, and organizations to set up meetings. We partner with a lot of businesses who send donations for our kits. We include things like blankets, volunteer-made bracelets and cards and self-care items, and donate to hospitals, aiming for 100 each month. I coordinate drop-offs.
Sometimes, I recruit my friends. We also sew and stuff heart-shaped pillows, and a couple friends have organized fundraisers like bake sales and a lemonade stand. We set up a table at events like health fairs and talk about what we do. There’s lots of organizing and managing different parts. I support our other school and community chapters nationwide as well.
What is the Resource Hub?
The goal of the Resource Hub is to create an accessible one stop resource where patients, survivors, caregivers, and families can quickly find relevant support. It started because, at health fairs, we’ve come across underserved communities and people who didn’t have the financial resources to go for regular mammograms, which are vital for early detection. Through our work, we’ve discovered many free services that people aren’t aware of, because the information is fragmented across different websites.
So, we decided to put resources all in one place–financial assistance, legal support, mammogram and screening services, hospital information, transportation, counseling, support groups, and other patient services. You can sort by what you need, location, or stage of treatment. It’s just local options right now, but we’re hoping to expand.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
Sometimes, when we talk about what we do, people open up about having had cancer or having a family member who currently has it. When we offer them a care kit or to ship one to a loved one, the look on their face is unforgettable. It makes me feel good knowing that they don’t feel as alone.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
Volunteering may seem like a lot of work, and it can be. But even if you don’t have a lot of time, you can do something small, like making a couple cards to send off.
What is the best way to support a friend or family member dealing with cancer?
Talk to them and treat them like a normal person. A lot of times people may not want to talk about exactly what they’re going through. They may not want to be seen as just a cancer patient. Cancer can take not only a physical toll but a mental and emotional one. Having someone to talk to can make a big difference.
Tell us about future partnerships, programs, or events that you are excited about.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. One of our chapter leads connected us with the American Cancer Society, and we’re trying to partner with them to do a 5K for breast cancer. We’ve only hosted one other 5K so far, for National Cancer Survivors’ Day in partnership with the YMCA. We might also host a health fair.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
There are many good people in the world trying to help. Find them. It’s important to help others and be kind. Even if you just compliment someone or ask them how their day was, it can go a long way to making someone feel better about themselves, feel heard, or feel cared about.
Style and Service Go Hand in Hand for One Volunteer
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Talia Tsipras. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Talia Tsipras always knew her best style inspiration was close to home. For many years, her beloved grandmother worked as a clothing designer. When she retired, she was left with a warehouse filled with unused pieces. This was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when students like Talia were struggling to engage in an increasingly disconnected world. Looking to do something good for others in her community, Talia partnered with Catholic Guardian Services and donated a few hundred dresses to the organization. But Talia knew she could go bigger, and that catapulted her story into a fashion revolution.
Wanting to do more to combine her knowledge of the fashion business with her passion for helping people, Talia established Good Threads, an organization that makes new clothing gifts to children, teens, and women in crisis. While Talia knew used clothing had great value, she felt there was something special in treating people with something new. The organization buys new clothing by the pallet at the end of the season from large discount retailers like Ross and Marshalls, therefore securing substantial discounts. Good Threads then partners with organizations around the country that are already serving communities, allowing them to distribute the clothing quickly to communities in need. From a public school system in Texas to groups like Suited for Change in Washington, D.C., Good Threads has provided more than 1000 teens with brand new prom dresses and around 800 children with clothing gifts. Their contributions exceed a retail value of $300,000.
In her role as Good Threads’ Founder and Executive Director, Talia spends around 40 hours per month on duties ranging from fundraising and sourcing new clothing to filling program orders and packing and shipping clothes to their partner organizations. That’s no small feat, considering she’s a rising high school senior with a rigorous academic schedule on her hands. Talia also feels her ADHD has transformed from a struggle to a superpower in this situation. Instead of limiting her ability to focus on the task at hand, Talia believes she utilizes the common neurodevelopmental condition to her advantage.
Talia’s commitment to volunteerism is a powerful example of taking one’s specialized knowledge and using it to help others. Talia already saw her grandmother’s success in the fashion industry, and knew she could channel that expertise into a life of service. Her vision is a triumph that can inspire anyone hoping to serve others.
TALIA TSIPRAS IS THE FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GOOD THREADS. /COURTESY TALIA TSIPRAS
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
My grandmother inspired me. She used to be a fashion designer, and she designed so many beautiful dresses. When she retired, we had these big warehouses full of unused dresses that were so beautiful, but weren’t being used at all. It was during COVID, and it was a really hard time for everyone, especially kids in high school. I just thought this was an easy way for me to make a difference in the community. We partnered with Catholic Guardian Services and grew organically from there. We distributed about 100 dresses to girls throughout New York so we could give a special experience for prom.
What inspires you to volunteer?
It gives me a feeling of joy. Whenever I get a lot of photos back after we distribute clothing gifts, I can see the smile on people’s faces and the reactions to me doing a small thing to help them. It makes me feel really warm and fuzzy inside. I also struggle with ADHD, and taking action helps with the ADHD the most.
Tell us about your volunteer role with Good Threads.
We have people reach out to us. For example, we just did our usual prom dress donations. They tell us sizes they need. Then we head to the warehouse and gather the different dresses based on a variety of colors and sizes. We collect them and put them together. We collect the items that they ask for and then ship them ourselves. The nonprofit gives it to the end user.
What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?
I want to keep expanding the program. We currently serve nonprofits in eight different states, but I want to expand to more, especially since I’m going into my senior year. I’m going to go into college, but I still want to keep this going, even if I’ll be away from home. I’d love to see this become a national organization and maybe build some brand partnerships and get grants.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
I’ve had a lot of people tell me they have great ideas for nonprofits but never go out there and create them. I’m very proud of myself for actually starting it. I just like helping people, and I love seeing how much a gift can help a person, how much dignity they can get from a gift, and how much we can uplift people.
GOOD THREADS FOUNDER TALIA TSIPRAS SMILES FOR THE CAMERA BEHIND GARMENT BAGS. /COURTESY TALIA TSIPRAS
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
It’s the little things. If we each got involved with things we care about, then as a greater good, we will all transform things together. Humans are social creatures. We need community, and by needing community, you need to help your community.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
Just do it! Just take action and figure it out along the way, especially for young people. Don’t overthink it. It’s one foot in front of the other. Just get it going, and then it will grow. You’ll see it grow and get easier in the process. That’s what happened to me. Also, be completely open to everything. Be open to different opportunities, and eventually you will evolve.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
Take action and figure it out along the way. I want other people to be inspired by what I do, and hopefully, more things like this will rise. We started small, and small things can make such a big impact. Another big thing is how gifts can equal dignity. It’s a big difference between giving someone something used versus giving a new clothing gift. It helps people to be seen, and with a new gift, it grants people dignity.
