Meet The GivingTuesdaySpark Leaders

GivingTuesdaySpark is youth-founded and youth-led. Meet these young leaders, who are making a difference not only on GivingTuesday, but every day. They’re helping to spread the word about GivingTuesdaySpark and inspire more young people to help build a more just and generous world. Wanna help? Join the movement!

KHloe Thompson

Age 16, Yorba Linda, California

I'm the founder of Khloe Kares where I support women experiencing homelessness. I use my platform to help other youth find their passions and I install water pumps and bathroom facilities in schools in Ghana that don't have access to clean water. I also helped create the Giving Tuesday Spark program and the goal to activate 1 million youth around the world to sign up and be involved with Giving Tuesday.

sammie vance

Age 15, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Sammie Vance is on a mission to spread kindness and to make the world a less lonely place starting with making sure all kids have a friend. She has gained worldwide attention through her Sammie’s Buddy Bench Project where she collected plastic caps and lids and had them recycled into buddy benches for her school and all around the country. It has impacted and inspired many from kids to adults. She published her first book “Inspire the World: A Kid’s Journey to Making a Difference” August 2021 and she has won multiple awards for her activism.

Jahkil Jackson

Age 16, Chicago, Illinois

I’m a 2 time best selling author, homeless advocate, philanthropist, youth activist, student athlete, Founder of Project I Am NFP and Giving Tuesday Spark Leader. Over the past 7 years, I have worked with Project I Am to impact over 100,000 men, women and children in need globally and have engaged with over 2,000 youth volunteers globally.

CHELSEA Phaire

Age 12, Danbury, Connecticut

At 5 Chelsea had a desire to help others! Once she learned that she was too young to join other service organizations, she decided she would find her own way to help.

At Chelsea’s 10th birthday party she asked her guests, in lieu of gifts for herself, to bring art supplies so that she could officially launch Chelsea’s Charity Inc.! Chelsea is now able to create art kits for children in diverse communities that lack access to art supplies, or for children that have been through traumatic experiences to support their mental health and social-emotional development. She creates kits every week with the help of her little brother, and the donations from others contribute to the supplies for art kits. In addition, she has made adult art kits and distributed them to Veterans in her community to show appreciation for their service. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Chelsea visited different sites to distribute her art kits, give mini-art lesson and speak with children about how she uses art to overcome challenging situations and when she needs to express herself.

Bethany Moultry

Age 7, Savannah, Georgia

Bethany is 7 and the founder of Bethany's Happy Bags. The motivation to create Bethany's Happy bags came after she a homeless man holding up a sign at the age of 5. Bethany and her mom came up with a plan to make bags of snacks and personal hygiene items for people experiencing homelessness. The bags are being packed by the students at The Matthew Reardon Center for Autism. This teaches them valuable skills they will be able to utilize in their daily lives and at future jobs. The Happy Bags are distributed through the Savannah Police Department as well as several other local agencies and organizations. Bethany has given out over 3,000 bags!

Bethany gives back to her community by helping out at a local food pantry, packing boxes of food at food banks and picking up litter in her city. In her free time she enjoys bird watching, going to the beach, camping and spending time with friends and family. Her future goals include creating safe and stable housing by building tiny homes for those who are experiencing homelessness and giving out Happy Bags all across the country.

Kollin Matthews

Age 6, Atlanta, GA

At a young age, Kollin Matthews understands the need for kindness and generosity in the world. That might have to do with the fact that he was born into a family of active givers, including his big brother, CJ, who started his charitable work at five years old. He seeks ways to make a difference at home, school, and beyond and loves participating in all his brother's projects. But more than that, Kollin loves creating projects of his own and participating in events like the Sesame Virtual Fun Run, in which he raised $250 for his 5th birthday to support the company's educational programs in 2021. This tiny change agent is making a name for himself in the generosity movement, proving he's no sidekick.

