Sumner (middle), community members and volunteers assemble Hope Kits, packing each kit with the supplies needed to respond to a bleeding emergency.
MeetDaily Point of Light AwardhonoreeSumner Silver. Readherstory, and nominatean outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Sumner Silver, an 18-year-old college freshman, is studying physics and astrophysics on a pre-med path while serving in Air Force ROTC with a goal of one day working at a space organization. She is friendly, driven, and well-spoken with a long list of accomplishments in and out of the classroom.
One would never guess she has spent the past few years dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy. But in the wake of a mass shooting and a personal loss, Sumner turned her grief into drive, preparing people to save future lives by responding to traumatic bleeding before first responders can make it to a scene. Someone with a gunshot wound or other bleeding emergency can die in minutes, making response time vital.
With Hope Kits, Sumner has organized more than 40 hands-on certification courses that have certified hundreds of people to care for such injuries. Her organization has also strategically distributed 1,000+ Stop the Bleed kits equipped with the supplies necessary to care for wounded people and raised more than $20,000 to support their work.
What inspires you to volunteer?
My synagogue has tons of volunteer initiatives, and my parents were really involved with one called Mitzvah Garden. We would plant produce and donate each week’s harvest to our local food pantry. It was instilled in me from a very young age the importance of getting involved in my community and helping those in need.
police officer from a department that partnered with Hope Kits consults with Sumner about the contents of the kits.
Tell us about your volunteer role with Hope Kits.
I organize all of Hope Kits’ Stop the Bleed certification courses. That means working with fire departments across the Chicagoland area on scheduling and creating outreach materials to bring community members in. We have participants ranging from freshmen in high school to senior citizens.
I also coordinate the assembly and distribution of kits. That involves working with local nonviolence organizations to identify communities that would most benefit from them, as well as working with experts like emergency physicians and firefighters to determine what supplies would be most effective.
Inside each is a CAT-certified (Combat Application Tourniquet) tourniquet with an instruction manual to make it easy for people who haven’t used one before. There’s gauze and bandages to pack a wound, gloves, and a marker to record the time of application on the tourniquet. In one round, we also included bandages specifically for the abdomen. Kits go to schools, places of worship, and businesses. We try to target the most at-risk communities–those with high rates of gun violence.
When I first started Hope Kits, I fundraised by creating Happy Notes greeting cards and selling them at local art fairs and stores. While I still sell Happy Notes, our main source of funds are grants we’ve been awarded from other nonviolence organizations and organizations that support Chicago initiatives.
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
On July 4, 2022, a mass shooting occurred in my hometown of Highland Park, just north of Chicago. Afterwards, my local fire department began offering Stop the Bleed certification courses, and the firefighters emphasized how critical those first few minutes can be before first responders arrive. Learning about those simple skills really stuck with me. I wanted to give people the knowledge and resources to save a life in an emergency, which became the foundation of Hope Kits.
What’s involved with the certification?
It’s a two-hour course in which you learn how to apply a tourniquet and pack a wound with gauze and bandages on a limb versus in the abdomen. And there are tips and strategies about how to work in that scenario most effectively.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
The most rewarding part has been hosting the Stop the Bleed certification courses in my hometown. Close to 2022, it was very clear how deeply the shooting affected my community. But it was equally clear how eager people were to learn how they could help in an emergency.
After the courses, community members often share their own experiences from that day with me and explain why they wanted to learn these skills. Those conversations remind me about a part of this work that started off as something more than the distribution of kits or hosting courses. In the aftermath of July 4, it was also about giving my community a way to turn something painful and tragic into something constructive.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
People often underestimate how much they can do as an individual. Hope Kits is a testament to how, with the right skills and resources, one person can save a life.
Tell us about future partnerships, programs or events that you are excited about.
I’m at school in Florida at the moment, and we’re hosting a Stop the Bleed certification course for community members in the South Florida area in October. We’re trying to expand our presence here.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering or, more specifically, help with this cause in their own area?
Look at your local fire department’s website. Our fire department just started offering the courses by themselves. You can also take part of the class online and do a skills-only portion in person to complete the certification.
Think about what you enjoy doing, and then figure out how you could use that skill to help. I loved creating art, so I raised money by selling handmade greeting cards at local art shows with Happy Notes, and then donated the proceeds to Hope Kits for supplies. Volunteering doesn’t have to look a certain way; it can be something that’s completely tailored to your interests, skills, and causes of interest.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
You don’t have to have a huge organization or a lot of resources to start making an impact. If you care about a cause, that drive can take you far. If a community cares about a cause, that really makes a difference.
