Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Vyan Manek. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
The image a high school graduation conjures tends to be one of proud parents and a fun aunt bringing a congratulatory card with cash to their graduate’s house. There might be a sign in the yard boasting that one of the graduates from the local school resides there. Sometimes it even takes the form of a bumper sticker. Cake is served, and plans are discussed. But what happens when the graduate isn’t living with their biological family?
In 2023, Vyan Manek, now 17, noticed his peers living in foster care often transitioned to independence without acknowledgement or support. He responded by creating Milestone Moments and has spent the past three years marking their accomplishments with graduation baskets of both practical and celebratory gifts. In 2026 alone, his organization has sent nearly 250 baskets with approximately $50,000 in resources across LA and Ventura Counties.
Vyan oversees a student committee of three and has engaged friends, family, and elementary and middle school students to help along the way. He dedicates 20 to 25 hours a month–more during basket-building and distribution months–to the mission and has formed national partnerships who help spread joy to an even larger area. The initiative even boosts the morale of the social workers tasked with surprising their foster youth with the gifts. Together, they make the graduates feel seen and celebrated, cheering them on as they move into the next part of their lives.
What inspires you to volunteer?
When my parents immigrated to the United States, many people helped them on their journey. They didn’t have to; they did out of the goodness of their hearts. So, since I was young, my parents have encouraged me to get involved in the community that has given so much to us. They’ve done so throughout my life, and it has inspired me.
In 2023, Vyan Manek, now 17, noticed his peers living in foster care often transitioned to independence without acknowledgement or support. He responded by creating Milestone Moments and has spent the past three years marking their accomplishments with graduation baskets of both practical and celebratory gifts.
Tell us about your volunteer role with Milestone Moments.
We start planning in August and gather resources. We reach out to organizations we’ve previously worked with to ask if they’d like to donate again, and we apply for grants or seek out new donors through cold emails.
I also do community outreach. I’ve given talks at Kiwanis clubs. At my school, I’ve given talks about service and supporting foster youth. We also post on Instagram to make people aware this is happening.
Some people donate money, others donate items. In January, we’ll take stock of what we have and what we need to get. We’ll start allocating funds but continue fundraising until April.
April is the busiest month because of basket-building and delivery. We serve several regions from Antelope Valley to Chatsworth to Pasadena to Ventura County. We’ll have basket-making events in each area to simplify delivery.
I oversee distribution logistics as we coordinate with social workers–with whom foster youth already have lasting, valuable relationships–who deliver them for us. It means more coming from them than a stranger.
Then, we come back in June, take a couple weeks off, and get back to it. We also try to visit some of our long-term partners, like Betsy’s Blankets in Chicago. When we were there to see family, for example, we made sure to say hi. We go to all of our main partner Raising Hope’s events to reciprocate the effort and support they’ve given us.
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
Milestone Moments started as a family tradition. For the Foster Youth Initiative, we volunteered to make personalized graduation baskets based on wishlists. I was five and never really understood what a foster youth was or what they had to go through. I just knew that graduating high school is tough, and foster youth have it a little tougher than others.
Making friends, challenging classes, balancing schoolwork with extracurriculars–the start of high school was hard for me. It made me remember the foster youth. As I talked to social workers and people around my community, one comment really stuck out: some foster youth go to six high schools in four years. That blew my mind. They don’t have a support system, because they’re constantly switching from family to family, school to school.
As a result, they aren’t as celebrated. They’re always the new kid, feeling unseen or unacknowledged. I wanted to recognize them for the achievement and recalled the baskets we made when I was five. That led to Milestone Moments.
We don’t know where they’re going after graduation. Only a small percentage go to college. Some will live with a friend or in their car. As a result, we try to give them practical items, like a laundry basket and a full bedding set. A lot of the things we take for granted, foster kids don’t have when they age out of the system. We give them T-shirts, but we also want them to feel celebrated with things like stuffed animals, candy, and $75 of Target or Walmart gift cards.
In each basket, we’ll add confetti on top, so when they open it, it falls out. We did anonymous surveys using a QR code in the basket, and people thought the confetti was one of the best parts. It wasn’t the biggest items but the smallest one that made the biggest impression. That’s something I’ve learned: small acknowledgements make a big difference.
What else have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
First, service can be little things like opening the door for someone. Small actions expressed in your everyday actions add up and are meaningful.
Second, service can be tied to your own passions. If you’re an athlete you could volunteer at a rec league. An artist could teach classes to kids.
And third, service helps you learn skills you never thought you’d learn. The reward isn’t just in helping other people. You also help yourself.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
You can make a difference at any age. Take a risk. Be open to new opportunities, because you never know where they’re going to lead you.
Do you want to make a difference in your community like Vyan? Find local volunteer opportunities.