Sudan Eubanks

Age 15, Miramar, FL

Going through poverty in the 2008 stock market crash, strangers aided her family through community service. She wanted to give the kindness she received when her family was in trouble; inspiring her to create Reading With Royalty. At fourteen she founded, “Reading With Royalty,” a virtual book reading initiative aimed at encouraging imagination and providing an avenue for children in hospitals to feel connected to the world around them at this time. Since launching in April 2020, she's facilitated 500 readers from six countries, 50 states, two territories (Guam & Puerto Rico), secured a partnership with select Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, and was featured in the Miami Herald! Sudan, a global leader, is a youth volunteer for NFFI - JA (New Future Foundation INC., The Jamaican Chapter; a United Nations NGO) has been working to bridge the socioeconomic gap through donating printers, tablets, and professional clothing items to disadvantaged children in Jamaica.

Rafael Lorenzana

Age 16, Philippines

I am a 16-year-old who believes that everyone has a responsibility to give, and to take care of each other. When I'm not at school, I love to spend time playing a variety of sports, especially basketball. During the pandemic, the Philippines imposed one of the strictest lockdowns in the world and minors were not allowed to leave their homes. Playing sports was an important part of my well being, and I knew that not being able to play was detrimental to people's mental and physical well being.

In 2020, I founded BC Basketball to help underprivileged children with a love for basketball pursue the sport despite the challenges they face. Our goal is to provide them with resources such as online basketball lessons, ball drives, and mentorship. Our activities equip them with skills to build an attitude of resilience, teamwork and perseverance, which also empowers them so that they can progress beyond their current situation. Since we started, BC Basketball has worked with over 300 children in the Philippines.

Also, as Spark youth leader of GivingTuesday Philippines, I work with schools, youth volunteers and NGOs on various activities and year-round campaigns such as #readtogether to promote the spirit of genero

DeJuan “D.J” Strickland

Age 14, St. Louis, MO

DeJuan Strickland is a 14-year-old scholar born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. He enjoys gaming, anime, reading, and indulging in comic books. He is a member of STEMSTL Strategic Youth Advisory Board. He has been featured on NBC’s Today Show and KSDK News Channel 5. He is a long-time honor roll student who thoroughly enjoys science and technology. His mission is to inspire other youth to become tech-savvy entrepreneurs.

Michael Platt

Age 15, Bowie, Maryland

I’m a baker + food justice advocate. When I was 11 years old, I started a 1-for-1 baking business - for every cupcake I sell, I donate one to people experiencing homelessness, living in domestic violence shelters or transitional housing. It brings them joy - which I believe that everyone deserves. I also started a non-profit P.L.L.A.T.E. which provides non-perishable, healthy snack packs for kids who may be food insecure so they can have easily accessible + healthy snacks with them, right at their fingertips.

Jayden Perez

Age 13, New Jersey

I’ve been spreading kindness since I was 8 years old, from helping people, children + pets after hurricanes struck Puerto Rico + Florida to speaking on anti-bullying. Last year, I joined the Kidbox 2018 Kids Board of Directors. I’m also the president of my own nonprofit called From The Bottom of My Heart. I hope to inspire the young generation to make a difference. I want to change the world - one act of kindness at a time.

Chris “C.J.” Matthews

Age 15, Atlanta, GA

I was only five years old when my family experienced a devastating pregnancy loss. Grieving my unborn sister, Karsen Angelica, inspired me to create a project to support other kids who might be dealing with similar feelings of sadness. I told my mom that I never wanted another kid to feel as sad and lonely as I did, and Blankies 4 My Buddies was born.

My small project has since grown into an organization that brings small tokens of comfort to children facing traumatic situations. We help kids dealing with issues like from chronic illnesses to homelessness and donate a blanket for each one that’s purchased. I’m plan to build a social enterprise to globally support kids in need and am writing a children’s book series.

Raziel Ramos

Age 15, Puerto Rico

Hi! I’m Raziel! I’m in the Honor Society at school and taking advanced coding and programming classes. Where I live, within 3 yrs, we’ve had 2 back-to-back hurricanes; one a category 5 and it destroyed my island. Then, came earthquakes and now the Coronavirus pandemic. All of this made me realize that solidarity in times of need is what makes a difference.

Advocacy is in my blood. My mother works with nonprofits and is part of GivingTuesday PR. Through her experiences I’ve learned that nonprofits truly make a difference in people’s lives. As a programmer, I prefer to do advocacy and volunteerism backstage; everyone is different and the way they give back should reflect that. (Introverts and ambiverts of the world unite!). I also like to do fundraisers for different causes through videogames and technology! In the future I plan to use technology to champion the causes I care about. I’m also an advocate for kids with disabilities. I have Asperger’s but I don’t let it define me or what I can achieve because I have the ability to see and think differently.