MeetDaily Point of Light AwardhonoreeEleanor Shell. Readherstory, and nominatean outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Eleanor Shell, a 49-year-old ordained Presbyterian minister and mother of three, is intimately familiar with having a moment that changes everything. For two years, Eleanor has been recovering from a life-altering traumatic brain injury after being struck by a car. She’s in the midst of what she calls “the long middle,” the period of time after a crisis where things are still difficult without the expectation of improvement in the near future when life has moved on around you. It could be months. Or years. You’re often left overwhelmed and isolated.
This year, despite her own challenges and leaning on her instinct to help others, Eleanor founded the Borrowed Hope Foundation to support other families facing prolonged hardship after a life-changing medical, financial, or personal emergency. She creates experiences to lift their spirits and give them hope, reminding people that their community hasn’t left them behind. And, of course, she provides practical support.
To date, 35 families have been on the receiving end of Summer Fun Baskets and, if all goes as planned, 100 will be part of her Hope for the Holidays effort that will bring together local businesses, volunteers, artists, and donors to build moments of joy and connection.
Today, Eleanor estimates she’s functioning at about 60-70% of what she once was–she needs naps and time in a dark, quiet room–but she remains hopeful she will continue to improve in the years to come.
What inspires you to volunteer?
When you’re part of a community, it’s your responsibility to help make it better. I’ve always been involved; it fuels me. And serving others is a big part of my faith. I love people, and I’ve been lucky to always feel love and know love. I want others to have that.
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
As a society, we’re pretty good in a crisis. What we’re not great at is later on. A couple from a church I’ve preached in is an exception. They continue to show up in big and small ways. Whether it’s a greeting card saying, “We still see you. You still matter,” or a grocery gift card, they’ve had hope for me when I haven’t had it myself.
Near the second anniversary of my accident, I was hitting a wall in my recovery. I’ve always believed that helping is healing, so a friend suggested we do something for other families in the long middle. We put together Summer Fun Baskets, and when a local with a newsletter wrote a story about us, the community showed up in big ways. What I thought was going to be a little project with friends ended up raising $18,000 in a week.
Nominated families have ranged from a family with two kids whose mom died unexpectedly, to someone coming out of a battle with cancer, processing the consequences. We focus on providing moments of joy and respite, because when you hit a crisis, your world slows or stops, but your children keep growing. There’s only one seventh birthday and only so many Christmases they still believe in Santa. If you’re not able to capitalize on those moments, they’re gone. I want people to have those memories instead of just remembering things that have been taken from them.
We provide everything from a gas card to get to the experience to snacks over Christmas break. We can’t make their problems go away, but we can give them moments to remember who they are.
Tell us about your volunteer role.
I do outreach to educate the community about the long middle and how to support people in it. I identify and connect with families, coordinate volunteers and community partners, fundraise and seek sponsors.
We recently launched our Hope for the Holiday campaign to provide things like a night at the movies or a visit to the Polar Express. We’re also working with summer day camps to make one or two spots available to our families in May, because planning ahead isn’t always practical when you’re in the middle of a crisis.
In February and March, we’re providing respite nights for grown-ups. For couples, that might be a date night. And we’re sending the gentleman whose wife passed away to Top Golf with a friend and providing childcare.
I also organize pop-up community art projects. In May, we’ll auction the art for Mental Health Awareness Month to show the role community and art can play in mental health.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
It’s hearing how these simple things impact people’s ability to take the next step forward. One of the most surprising and meaningful things is when I send someone a gift card for ice cream or dinner with a letter that says, “We had a day that changed everything, and we’re still in the thick of it. We want you to know that someone in your community knows you are, too.” The response is often greater than when we give away bigger things.
Everyone needs love and compassion. We delivered one Summer Fun Basket to a high-income neighborhood, and the woman broke down in tears. Did she need snacks for her kids? Maybe not. But she needed to know she wasn’t forgotten because she isn’t able to participate in life as she had a year ago.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
Community matters. And nothing will replace in-person connection and how that makes people feel. It just takes one person being vulnerable for others to do the same. Sharing stories helps people know they’re not alone.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
No matter how hopeless things are, there’s somebody who cares about you. And there’s something you can give. If we all do what we can on any given day, the growth of kindness, joy, and community will be exponential.
Life will never be the same for me, but I’m going to use whatever I have to continue to be what I was called to be.
