The Name of the Game Is Volunteerism for One Chicago Teen

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

Michael Brooks may play a lot of games, but the Chicago teenager takes his role as a volunteer quite seriously. At just 15 years old, the high school sophomore has already spent three years as a volunteer with The Honeycomb Project, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that provides volunteer opportunities for the whole family, including children.  

Several years ago, Michael’s mother Kimberly was looking for ways her son could get involved in his community. However, she struggled to find many opportunities without age restrictions. When she came across The Honeycomb Project, which hosts a variety of monthly events in the community that allow all family members to participate, she knew it was a fit.  

These days, Michael has blossomed as a volunteer, helping out everywhere from beach cleanups at Chicago’s 63rd Street Beach to the Chicago Furniture Bank, which allows clients to handpick furnishings for free. But his most cherished role is as a project leader for the Brunch and Board Games Project, a program that serves breakfast to patients and their families who have traveled to Chicago for medical care. Always a fan of playing board games with his family, Michael injects an extra dose of fun into his mornings, playing chess and Monopoly with the diners as he serves them a hearty meal.  

Whether he’s heading to the grocery store to pick up juice and fruit for the guests or putting a smile on their face as he helps them assemble a puzzle, Michael has risen through the ranks of The Honeycomb Project to become a true leader. For over a year, Michael has served as a member of the Honeycomb Leadership Corps (HLC), which is designed for teens and parents who are looking to boost their leadership skills. Deeply committed and always the first to lend a helping hand, Michael is an inspiration to people of all ages who aspire to help others.  

What inspires you to volunteer? 

The little things that we work on start to create bigger solutions. Seeing the little kids come in, go to work and help us do something great for the community really inspires me to keep going. When I was younger, there weren’t a lot of programs that offered me the opportunity to participate in community service projects because of my age. But I really wanted to help around my community, because I see that there are problems all over the city. 

Tell us about your volunteer role with The Honeycomb Project. 

I am the current project leader for the Brunch and Board Games Project, a program where we help make breakfast for residents of the Guest House, who have come from all over the country with their family members and friends to receive treatment in the hospital. I wake up early with my mother, and we make breakfast for them. It’s truly a great experience. They get to eat breakfast with us, and they get to play board games, so it’s also an opportunity for entertainment.  

I am also part of the Honeycomb Leadership Corps (HLC), which is filled with teens from across the city. I’m able to set an example for the younger kids and participate in panel discussions. We talk to people who have donated money to the program and can advocate for the program, sharing why it’s important to us. 

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?  

It started a couple years ago with my mother, who signed me up for it. I really became engaged, and I really just loved the sense of community, friendship and family that we had there. So I just kept attending, and eventually I was able to have more leadership opportunities. I met a lot of new people, and it was a really awesome networking opportunity for me and for my future.  

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

I want to help The Honeycomb Project work towards being recognized by the city. I want us to be truly known by everyone in the city as a very strong and powerful organization. I want us to be able to work on bigger projects and be able to collaborate with bigger organizations all over the city. Also, I want to continue to be a project leader for the Brunch and Board Games Project in the future, because I’m really enjoying it this year. I hope I can continue doing that and bring more opportunities to the table. 

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

Making guests smile and seeing how happy they are. I’m trying to get their minds off their health situations and bring some positivity into their lives. I feel like that’s very rewarding, and it also inspires me to keep doing what I’m doing. 

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer? 

It is very important that we increase awareness in the community. We all need to all stand together and participate in community service projects. One thing I’ve noticed about my generation is that there are a decent amount of kids that do participate in community service. But if we had more people participating in opportunities like The Honeycomb Project, we could be a much stronger community.  

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering? 

I would say be open to all opportunities, and take chances to get involved in the community whenever you can. It’s also the world that you live in, so you want to set an example. You want to create something better for where you live and for the people around you. Also, always try new things. You could find your passion, or maybe find your future career. 

What do you want people to learn from your story? 

The youth of this generation cares about their community. They do see the issues of the world and do want some things to change. A lot of us want to work and take our community seriously. 

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