Liana Torres

Age 13, New Jersey

Liana Torres care about our planet and share with her Instagram followers ways to help preserve and care for it. She also cares about animals and share that, too. By using cruelty-fee products, reusable items (bags, straws, utensils; etc), she believes we can all help when it comes to the Earth and our furry friends.

Justin Sather

Age 11, Carlsbad, California

My name is Justin and my goal is ensure our planet is healthy for the future generations. In kindergarten, I learned frogs were dying from pollution, pesticides, and people cutting down their homes. When I discovered frogs are indicator species, I knew it was a clear sign that our planet needs help. Scientists say that if we don’t change the way we treat our planet then our future will face some serious consequences. My mission is to conserve 30% of the planet by 2030 by protecting our rainforests and cleaning up our waterways so there isn’t more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050. So far, I’ve raised enough money to protect 30 acres of land in Ecuador and I am working on changing laws and working with big businesses to help keep plastics from polluting our planet. My Love for Frogs keeps me inspired to stay motivated and determined to create positive changes for our planet!

Ben Wong

Age 15, Los Angeles, CA

Hey! I’m Ben, a 15-year old Los Angeles native with a mission to encourage all young people to pursue their biggest passions, specifically in entrepreneurship and philanthropy. Through my podcasts, Kid CEO, YoungTrep, and 2 Kids on the Block, I interview entrepreneurs, kid philanthropists, and influencers about everything from finance to the science of sleep. I’m also super interested in how future innovations like NFT's and cryptocurrency can be used to support the social sector. I'm an advocate of teen community service and I love to exercise.

Hadley gray

Age 13, Pheonix, AZ

Hadley is a 13-year-old girl from Arizona who has been involved in giving back to the community since she was 9 years old. Hadley is passionate about helping people and organizations in need but at the same time bringing awareness to them. She has held many community donation drives for homeless shelters, pet shelters, collecting luggage for foster youths and basic living supplies for foster youths aging out
of the system. Most recently she has raised $15,000 for Soldier's Best Friend, a non-profit that finds local shelter dogs and trains them for
our military veterans that suffer from combat related PTSD or TBI. In her spare time, she enjoys doing sports like soccer and track.

Arsh Pal

Age 13, Chicago, IL

I am the founder of the Artbyarsh project which supports people in need through selling my artwork. I started painting when I was eight years old. Meanwhile, I used to go along with my mom to a nursing home, where she worked as an occupational therapist. I used to talk and play therapy games with the residents and that made them smile and full of joy. Which made me decide to sell my artwork and donate it to those who are in need.

anNA Miller

Age 15, Chattanooga, TN

Anna is a teen on a mission to educate and empower. She is passionate about motivating people to do amazing things, take risks, and get involved—and that means you! Her focus is on accessibility, inclusion, and equity. She is a fearless public speaker and loves nothing more than motivating those around her. She wants to make sure everyone feels welcome and knows they can do amazing things. She is passionate about social justice issues and is always looking for ways to better serve her community. In 2019, Anna was a speaker at WeDay Takoma, where she spoke live to over 16,000 students about the power of technology to increase inclusion and equality. In 2021, Anna co-starred in Operation Awesome, an un-scripted television show where 5 teenagers and two mentors traveled the country helping other kids make an impact in their own communities. For the past 3 years, Anna has been sharing stories and reviews from her travels as an active wheelchair-using teen. She hopes to empower everyone to live lives full of adventure.

Lucy Blaylock

Age 12, Gallatin, TN

Lucy Blaylock founded a non-profit called Lucy’s Love Blankets. She makes blankets for children who need a little extra love. She has made over 900 Love Blankets and has shipped them all through the US and to 19 countries around the world. She’s the youngest of 9 children, loves a fierce game of soccer, loves to sing, and is mildly obsessed with dill pickles. She loves by the motto that “kindness matters” and is passionate about making the world a kinder place.