This Volunteer is Helping Break the Cycle of Period Poverty
Randi (right) receives the Regeneron Volunteer of the Year Award in 2026 for her work with the MoonCatcher Project./ Courtesy Randi Broadwell
MeetDaily Point of Light Awardhonoree Randi Broadwell. Read her story, and nominatean outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Around the world, girls without access to period products often have to make do with whatever is on hand whether that be old rags, sponges or leaves. For many, that means staying home from school during their periods, and for some, it means dropping out altogether, closing the door on dreams of becoming a doctor, a teacher, or building any future they’d imagined for themselves. The MoonCatcher Project was founded to break that cycle, providing reusable menstrual kits, paired with health education, to girls in Kenya, Malawi and Uganda, alongside free period pantries across New York’s Capital Region.
Since joining MoonCatcher in 2024, Randi Broadwell has put her public health expertise and passion for volunteering to work for the cause, helping the organization track its impact and expand its reach. Her commitment carried her up through the board, from co-vice president to now co-president. Between governance, managing pantries, and coordinating fundraisers and volunteer events, she now dedicates around 400 hours a year, grounded in the knowledge that a single $7 kit can keep a girl in school for years.
What first inspired you to get involved with The MoonCatcher Project?
I did a public health volunteering fellowship in South Africa after I graduated from college, which inspired me to get my master’s degree in community-based primary health care. After that, I was looking for a place to use what I’d learned. Regeneron, where I work, has a volunteer week called Day for Doing Good, and I signed up for a MoonCatcher event in 2023. I’d already learned about period poverty in my master’s program, so it really resonated with me and it’s an organization local to me, so I felt like I could make an impact both abroad and in my own backyard.
Randi stands in front of a poster that shows what is included in a MoonCatcher Kit./ Courtesy Randi Broadwell
Can you explain what period poverty is and what MoonCatcher’s mission is?
In simple terms, it costs money to safely take care of your period. If you’re already living below the poverty line, that’s another expense on top of everything else. In New York state, the average amount women spend on period products per month is about $15. Girls around the world often drop out of school because they don’t have a way to safely and cleanly handle their periods, and that keeps a cycle going. That’s why we give reusable kits to our global communities. The reusable kits are fitted to size, so girls can use them for five, six years or longer. In the U.S., people tend to prefer disposable products, so we stock free, 24/7 period pantries outside businesses.
What does your role involve day to day?
We’re a smaller organization, so as board leadership, I work with our bookkeeper to make sure the board understands our financials and can make informed decisions about funding. That connects to sending money to our sewing guilds in Kenya, Malawi and Uganda, looking at fundraising logistics, and community outreach and period product drives with local businesses.
Of all your responsibilities, which is your favorite?
I love events and talking to people, but my strength is really the data. Whether I’m pulling spreadsheets from the period pantries for a grant application or an end-of-year report, I love being able to show people the good we’re doing with the numbers we have. That’s my favorite part — showing people the impact and why it matters.
Randi counts disposable menstrual product donations at the birthday party of Ellie Von Wellsheim, founder of the MoonCatcher Project./ Courtesy Randi Broadwell
What kind of impact has MoonCatcher made?
Last quarter alone, we gave out more than 17,000 period products across our pantries in the Capital Region. Since I joined, we’ve added pantries in Troy and will soon open one in Saratoga. Abroad, I hear the stories from our executive directors who’ve seen the kits firsthand. Girls who no longer have to worry about missing school, who are dreaming about becoming doctors, going into hospitality, going into sales. Seeing that impact is what stays with me.
Why are you so passionate about equal access to period products?
It’s something so small that can make the biggest difference. We’re not just handing girls a kit, we’re creating jobs for the women in Kenya who sew them, and we’re pairing every kit with a health curriculum, so girls understand what’s happening with their bodies. A $7 kit is barely the cost of a cup of coffee here, but it can keep a girl in school instead of getting married off or going straight to work because she can’t manage her period. It’s about giving girls the chance to choose what they want to do with their lives.
What are your long-term goals for MoonCatcher?
I’d love for more people to recognize the organization and the issue of period poverty. So many people I talk to are hearing about this for the first time. In the next five years, I want more people to know this problem exists and to know MoonCatcher is the organization helping solve it.
What do you hope people take away from your story?
I hope people look more into period poverty. It’s one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and it hasn’t gotten much attention until recently, even though half the population bleeds. I also want people to know it doesn’t take a lot of money or time to change somebody’s life.
In Honor of His Brother, Teen Volunteers for Cancer Families
MeetDaily Point of Light Awardhonoree Joshua Bie. Read his story, and nominatean outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Joshua (center) poses with a check for $5,000 to donate to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for childhood cancer research./ Courtesy Joshua Bie
Joshua Bie was 6 years old when his younger brother, Joey, died of childhood cancer at age 4. Soon after, the family began volunteering at the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House, which had supported them during Joey’s hospital stays. Joshua spent his time playing with the children there, and they reminded him of his brother, he said. Seeing them smile made him smile too.
