Empowering a Generation of Service Leaders

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Marley Kotroba Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Last summer, 17-year-old Marley Kotroba founded Kids for the O, a nonprofit that engages teenagers in a variety of community service initiatives in the Orlando area. She recognized the need for youth involvement through her previous efforts at local nonprofits and now encourages her peers to take leadership roles, empowering them to take initiative when it comes to making change.

The organization’s 30+ members have contributed nearly 10,000 volunteer hours since its launch. Together, they raised over $7,000 through their fundraiser in December and collected 1,000 toys to donate.

Marley is wholly dedicated to the mission and is already making plans for the next school year while eyeing her younger sister, a freshman board member, to step into her role when she graduates.

What inspires you to volunteer?

It’s the impact that you can make. I used to go to this toy drive in middle school and my early years of high school. That led me to want to start a nonprofit. I really enjoy working with kids and families in the community, so a couple of friends and I decided to cater the organization towards youth services. We worked together to look up the requirements, and within a few months, we were able to get our official documents to become a certified nonprofit.

Tell us about your volunteer role with Kids for the O.

I’m the president. I keep things running and organize day-to-day events. We have meetings once every month with our full organization and every Monday with our board members. We try to plan an event once a month after meeting with board members to determine the needs of the community. Usually, it’s just our members getting together. At our last event, we made cards for hospitalized children.

We also assist other local nonprofits like Clean the World. They essentially take bar soap you might get from hotels and clean and refurbish them. They put them in machines that remold them. We’ve helped them repackage soap boxes before they donated them to developing countries. We’re also doing some after school tutoring. Recently, my vice president and I started STEM tutoring at community centers for fourth and fifth graders for an hour every Thursday after school.

What has been your favorite project so far?

My favorite project has been the Athlete Connections toy drive in Orlando. Since freshman year, my best friends and I have gone, and it’s my favorite day of the year. My dad’s the president of the Athlete Connections nonprofit. That’s what got me into volunteering. He works with a lot of nonprofits like the Sheriff’s Foundation and the Police Foundation.

My friends and I had never experienced service like that, interacting with the kids and their families. You walk them through the event and help them shop. You’re basically the elves. When we were able to donate more than just our time, it was amazing.

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

I would love to continue working with kids as long as they can. I don’t know if I’ll be able to take on the responsibility of president in college, but I always want to be a part of it. My younger sister is on the board. She’s a freshman in high school, so I’d love to pass it down to her.

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

Volunteering, even as required service hours or stuff that you do with your school, takes a backseat much of the time. I think that, like me, being able to get into hands-on service and being able to see your firsthand impact on people’s lives is what makes it so valuable. It makes me want to share it with my peers, so that they, too, can see the impact that they can make.

How have you seen the organization empower your peers?

My favorite thing to see is people who you wouldn’t normally see helping others getting excited about it and making it a regular practice. People who weren’t interested in the organization at all and just joined to be with their friends are now like, “When is the next event? What can I do to help?”

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

I’ve learned a lot of things, especially by leading. When I was in middle school, I used to be closed off and shy. I didn’t like speaking in front of people. Starting the nonprofit and becoming president really pushed me out of my comfort zone. My first time speaking in front of a crowd, I was so nervous, I barely could stand up. I rehearsed a whole script. Now, when I speak at an event, I just wing it. I don’t get that nervous.

Tell us about future partnerships, programs or events that you are excited about.

Next month, we’re partnering with Kendra Scott for a Give Back event. And this summer, we’re planning a school supply drive for the next school year. We’re thinking of doing a pickleball tournament.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

In the beginning, I was nervous, because it’s hard to know where to start; it’s intimidating. But you have to go all in. Just start researching, filling out the forms, sending them in, getting with a team and figuring out who really wants to do it. Just go for it. I spent a lot of time contemplating if I should do it, if it was really worth it. In the end, it really was.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

You can make a difference and empower people. If you’re thinking about doing something, and you have the time and ability to do it, just do it. There’s no reason to overthink and waste time not starting an organization like this and helping others. There are so many things you could do without even starting an organization in which you can make an impact and change someone’s day or year.

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