Brooklynn Riley

Age 16, Louisville KY

I have always loved giving back to my community in different ways since I was little but I started my own project on April 10th, 2022 called Stick2Kindness! I put sticky notes on drive throughs, cars, gas pumps, mirrors, etc around my city and places I travel. Written on these notes are encouraging messages to remind people that they matter and brighten someone’s day. Within one year I had put 1,000 of these notes out.

Audrey Ajakaye

Age 18, Houston, Texas

Audrey's early experiences with skin insecurities led to an unquenchable desire to contribute to global healthcare by educating and advocating on skin-related conditions, insecurities, and biases among diverse populations. Audrey founded LoveMySkin at 16, which features an app linking the mind and skin and giving a voice to everyone who suffers from skin conditions and skin insecurities. She hosts a podcast called "Mind the Skin," where she discusses psychodermatology.

As a #GivingTuesdaySpark Ambassador, Audrey leads food drives, fundraising events, and skin advocacy campaigns to support underserved youth in Texas and abroad. Audrey is an active member of the United Nations USA (UN-USA) Youth Chapter and a National Eczema Association Ambassador, working with US Congress Members to eliminate inequities in eczema prescription medication. She has an innate drive for academic excellence and a passion for supporting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEI&A) programs. Audrey is a competitive multisport athlete whose favorite pastimes include graphic design and playing the bassoon.

Kenny conners

Age 13, Toronto, Canada

I'm Kenny. I live in the coolest city. Growing up in downtown Toronto, I get to see people with lots of money, some with less + others with nothing. I've always been a creative person, + I appreciate art. However, I particularly love fashion. I love cool designs worn by Tyler the Creator, but I’m still young so I can’t exactly buy that stuff. Clothes is about being comfortable with yourself. Some kids are made fun of for wearing old clothes + this bothers me a lot. So, I had this idea that I could make dyed t-shirts for those kids that don't have the money to buy something new. Fashion makes you more confident + I want everyone to be able to stand proud.

nIKA hirsch

Age 11, Northfield, MN

Nika is the creator of This Life Rocks, a project spreading kindness and awareness of social issues through art. What began as a way to help combat her own issues with Selective Mutism and social anxiety, has grown into a movement that has helped raise over $55,000 and awareness for UNICEF, The Blue Lollipop Project, The Selective Mutism Association, The Trevor Project, The Sarcoma Foundation of America, The Conquer Cancer Foundation, and The Minnesota Humane Society.

She is the founder of 100 Kind Deeds Day, an annual event that takes place every year on Black Friday . In 2021, she and her followers challenged themselves to perform over 1000 Kind Deeds in 24 hours, in honor of Nika's father Rico who died in September of that year from glioblastoma.

She has appeared on various podcasts and conferences speaking about mental health, grief and gratitude.

Nika is a lover of all dogs, travelling with her family, art, reading, jumping on trampolines, and mashed potatoes. She doesn't like tomatoes, but thinks tarantulas are cool. She has a pet axolotl two dogs, and about 32 monarch caterpillars in any given summer. She is a recipient of The Diana Award, a Tae Kwon Do purple belt, and a blue ribbon she got for showing her dog Piper at the county fair. She'd love to have you join her mission at @thisliferocks .

Ethan hill

Age 11, Birmingham, AL

Hi, my name is Ethan and I am a firm believer that if you see a problem, you find a way to fix it. To that resolve, in the winter of 2016, I took notice of a homeless gentleman on his way to school and wanted to know how he could personally assist him. I took my Christmas money that year and purchased survival supplies for the homeless gentleman and other homeless individuals in the area. My passion for assisting those who are less fortunate and without basic necessities sparked me to form my nonprofit organization, Ethan’s Heart Bags4Blessings. Ethan’s Heart provides services to address the immediate needs of the homeless and those at-risk of homelessness to deescalate the severity of malnutrition, ill-health, and death, while connecting them to services which lead to stable housing and helping to prepare them for independence

Lena Ford

Age 14, Atlanta, GA

Lena Ford is the CEO of Positively Lena and co-founder of the Kinship Family Initiative, embodying the spirit of positivity and community service. Through her ventures, including initiatives like ARTing for You, Pages and Pals, Embrace Their Roots, and Artistic Voices, she actively enriches youth and communities. Her efforts in fostering self-esteem and entrepreneurship have garnered her the Gold Presidential Service Award, affirming her exceptional leadership and impact.