Now 16, Joshua has carried that spirit into a decade of service. When he was in seventh grade, he founded the first Go Gold Club to raise awareness of childhood cancer at his school. Now the clubs operate at 10 high schools, and their volunteers have helped provide more than 1,000 free meals to families at Ronald McDonald Houses. On top of that, Joshua and his teammates have raised $15,000 for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
What inspired you to get started with the Ronald McDonald House?
I’ve volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House since I was 6. My younger brother, Joey, died of childhood cancer when he was 4, and the House helped our family a lot while we were in the hospital. It’s a home away from home, with free lodging and food for families of patients. I want other families going through this to know they’re not alone.
In seventh grade, I surveyed my classmates about childhood cancer. More than 90% didn’t know the gold ribbon stands for childhood cancer, and many didn’t realize children can get cancer. That showed me there’s a huge awareness gap on campus. That October, I founded the first Go Gold Club to build connections between my school and families affected by childhood cancer.
Joshua (right) and a volunteer pose for a picture inside a pantry filled with food donations./ Courtesy Joshua Bie
Tell us about your Go Gold Clubs and how it has grown.
When I started the club, we volunteered at the House about every three months. Now we go at least once a month. I’ve also helped start Go Gold Clubs at other schools, including one in Tennessee and one in Northern California. I encourage each club to volunteer at least monthly, and we stagger the visits so the House has volunteers every week or every other week. For my Go Gold Club, we partner with a restaurant and they’re very kind to donate meals that we serve those to the families. We also donate pantry items.
We’ve added more fundraising over the years, too. Last year, we sold Go Gold arm sleeves with golden ribbons on them to promote childhood cancer awareness. And annually, we hold a donut sale where all the money raised is donated to the Ronald McDonald House. During the holidays, we write cards for families and patients and put together gift bags with candy and toys. We’re still growing, and we may add a new club at Troy High School this year.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
Seeing the smiles on the children’s faces. One day, we were playing live music at the House, and I was at the piano. A young girl in a wheelchair loved it and wanted to dance, so her mom turned the wheelchair and they danced together. Her joy taught me a powerful lesson about courage. Even in the middle of tremendous challenges, there’s room to laugh, dance, and find joy.
Moments like that are why I keep going. They show me my work makes a difference, even when the kindness is small.
What are your long-term goals for Go Gold Club?
I want to make Go Gold a national youth program, as familiar as Boys & Girls Clubs, with chapters across the country. I’d like the golden ribbon to be as recognizable on high school campuses as the pink ribbon. Ultimately, our vision is to empower a generation of students to support scientific research and the search for a cure, and maybe to lobby for more childhood cancer funding, so no family ever has to lose a child to cancer again.
[Gold Ribbon] Joshua (far right) and fellow volunteers wear Go Gold arm sleeves with golden ribbons on them to promote childhood cancer awareness./ Courtesy Joshua Bie
Tell us about future programs or events you’re excited about.
Go Gold Club will soon receive a House Hero Award from the Ronald McDonald House, which recognizes charities that have supported the House for a long time. I’m excited because it shows our dedication and how our volunteer work has made a difference over time.
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
Purpose inspires compassion, builds community, and sustains commitment. When you take action for something bigger than yourself, empathy turns into compassion. It connects you with like-minded peers working toward the same goal, and that shared vision gives you the drive to stay committed for a long time. Getting involved is how we stop waiting for change and start creating it ourselves.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
It’s never too early or too late to start. I began volunteering at 6, but I know people who have made a tremendous impact starting in their junior or senior year. No act of service is too small. If you’re not sure where to begin, start small with a local organization and work your way up to larger and larger kindness.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Shannon Apgar. Read her story, andnominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Shannon Apgar has spent her Thursday evenings over the past year at Covenant House Alaska, where anywhere from five to 15 young people gather each week to cook something they can eat, enjoy, and learn to make on their own. With a background in public health, Shannon designed her cooking class to build the confidence and independent-living skills that help youth experiencing homelessness thrive.
Shannon turns simple, approachable meals like breakfast casserole, fried rice, and taco salad into lessons that the young people can take with them for years to come. She also opens the art room as a safe creative space for drawing, painting, and fiber arts, and meets youth wherever they are, whether that’s a room full of energy or one person who simply wants quiet company.
