Youth Volunteer Supports Californians Displaced by Fires with a Focus on Footwear

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

Jacob Chow may be a world record holder, but the California teen’s primary focus is what he can do to help others.

Growing up in a family he calls “volunteering-oriented,” Jacob saw his older siblings take time out of their schedules to help others. About a year and a half ago, he was presented with the opportunity to join the Youth Philanthropy Council, California’s largest kid-run nonprofit that’s dedicated to alleviating poverty through impactful initiatives in healthcare, education and community support. Jacob jumped at the chance and has made significant waves in his mission to make the world a better place.

Now the Los Angeles chapter leader of the YPC, Jacob works to give community members the items they need to get by. Whether it’s clothing, baby items or other daily necessities, Jacob and his team of 10 other students heed the call. Jacob works his magic by reaching out to companies and asking them to donate unused inventory. Since footwear is his family’s business, Jacob knew he could parlay his experience in the shoe industry to provide footwear for people. Last year, he spearheaded a shoe drive that raised over $1.1 million worth of footwear, amounting to nearly 22,000 pairs.

That endeavor, which took half the year to plan, not only affected over 20,000 people, but it earned Jacob a place in the record book:  Youth Philanthropy Council and the Pasadena-based footwear company Evolution Design Lab,

“We were aiming to hit that goal. We thought that was attainable. We ran the numbers and knew that sometimes thousands of families would come out to those donations,” Jacob explains. “So if we had the inventory to distribute enough, we thought that the previous record was attainable. We were aiming to hit that. It wasn’t by accident.”

One of his greatest assets is his ability to mobilize quickly. After the recent Eaton Fire in Los Angeles, Jacob sprung into action, collecting shoes, cribs, clothing and other essentials for people who were affected. He ultimately gathered 6,000 pairs of shoes for residents who were displaced by the fires. The YPC’s current endeavor, called the Pasadena Relief Boutique, is dedicated to providing free footwear and clothing items to families who are dealing with the aftermath of the horrific fires.

When it comes to the most rewarding aspect of his volunteer work, Jacob says it’s seeding the smiles on the faces of the families he’s helping.

“Seeing the families happy, since we donate to a lot of families in need. They’re very thankful,” says Jacob. “We’ve had some families bring their entire families back to thank us just for giving them one pair of shoes. It’s just really seeing how happy they can be just by us being involved in helping the community.”

Jacob’s ability to think on his toes, gather resources and utilize his extensive network of classmates and business contacts shows just how quickly the mission to volunteer can spread throughout a community.

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