E Train

Age 11, Sacramento, CA

E Train is an 11-year-old literacy advocate and podcast host. E Train started reading when he was 2 ½ years old and has never stopped. His love of stories inspired him to create his own "E Train Talks" literacy podcast show. Since January 2022, E Train has been sharing book reviews and interviewing his favorite authors and literacy advocates on his "E Train Talks" Podcast and YouTube channel. Along with reading and reviewing books, E Train devotes a great deal of time to spreading kindness and book joy within his community. He's currently organizing a book drive to share donated books with schools and kids in his community, as well as leading a #GivingTuesdaySpark campaign to spread inspirational bookmarks to local schools, libraries and hospitals. E Train has been recognized in his school district as a champion of literacy and he's being featured monthly on a local television morning news show. Through his literacy podcast, and other book related initiatives, E Train hopes to inspire others to love books and reading as much as he does!

Ijeoma Conley

Age 12, Chicago, IL

Hi, I'm Ijeoma Noel Conley, but you can call me Ije. I'm 12 years old and I started Ije Cares on my 11th birthday to help people in Nigeria. Instead of receiving presents, I asked for donations to buy school supplies, desks, and chairs. Motivated by the success of my 11th birthday, I continued my mission. Through the incredible generosity of others, I raised more funds and used them to install a borehole in Abagana, a small village in Nigeria. Now the community has access to clean water, which is something we take for granted.I got the idea for Ije Cares when I was studying Africa in school. My teacher, Mrs. Cline, and my mom helped me set up a virtual meeting with some students in Nigeria. I learned that they don't have access to clean water and their classrooms are very different from ours. It made me really sad, but it also made me want to do something to help. Nigeria is also close to my heart because my grandfather was born there. I hope to inspire other youth to give back and make a difference. Even though we're young, we can still do big things! GIVING IS ESSENTIAL!

Okezue Bell

Okezue Bell is a Nigerian-American student and STEM inventor. He has conducted intersectional neuroscience research in genetics, signal processing, and neurology at Harvard Medical School, the MIT Media Lab, and the Boston Children's Hospital. From this research, he created the WeArm, a prosthetic arm for below-the-elbow amputees costing under $400, which has reached over 4,000 individuals. Bell also founded Fidutam, a SIM-based microfinancing application for unbanked, low-infrastructure communities, which has resulted in over $400,000 in financial runway being provided to thousands of families. Bell organizes educational initiatives for underprivileged students across the globe, providing them with workshops, books, technology, appliances, and utilities. With support from the United Nations as a UNA-USA Global Goals Ambassador and more, Okezue has reached over 75,000 students across 80 countries and provided $3.5 million in value to the vulnerable, and activated over 120,000 students, teachers, and other professionals to volunteer action. Across his manifold STEM initiatives, Okezue has partnered with various organizations to spread his humanitarian mission, including MIT App Inventor, the Rino Foundation, and Code.org.

Ashley Nevison AND Seargent's Army Sparks

Age 15, Phoenix, Arizona

Ashley is the founder and leader of 501(c)3, Sargeant's Army. Sargeant's Army Sparks was founded by Ashley in January 2021 to spread generosity and kindness. So far the Sargeant's Army Sparks have provided encouragement cards, bookmarks, and crayons to foster care kids around the USA. They also have provided art kits to Arizona Cancer Foundation and Child Crisis Arizona to spread kindness and hope. Ashley is passionate about giving back and volunteering. She's a published author of 3 award winning and best selling children's books and she donates all the profits to Sargeant's Army. To inspire people to make a difference in their communities, she is the founder and host of the podcast, One World, One Future. She has been involved in pageants for the last 3 years and has held several state titles.

Nazhi Forrest and The Nazhi angel fOUNDATION SPARKS

Age 17, Port Saint Lucie, Florida

Spark Leader, Nazhi, founded Nazhi Thee Baker Angel Foundation with sister Italiyah Forrest. Nazhi says, “I have been baking for a few years now and I have also battled Sickle Cell Anemia since birth. One thing that makes me unique is that my two sisters also are fighting sickle cell! All three of us have a rare sickle cell trait that strikes all female children from my parents. Since I love to bake, I decided to find new ways to make treats that we love. I came up with recipes for cakes that ANYONE could enjoy; even people battling Sickle Cell or on restricted diets. I found a great formula that uses organic and natural ingredients. Once my parents tasted what I was making, they knew I was on to something and Nazhi Thee Baker was born! That also gave life to Nazhi Thee Baker Angel Foundation. I use the proceeds of my cakes to buy toys and items needed by children with Sickle Cell, stuck in the hospital for extended periods of time.”