Across more than 100 hours, Shannon has built meaningful connections with over 50 young people. These relationships, she says, have become the most rewarding part of her work. She’s quick to redirect the credit, describing the resilience and patience of the youth as her own source of inspiration. Shannon believes that when we look around your community and find something that bothers you, you’ll know exactly where to start in your volunteer efforts.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Noreen Hosny. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Noreen Hosny’s background in molecular biology and visual arts might not be the most common combination you hear of, but she’s using those skills to change the world. Fascinated by art from a young age, Noreen was always intrigued by how graphic design can influence the way we process and understand information.
Noreen Hosny founded a pro bono educational design initiative focused on improving health literacy by making information easier to understand.
In 2019, she established a pro bono educational design initiative focused on improving health literacy by making health information easier for patients and families to understand. But it was during the COVID-19 pandemic that Noreen really started to make headway. In a period when organizations weren’t able to do the typical fundraising and live events that helped them function, Noreen stepped in to help.
She’s partnered with more than 30 clinics and nonprofits nationwide to create everything from information on hyperbaric oxygen therapy for veterans with traumatic brain injuries to cancer prevention materials for use in New Jersey free clinics. Noreen is now designing donor-facing materials and annual reports for organizations, giving them the power to successfully fundraise and make a bigger impact. Thus far, she’s saved these organizations more than $90,000 in design costs.
Looking forward, Noreen has a ton of projects in the works. She wants to teach others about graphic design, and she’d like to host more workshops where people can learn the skills. She’s already partnered with some local organizations and taught K -12 students how to make infographics. But there’s also one major endeavor in front of her: medical school. While Noreen always knew she had a sense for science and the arts, her ability to combine her skills to make an impact through volunteerism demonstrates an acute awareness of how one’s innate skills can make a difference. There’s no doubt she’ll continue this mission in her medical career, which has been vastly informed by her passion for serving others.
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
I’ve always loved visual arts, drawing, and painting. I took a digital arts class in high school, thinking it would be something like Disney animation, and it ended up being more about graphic design. I really became fascinated by how graphic design can influence the way we process and understand information. I remembered how they carefully design things like subway signs in the city. It just made me so excited, and I really wanted to apply what I had learned.
I started the pro bono educational design initiative in 2019, shortly after I took that class, and I started working with local organizations in my town. When COVID hit, I found out that a lot of organizations couldn’t do any fundraising or events with educational outreach, so I decided to expand it nationally and support those organizations whose outreach had been disrupted.
What inspires you to volunteer?
My design initiative is focused on improving health literacy, so my goal is to make health information easier to understand. Health literacy is really important to me, and, drawing on my own experiences, I see how making health information accessible can directly shape how people understand their options and make decisions about their care. When information is too technical or confusing, it can actually become a barrier for people to access the care that they need. I really wanted to volunteer to help bridge that gap using my own skills.
Tell us about your volunteer role.
I have my website, and I usually get requests through that. I meet with organizations, and I really get to understand their needs and the community that they’re serving. Then, I start researching the relevant scientific or clinical information that they want to share. Throughout those weeks, I’ll develop a lot of drafts, and I’ll send them a lot of different options, and we go from there and keep refining until they’re happy with it. Typically, they’re used in the initial consultation and patient guides. The patients will understand the benefits and risks of a procedure, and if it’s more like a community organization, then it would be used in their educational sessions. Basically, it’s working with the organization for a very long time to really understand their needs.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
Seeing the materials actually reach the people that they were created for. I spend a lot of time researching, designing, and revising. I think the most rewarding part is when the leader of the clinic or nonprofit calls me, and they tell me a patient is using this resource, they’re really able to understand their options, and we’re moving forward with screening or whatever. I think that’s the most important.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
Education and teaching someone is not a one-size-fits-all thing. You really have to understand the community’s needs, what they already know, and what barriers they might be facing. I learned that you really have to get to know the person that you’re teaching or you’re working with. As a person who’s going into medicine, I feel that’s really important, especially with patient education, making sure people understand their options and how to make decisions about their health.
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
It gives you a chance to connect with people and learn from their unique perspectives. It really gives you a chance to contribute to something you care about. It’s rewarding to have an impact and make a difference in people’s lives.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
Do a lot of reflection. Reflect on what you’re passionate about, what your values are, and what your unique skills are. Think about how to help your community and what causes you care about, and start locally by seeing which organizations need support and how you can fit in and help with that cause.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
Everybody has their own unique skill set, and there’s always a way to contribute. With my graphic design skills, I’d say I really try to maximize how much I can help, and that’s a good lesson for people. You might not think a skill could help somebody, but if you really become creative and think of how that could make a difference in someone’s life, then that could really be the start of a greater initiative.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Dhiya Thirumurugan. Read her story, andnominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
When Dhiya Thirumurugan was younger, periods were something she felt too shy to talk about or even to ask for help with. Noticing that menstrual products weren’t always available at school, she realized the barrier wasn’t only access; it was the stigma that made something completely normal feel like a secret. In 2023, she co-founded Cycles for Change, a youth-led nonprofit working to end period poverty and normalize conversations about menstruation.
