The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards 2023 Inspiration Spotlights

While our annual recognition event primarily honors select individuals who demonstrate the transformative power of service, one of our favorite traditions at The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards is to highlight additional people who are driving impact through their everyday actions and volunteer work. 

“Recognizing the good in people helps others see the good and potential in themselves. The Inspiration Spotlights, as part of The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards, shine a light on ordinary people going to extraordinary lengths to do good work in their communities. Using elements from Points of Light’s Civic Circle, these individuals’ acts of service and civic engagement create impactful change in communities around the world. Our goal is that, by uplifting their stories, other people see what is possible and we create a wave of social good, strengthening the social fabric of society and improving our civic health,” said Jennifer Sirangelo, President & CEO of Points of Light 

This year’s awards will once again showcase several Daily Point of Light honorees who are making a ripple effect through their work with the communities they serve. 

Cooper Schwartz – Hedgehog Beanies  

What cause is closest to your heart?  

I am most rooted in the international struggle with homelessness and am trying to help keep one person warm at a time.  

I want to transform the way that our country deals with housing initiatives so that we can truly help people get back up on their feet.  

How does being connected to something bigger than yourself help you see light in the world?  

Being connected to something bigger than myself helps me see light in the world because I am able to see what the impact of just one 17-year-old can do, and it makes me hopeful for what we all can do if we choose to put the work in.  

What is the transformation you’d like to see in the world?  

In the world, I want everyone to be more compassionate and considerate because many people are struggling in ways that others can’t even imagine. 

Sir Darius Brown – Beaux & Paws 

What cause is closest to your heart?  

The cause that’s closest to my heart is creating bow ties for shelter pets. I believe that every pet deserves love and attention, and a stylish bow tie can help them stand out and find their forever homes. It’s incredibly rewarding to see dogs and cats looking their best and finding loving families. It’s a cause that’s become a significant part of my life, and I’m dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of shelter pets through my work.  

I want to transform my passion for creating bow ties for shelter pets into an even more significant movement. My current work involves expanding my reach and partnering with more shelters and rescue organizations to help more animals find homes. I also aim to inspire others to get involved in similar initiatives to make a collective impact helping shelter pets find homes and saving them from euthanasia.  

How does being connected to something bigger than yourself help you see light in the world?  

Being connected to a cause bigger than myself, like my mission to help shelter pets, brings me a lot of joy and fills my life with purpose. I’m so extremely grateful that I can use my skills and talents to support a cause I deeply care about. It reminds me of the goodness and light in the world by serving as a reminder that even the smallest of efforts can contribute to a better future.      

What is the transformation you’d like to see in the world?  

The transformation I want to see in the world is a more caring and open-minded culture where compassion, understanding, empathy, kindness and equality are essential principles that apply to all living things, including shelter animals. I feel that the world would be a better place if the welfare and well-being of humans and animals were given equal weight.

Elijah Lee – Hear Our Voices 

What cause is closest to your heart?  

When I first started my advocacy, I focused a majority of my efforts towards bringing awareness to the issue of child abuse. As I grew older, that passion for wanting to protect all kids morphed into a passion to empower other young people to use their voices. For too long, we as a country have worked to silence our young people. Whether we have discounted their voice or excluded them from rooms where change is made, young people have always had to fight to make our voices heard. I would say that is what my work is today, showing others that we as young people are prepared to do what is necessary to bring progress and change our world.   

I want to transform our perception of what our young people are capable of. I think starting at society’s views on young people, and proving that we are capable of anything we set our minds to, proving that there is power in our voice, proving that we deserve to be a part of making decisions that will impact us… I believe this is how we will achieve a world where young people feel heard.   

How does being connected to something bigger than yourself help you see light in the world?  

In this work, it is very easy to get saddened, burned out or simply feel like you should give up. However, I am honored to work with some amazing people that remind me I am not alone in this fight. Youth activism is a movement of young people, all dedicated to the same thing. We are united. We are together. We are connected because of who we are. This is enough to inspire me to keep doing my work. The love and care that is shared within this movement is enough to keep me going, and our hope, our willingness to see beyond the state we are in – that is what I remind myself every day.  

What is the transformation you’d like to see in the world?  

A long time ago, I would’ve said my perfect world is one without sexism, racism, homophobia, child abuse, school shootings and so much more. While that remains true, I think a larger part of that is hoping for a world where young people understand that we have the strength to move through anything. I want to see a transformation in our young people, one that gives us power, understanding, wisdom and fire for change. I think anything is possible when we bring together some amazing young people who dare to question the status quo, and that is what I want to see.  

