ADVOCATING FOR UNHOUSED PEOPLE ON AND OFF THE COURT

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

Sean Nguyen knows just how hard it is to be unhoused.

Growing up, Sean watched his father struggle with homelessness for several years. By the time he hit high school, Sean was determined to make a change. A passionate tennis player, Sean decided to combine his favorite sport with his mission to help others. During his sophomore year of high school in 2017, Sean founded the Forty Love Organization, whose mission is to raise funds that are then distributed to other Kansas City organizations working to eradicate homelessness. By hosting tennis tournaments, Sean could channel the profits into groups like the Uplift Organization, which provides food, clothing and supplies to 250 to 400 unhoused individuals in Kansas City nightly. With every swing of the racquet, Sean saw the power that volunteering could have in his community.

These days, Sean is quite busy. In addition to serving as the founder of Forty Love, which requires him to plan and execute fundraisers and events, he volunteers at other organizations in Kansas City that are working to end homelessness. Sean is also a third-year medical student.

Despite his jam-packed schedule, Sean is still raring to go.

Forty Love recently established branches at New York University and Columbia University, working to empower the students to come together and take a stand against the homelessness crisis. They’ve established a national board, and younger students are establishing their own chapters of Forty Love across the country. In total, over 500 people have participated in Forty Love events and more than $10,000 has been raised for Uplift. Sean’s passion for organizing young people to make a difference shows just how strong the will to help others can be.

Tell us about your volunteer role with Forty Love Organization.

It changes day by day. In the beginning, I would go out to local businesses and explain the cause. The fundraisers started as tennis. I would hold a tennis tournament and people would sign up, and all those funds or fees that people would use to book, things we auctioned off or sold, all those funds would go towards a homelessness charity. We’ve expanded into pickleball and volleyball and more, but I started with tennis just because I played a lot of tennis back in the day. I just use my voice to try to get more people to believe in the cause.

In the beginning, I did a lot of the manual work by myself, selling things like T-shirts and water bottles. As we got more traction, we started trying to delegate more to other students. As we expanded, we were able to run more tournaments. My role is coordinating between branches. We have a research division that is educating the public on the effects of homelessness on human health. We have other teams like the podcast team and the volunteering team. I devote a couple of hours every day to managing all that.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

I started my sophomore year of high school in 2017 when I wanted to do something in honor of my once-unhoused dad, who was unhoused for four to five years. I found this nonprofit to help those like him, using something that I love, the game of tennis. So I started running very small tournaments at my local high school and got a bunch of members who were also passionate. They were young voices like me.

We didn’t have a lot of support in the beginning, but as time went on, we ran more tournaments, did more volunteer work and got the media involved. We got a lot more people joining our team and believing in our cause. We were able to raise more money and attract more people to our events. Now we’re expanding nationally with people holding tournaments and creating their own chapters of Forty Love.

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

My long-term goal is to expand our outreach nationwide and get people educated about destigmatizing homelessness, which has a negative stigma around it. A lot of people out there think that you can just get a job, but there are a lot of mental health components to that. Homelessness is a growing problem across America. We want to be able to reach those areas with the organization.

One of our recent goals is to empower younger voices, especially those who are underrepresented, and help them take a stance that they’re passionate about. Some of these younger voices who are 15 and 16 are taking an active role, taking leadership roles, forming their own chapters and actively doing things in their community with this organization. One of our goals is to not only educate and raise funds for homelessness but to also empower young voices to take part in the change.

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

I’d say the people that I’ve gotten to impact and those I’ve met along the way. Every time that I’ve held one of these fundraisers, the smile on people’s faces when they’re being helped is amazing. There are not a lot of events where people come together in unison. Little moments like these, where we can find a reason for the community to come together, are beautiful.

Also, when we’re able to see the direct effects of our impact, especially in the winter. I can see that our money is being used to supply these trucks with food, clothes, medicine, water and essentials. Those are the people you do it for. Every time we go into the streets, we see how grateful unhoused individuals are when they’re given supplies and necessities. It’s truly beautiful. My father was unhoused, and it was like helping my dad. It brings a light to my day.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

And as you get deeper into the work, people start believing in your cause and it starts to get easier. But the mission that you have, the original meaning of why you came in to volunteer to do the things that you do, as long as that stays constant, then you’ll keep doing what you’re doing because you love it. The most important lesson is to always keep to your mission and hold it strong. No matter who’s behind you, you keep doing what you’re doing because you truly love it.

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

Young voices standing up, taking a stance and doing something they’re passionate about shape them for their entire life. It shapes the whole community. Change starts with the young, in my opinion. Not only does that help form their character, but it also builds leadership skills and affects other parts of their life. Every time I volunteer, I feel that I’m more empathetic. I feel more fulfilled in other parts of my life. Helping these young voices have leadership skills is equally important, because as they apply to jobs when they’re older, having leadership skills is super important. The best way to do that is by helping others. That’s the most fulfilling way to go about life.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

Find your why. Any volunteering is very good. But finding your why is the reason why people don’t stop volunteering. I feel like I did find my why early in my sophomore year of high school. Even earlier than that, I remember my dad would take me to volunteer at local charities, even when I was 7 or 8 years old. Think about why you’re doing this, and how you can continue doing it. That’s how you don’t get burnt out and how you’ll keep expanding and continuing your work.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

I think I want them to learn that young voices can do anything, as long as they put in the hard work and you’re not afraid of how many people stand with you or against you. I believe that you can do anything no matter what age you are. If you’re willing to put in the work, and you have a clear vision, you can inspire change. Everybody starts at different levels, but if you have what it takes there are no limits.

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