Dhiya Thirumurugan turned her own discomfort talking about periods into a nonprofit focused on menstrual equity
Now 17, Dhiya serves as co-founder and CEO, leading student ambassadors, building partnerships, organizing product distributions, and driving the group’s fundraising, education, and advocacy. Cycles for Change has raised more than $10,000, directly supported over 5,000 women and girls, and reached more than 650,000 people through digital education and awareness. Dhiya has also helped put menstrual products into the hands of students across Texas public schools, so no one has to miss class for lack of hygiene essentials.
Volunteering, Dhiya says, taught her that impact starts with listening, and that you don’t have to wait until you’re older to make a difference.
eet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Mia Fritsch-Anderson. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Mia Fritsch-Anderson remembers what it’s like to be afraid to use her inhaler in front of other people as a child. Growing up, Mia would avoid using her inhaler at dance competitions or in gym class because the other kids would make fun of her. Now a college student, she’s helping kids and teens shake off the stigma of asthma.
In 2020, Mia read a study that said that fewer than 25% of kids take their medication in front of their peers, even if they’re having a life-threatening asthma attack. In that moment, she knew it was time to take action. She founded Choose to Breathe, which focuses on decreasing the stigma of asthma and increasing inhaler compliance in children and teens.
Choose to Breathe uses a three-point approach to destigmatize asthma. First, Mia creates fun inhaler covers, so people don’t feel they’re being looked at while taking their inhaler. Then, she creates educational content across social media platforms, knowing that focusing on digital is a great way to engage with kids and teens. Finally, she promotes a positive peer media campaign called #choosetobreathe, which pulls in followers and engagement. In 2020, she started with only 200 followers and a few videos. Since then, Choose to Breathe has produced over 500 educational videos, 40,000 followers, and millions of views across platforms. The organization also distributes thousands of inhaler covers across the world.
MIA FRITSCH-ANDERSON PACKAGES INHALER COVERS TO BE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH DIFFERENT PARTNERSHIP ORGANIZATIONS ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES. /COURTESY MIA FRITSCH-ANDERSON
Mia is currently in her senior year at Illinois Institute of Technology, where she’s studying mechanical engineering. While that’s a heavy workload while running her own organization, Mia feels the balance is important to her because she’s so passionate about the cause. In the future, she hopes to grow Choose to Breathe even more. She’s already partnered with some high-profile organizations and is working on some new partnerships right now. Her dedication to fighting the stigma of asthma shows that a personal connection to a cause can be the taproot that a thriving organization grows from.
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
I grew up volunteering with a lot of different respiratory health organizations, specifically the Respiratory Health Association here in Chicago. I started volunteering with them when I was four, but I’ve been lobbying with them for a while. During COVID, I noticed that nobody was really doing anything about the stigma of asthma. A lot of people would make fun of me for taking my inhaler at dance competitions or even at school and gym class, and that was something that I really wanted to change. What really started it is when I read a study in 2020 that said that fewer than 25% of kids take their medication in front of their peers, even if they’re having a life-threatening asthma attack. I just thought that statistic was staggering, and it really encouraged me to start what I’ve been doing.
What inspires you to volunteer?
A lot of it comes from the fact that my parents took me to volunteer from a very young age, so I’m used to being around that. But also, I feel like it’s a really good way to be able to make change in the world, especially as a young person. I had a lot of people tell me growing up that I was never actually going to be able to make change, and that really inspired me to keep going.
Tell us about your volunteer role with Choose to Breathe.
A lot of the work that I do is on social media. Typically, it’s probably a video or a TikTok post. The reason that I work heavily on social media is that my main audience is kids and teens, and social media is a great way to reach them. I try to post something every single day, or at least three to four times a week. Besides that, a lot of the time I’m making inhaler covers. Inhaler covers are just things that go on your inhaler; they make it feel less like a radical device, make it a little bit more fun, and I donate them to organizations throughout the nation. I’ve been very busy making a lot of them, especially over the summer, to send out before heading back to school.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
The most rewarding part is how the work that I’m doing makes someone feel more comfortable taking their inhaler. A lot of the time, I’ll have people reach out to me on social media with stories about how they feel more comfortable using their inhaler because they watched one of my videos. I’ve even had some school nurses reach out to me and tell me that they tell their students to watch my videos if they feel uncomfortable taking their inhaler.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
It’s hard to pick just one thing that I’ve learned because there has been so much. I think one of the biggest things is that I’ve had the opportunity to be around a lot of other young people who are very passionate about what they’re doing and run different organizations. I was able to connect with other young women who are around the same age as me, doing very similar things, which is very exciting, and it keeps me motivated to see other young people doing these things. Not only for partnership purposes, but to learn from them. Because really, we can all learn from each other in this world and continue to grow together.