Gia, Karina, and Armaan Gupta – Little Mentors 

What cause is closest to your heart? The cause closest to our hearts is friendship. Acknowledging and recognizing common humanity and the power of love in appreciating differences is fundamental to our organization. We want to transform how we communicate with each other. We want to make voices more accessible to others and make new opportunities for conversation possible for our community. 

How does being connected to something bigger than yourself help you see light in the world? Being connected to something bigger than ourselves helps us see the light in the world because we realize that there is hope and there are stories that are beautiful that are yet to be heard. The pursuit of these stories and listening to them to have a more enriched world is what we aim for. 

What is the transformation you’d like to see in the world? We want to see more humanization instead of demonization. We want more listening instead of assuming. We want more love than hatred.

Iwona Miller – Fields of Hope and Volunteering 

What cause is closest to your heart?  

The most important goal for me is to show the joy of helping. Encouraging as many people as possible to have a beautiful attitude that values our lives and the inner need to be needed by other people. I would like to contribute to changing the perception of hospices only as places of dying. Beautiful things also happen in our hospice, there is life, conversations, smiles, small and great joys, performances by actors and concerts that make patients’ time more pleasant.

How does being connected to something bigger than yourself help you see light in the world?  

My goal is to instill in people the desire to help others, to give them a chance to try, because I know that most often their awareness and willingness to help those in need increases enormously. To show how important being with another person is, how much talking and spending time together bring to our lives and how short and volatile life is. 

I know that my work inspires them to stop in the rush of everyday life. It helps them find the joy of being with their loved ones and other people. When working with volunteers, I notice changes in their assessments and perception of the world. I often hear that volunteers reevaluate their lives and see a huge, positive change also in contacts with their loved ones. 

What is the transformation you’d like to see in the world? 

I would like people to focus more on other people than on things, to smile at each other more often, to respect each other, to be more understanding and empathetic. We are different, but in the end, we realize that nothing is more important than another person. The presence of our loved ones, family, friends, memory and time spent with them. That it is moments of shared conversation and short, beautiful moments that make their lives fulfilled and happy. 

Maria Fundora – Purple Pansies 

What cause is closest to your heart?  

The cause most important to me is to provide emergency financial aid to patients and their families, grant scholarships to children from families impacted by pancreatic cancer and support groundbreaking research and clinical trials. My journey began with the devastating loss of my mother to pancreatic cancer, motivating me to turn my grief into a determination to make a difference.  

I founded Purple Pansies in 2009, to date, we have raised over $5 million. We are a small, but mighty fully volunteer run organization, that has played a pivotal role in the development of key regimens employed in the treatment of pancreatic cancer today. 

I want to transform the experience of individuals and families affected by pancreatic cancer, providing immediate support and empowering them, while also funding critical research and clinical trials to conquer this devastating disease. I would like to see the standard of care for pancreas cancer, like the annual mammogram for breast cancer, or the PCA test for prostate cancer, to have one of the blood tests that are available today be part of the standard of care when people go for physicals.  

How does being connected to something bigger than yourself help you see light in the world?  

Being connected to something bigger than yourself broadens your perspective, ignites a sense of purpose and meaning, cultivates empathy and compassion, fosters a supportive community, encourages gratitude and hope, promotes personal growth and inspires positive action. Ultimately, this connection helps you see the light in the world by recognizing the potential for positive change and the collective efforts that can illuminate the lives of many. 

What is the transformation you’d like to see in the world?  

I’d like to see the complete eradication of pancreatic cancer. I envision a world where individuals and families no longer have to suffer from this devastating disease, where early detection and effective treatments are readily available, and where the emotional and financial burdens caused by pancreatic cancer are eliminated. This transformation would bring about immeasurable relief, hope and an improved quality of life for countless individuals and communities worldwide.

Navjot Sawhney – The Washing Machine Project  

What cause is closest to your heart?  

Giving people the dignity of clean clothes is a cause that is so important to me. As it stands, 5.6 billion people have to handwash clothes. The burden of hand-washing clothes is disproportionately placed on women and children, who go to lakes, rivers and streams for up to 20 hours a week to hand-wash clothes. Alleviating this burden and back-breaking, unpaid labor is now my life’s work. 

I want to transform the way people in developing countries carry out unpaid labor. Modern innovation has disproportionately focused on the comforts of the West and has transformed everyday life. I now want to unlock this for the next billion people around the globe left behind and are eager for high-quality, appropriate solutions. 

How does being connected to something bigger than yourself help you see light in the world?  