Sara and Mateo and HumanKIND SPARKS

Sara age 17 and Mateo age 14, Pleasanton, California

We are Sara and Mateo and we created humankindcookies.org to help struggling families in Colombia. We belong to two communities that often seem part of different worlds. Born in the US but with deep latin roots, we bake and sell cookies every month in Pleasanton, our hometown, and donate 100% of the sales and donations to charities in Cali, Colombia. We focus on helping vulnerable children and elders. Our priority has been to fund food for families in need and support children's education. We partner with Casa San Jose, Chiquitines and Fundamor to ensure our contribution reaches those most in need. With the support of many, we have baked over 9000 cookies since starting in June, 2020 and raised more than $20,000 for Cali's families.

Shreyaa and Esha Venkat

Shreyaa age 21 and Esha age 18, Ashburn, Virginia

Shreyaa Venkat and Esha Venkat are the founders of NEST4US (www.nest4us.org), which was formed as a philanthropic platform built upon kindness, generosity, and social good. What started as just two sisters with a simple goal of helping those in need has now become a global movement of over 7,000 volunteers of all ages and backgrounds who altogether have contributed over 4 million dollars in value of volunteer hours, impacting tens of thousands in over 30 countries across 6 continents...all in just seven years. Through their philanthropic work, Shreyaa and Esha empower people of all walks of life to create a more compassionate and inclusive world for everyone, everywhere.

Sonali and Shayna and General Services sparks

Ages 18 and 17, Raleigh, North Carolina

We are the leaders of the Spark Chapter, General Services Foundation. Our organization works to teach high schoolers how to take initiative in their communities. While high schoolers learn life skills through executing drives, fundraisers, and events, we connect with local nonprofits to see how our members can best support their mission. We serve over 30 different nonprofits to solve different challenges including those regarding food/housing insecurity, mental health, empowering women, domestic abuse, and several others by connecting growing changemakers to the community. Our first program teaching students and raising over 30,000 items and $20,000 has been a success! Alongside this, we are now opening our second program to assist students in having a longer-term impact with one nonprofit through an internship and fellowship.

Hurshneet and Pravneet AND SMILE SPARKS

Hurshneet age 16 and Pravneet age 13, Peoria, Arizona

We are two brothers who started Project Smile AZ with the goal of sharing Smiles for all A2Z. During the pandemic lockdown, we realized the effect of isolation on the mental health of everyone and connected virtually to teens and adults across the world to make a difference. We started Project Smile AZ to help mental health through motivating messages to covid patients and soon expanded to veterans, homeless people, cancer patients, and gratitude cards for essential workers. We have shared thousands of handmade cards and hundreds of "Smile Kits” with art supplies for youth in need. We have done numerous drives and successfully helped many people through food drives, mask drives, Smile kits, book drives, card a thons and much more. Our motto is that “We can all do something with what we have and where we are to make this world better!” Where there is a need, we will find a way to help and spread smiles!

Maria Grace Postiglione and The Inspire the world Sparks

Age 18, Lexington, South Carolina

My name is Maria Grace Postiglione and I am a GivingTuesday Spark Chapter Leader who works to spread kindness and radical generosity throughout my community and the world. I am a philanthropist, entrepreneur, influencer, public figure, and pageant title holder. I currently hold the National pageant title of Miss Legacy World Teen USA. I am also the founder and creator of 4 global philanthropic movements. I founded the safe driving movement Think First, Save Lives to discourage all forms of distracted driving and promote safe driving awareness after my father was a victim of a terrible car accident in 2011. I am the creator and founder of the women’s empowerment movement Break Glass Ceilings to cultivate confidence in girls and young ladies and encourage them to believe in themselves. I also founded and co-created the female empowerment campaigns the Smile Queen movement and the La Femme Project. I believe with love, the change we can inspire is limitless.