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
I think a lot of the time people don’t think they can make a big change, but I promise you, we can. I know when I started this, I didn’t think it was going to be much, and now it’s a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. So I think it’s important to even get involved at a small level because you never really know what impact you’re going to have. Also, it’s very rewarding when you do get to have an impact.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
Google and other available search engines are your friend. There are so many organizations out there. If you’re looking for a specific organization, you can pretty much Google the cause that you care about and look up an organization or volunteer work, and something will pop up. Especially on social media, a lot of these organizations now are on social media, and they’re advertising that they’re looking for volunteers. Just reaching out is a great way to get involved.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
I want people to learn that they should feel comfortable being who they are. I grew up being very scared to use my inhaler in front of others because of other people’s opinions on it, and that’s why it’s so important to me to be able to change the narrative of what having asthma is. A lot of that stigma isn’t true. Just because you have asthma doesn’t mean you’re weak, and I want people to be able to take that not only for things like asthma, but for other things, because there are so many things that also apply.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Michelle Ye. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Points of Light is proud to share the following uplifting and inspiring story. However, we acknowledge that portions may be difficult for some readers. We encourage you to please care for your own wellbeing above all.
Seventeen-year-old Michelle Ye has always loved dance, but the associated pressure spurred on body image issues from a young age. And she wasn’t the only one affected. With their discovery of shared challenges and the lack of support for young people experiencing disordered eating, Michelle and her Co-Founder Diya Mankotia created Project EDSA (Eating Disorder Support & Awareness) to bridge the gap. Now, as the world’s largest youth-led eating disorder organization, Project EDSA is a network of youth across 59 countries that embeds prevention, awareness, and peer support systems into schools across the world.
In just a year and a half, Michelle has helped train 2,000 student leaders who have, in turn, educated 100,000 peers through events and workshops. Youth are more likely to confide in someone their own age than an adult when they’re struggling. By equipping young leaders with the knowledge to help, the organization hopes to empower them to seek support amongst their peers.
What inspires you to volunteer?
Growing up, my grandparents helped my parents take care of me while they were at work. That led to a feeling of responsibility to take care of others. I just want to contribute to my community.
Michelle packages 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline bookmarks for distribution to schools and libraries.
Tell us about your volunteer role with Project EDSA.
Our main focus is our chapter program, through which students create a club in their own school or community. We’re partnered with ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders) and work closely with their school ambassador program. Our chapter leaders undergo training with ANAD to learn about eating disorders, facilitating discussions, and advocating on their campus. After that, we give them a 30-day starter kit with basic guides for them to get set up.
Our other major focus is our volunteering program, but that’s more to help with our operational work. One in three youth report lacking reliable access to mental health resources, and about 50% wouldn’t know what to do if they felt like harming themselves. In honor of Suicide Prevention Month last year, we distributed 7,500 bookmarks across 40 schools and libraries with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and local mental health resources.
As the Co-founder and COO, I oversee everything and do social media. I help with a lot of internal work like onboarding our chapters—120 so far—and volunteers and creating guides for them. I also strategize with Diya.
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
Growing up dancing, there was a lot of pressure to have a certain body type. That pressure really got to me when I was nine. I never had an eating disorder, but I started hating my body and have had body dysmorphia since then. When I was 14, one of my dance teachers body shamed my peers and me. That’s why I stopped competitive dancing and left that team. It led to many of us developing disordered eating habits, and motivated me to volunteer at a local eating disorder nonprofit, where I met Diya.
Together, we realized that while there was support there, all the programs were designed for adults despite adolescents being most at risk. She had her own EDSA club at her school, but she wanted to expand it, so together, we launched the organization.
What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?
We’re in the process of onboarding our new executive leadership board. That’s our main focus. We’re also working on the State of Eating Disorders. Each chapter leader will report on their school’s current level of support, so we can use the information to advocate for policies.