As an engineer, I have the skills and ability to help or hinder the planet. I know what side I want to be on for future generations, and this gives me incredible purpose for something bigger: spreading light into the world. Navjot means “New Light” in Punjabi; I want to be true to my name and live this every day of my life.  

What is the transformation you’d like to see in the world?  

In my lifetime, I would love a shift in focus of innovation from developed nations to developing nations. This, I feel, will have the most impact on our planet for centuries to come. 

Rebekah Bruesehoff – Activist for LGBTQ+ Rights 

What cause is closest to your heart?  

I believe in creating a safer world for LGBTQ+ youth of all ages. As a transgender young person, I have been able to thrive because of the support network I have. Everyone deserves that, but too often LGBTQ+ youth don’t have access to that support. I want people to understand that transgender and nonbinary youth, that LGBTQ+ youth, are just like other kids. They thrive with love, support and affirmation. 

I want to transform the way people look at gender and the stereotypes that go with it so that all people are freer to show up as themselves. More people showing up fully as themselves makes the world a more vibrant and beautiful place. 

How does being connected to something bigger than yourself help you see light in the world?  

Being connected to something bigger than myself gives me hope. It shows me how many good people are out there doing good things. That’s so important when current events can be so overwhelming and scary. But we’re never alone, and together we can create a better future.

What is the transformation you’d like to see in the world?  

I want us to move beyond labels and boxes so that we can see people around us as human beings instead of issues. When we see the humanity in each other, empathy and understanding grows.

Robert Quintero – Transtech Engineers 

What cause is closest to your heart?  

The cause that is most important to me is recognizing the importance of gender and cultural diversity in bringing new dimensions to any enterprise. This commitment has led me to volunteer my time, professional knowledge and resources to Embracing Latina Leadership Alliances (ELLAS), a nonprofit established in 2003 by L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth honoree Pilar Pinel that facilitates academic and leadership opportunities for Latina youth.   

I want to transform the way the world thinks about gender equity. I am an advocate for the advancement of young underserved and underrepresented women. As such, my participation and involvement has been to serve as a mentor, advisor, ally and funder. The empowerment of women is all about rights and equitable societies. Empowerment includes the action of raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy and training as we have done through ELLAS.   

How does being connected to something bigger than yourself help you see light in the world? Connecting the dots for young women. If you can’t visualize yourself in a certain career or role, you won’t pursue it. However, if you see someone of your own gender, ethnicity or background doing something you like, you relate to it. You think, “If they can do it, I can do it.” It’s important that these young ladies see themselves in their role models. That’s why most of our speakers and mentors are Latina, but not all. Again, I want to emphasize that men can also be excellent role models and mentors for young women. ELLAS serves as the “neck” that turns the heads of these young women toward careers that are aligned with their passions.   

What is the transformation you’d like to see in the world?  

We all have a purpose in life. Once you find that purpose, you fuel others’ passions by pulling them into participating in what they believe in. Being a voice of ELLAS, I’ve connected with people who say “Wow, I wish there had been something like this when I was in high school…” It’s a testament to what we do when some of our past young ladies come back as guest speakers, mentors, advisors, board members or volunteers. Giving back without expecting anything in return and putting in the time and energy commitments has extraordinary rewards. 

Shrusti Amula – Rise N Shine Foundation 

What cause is closest to your heart?  

The causes most important to me are food insecurity and climate change. These issues are becoming increasingly prevalent and are affecting more people globally. It is vital that these issues are addressed in the status quo. 

I want to transform food waste management systems. 

How does being connected to something bigger than yourself help you see light in the world?  

Knowing that I am connected to something bigger than myself gives me a sense of purpose knowing that I am working to create a better world for everyone. 

What is the transformation you’d like to see in the world?  

I would like to see composting and food recovery programs implemented systemically in all schools and businesses. 

T’Kiyah Threatt – CHOICE (Choosing to Help Others in Our Community Succeed) 

Being a resource for citizens of the rural community is closest to my heart because there is no limit to the work we do in the community. We host back to school drives, fund scholarships for high school students and organize college tours, prepare and donate food boxes, offer a community pantry and resource closet of hygiene supplies, etc. The cause most important to me is bridging the gap between financial literacy and our citizens.  

I want to transform the stigma of our rural area. 

How does being connected to something bigger than yourself help you see light in the world?  

I want it to be known as a town of citizens that work together for a purpose that is greater than us. Knowing that we are working for a purpose larger than ourselves has motivated me to be the change I want to see as I shine God’s light upon others. 

What is the transformation you’d like to see in the world?  

In this world, I would like to see other young men and women volunteering because sometimes investing time is better than investing money.