We’re also trying to get into crafting care packages for those struggling with eating disorders in hospitals. When Diya was in recovery, she really enjoyed the art supplies people brought. It can be isolating when you don’t really have anyone to speak to. And we’re working on a formal Eating Disorder Awareness Week campaign that we can do every year.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
It’s being able to connect people from all over the world. It’s cool how an initiative one chapter is doing in Texas, for example, can be adapted for New York City or expanded to Peru. We have a Slack channel for everyone and an Instagram group chat for chapters. Everyone always likes each other’s messages. Even though they don’t really know each other that well, we’re connected by this shared community.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
Volunteering is super rewarding, but it also requires patience. I work with many different people, and it can be challenging when the same questions are being asked over and over. Patience is important.
Also, volunteering instills empathy. You have to empathize and be an active listener to understand the struggle. It’s important that you’re passionate and knowledgeable about the issue you’re focusing on, so you’re able to do meaningful work.
Tell us about future partnerships, programs or events that you are excited about.
We were awarded a $5,000 grant for our 9/11 initiative. There are multiple chapters participating, and we’ve been able to give them—and some close partner organizations—up to $500 to each.
My chapter will assemble care packages at my local American Legion Auxiliary Post to target hunger within the veteran community. Many veterans rely on food stamps, and we want to address that by packing shelf-stable nutritious food and recipes along with positive messages in each box to brighten their day.
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
Throughout your life, there have been people who have helped you along the way, and sometimes those actions shape or help you the most. It’s important to do that for others. Also, if you have a certain lived experience, volunteering is a great way to help those who are going through that same type of challenge.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
Youth can change the world. We’re dominating as changemakers now more than ever. There are so many amazing initiatives out there proving we have this ability.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Maanya Pandey. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Growing up, Maanya Pandey would hear her mother’s stories about how inaccessible and expensive period products were in her native India. But when Maanya discovered that women in America were facing significant obstacles to finding adequate period products, she knew she could take action to make a change.
After doing significant research, Maanya learned that from prisons to her local community, women were struggling to find period products. This was especially true in Maanya’s area of Iowa, where few organizations addressed period poverty. As a high school sophomore, Maanya decided to start her own organization to help women feel clean and maintain dignity during their periods. In May 2020, she founded Love for Red, an organization working to end period poverty through service, advocacy, and awareness.
With a focus on schools, Maanya has volunteered thousands of hours leading a student‑run effort that has donated about 362,000 menstrual products to 207 organizations, including 170 schools in 78 districts. The organization works to move products into school bathrooms, create “period packs,” and establish student ambassador teams that ensure their classmates’ supplies are stocked without asking an adult or going home. With a strong focus on partnering with shelters, clinics, and refugee groups, Maanya has served as a face of the mission, representing the group to support bills that would fund free products in school restrooms.
Maanya just graduated from the University of Iowa and is planning on attending medical school. She hopes to incorporate Love for Red into her medical career, addressing women’s health while advocating for health equity. By dedicating her volunteer work to a cause that’s close to her heart, Maanya has already forged a path that will lead to her future as a physician. Her dedication to the cause shows just how much volunteerism can change the future and, in this powerful example, inform one’s professional career.
LOVE FOR RED FOUNDER MAANYA PANDEY (RIGHT) PRESENTS ‘LET’S TALK PERIOD POVERTY’ TO CIVIC LEADERSHIP ACADEMY STUDENTS WITH REP. DAVID YOUNG. /COURTESY MAANYA PANDEY
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
When I was growing up, women in my life would tell me about their experiences with menstruation when they were young, and that was so different from my experience. My mom grew up in India, and she wasn’t devoid of resources. But at the time, period products like the ones that we know today weren’t on the market. And if they were, they were so expensive and inaccessible. She would tell me about the negative experiences that she had with menstruation, and that was so different from what I experienced. When I got my first period, I was so excited to be a woman. In my sophomore year of high school, I saw an Instagram post about women in prisons and the struggles that they go through because they can’t access period products. They were using things like bed sheets and mattresses as period products and subjecting themselves to assault by prison staff to get period products. That’s where I really saw that this issue was in the U.S. and not just another country.
What inspires you to volunteer?
So many people are suffering in silence. I think that truly was my motivation. It felt so fulfilling to be able to address something that wasn’t being talked about in general. That’s why I continue what we’re doing, because when we started, we didn’t think that there would be much of a need. Once we got to schools, it completely skyrocketed, and we now support over 200 schools in Iowa. Being able to uncover need and directly help those in need is honestly so fulfilling, and that’s why I continue.
Tell us about your volunteer role with Love for Red.
My title is Founder and President, and so it’s my mom and me who do almost everything for the organization. We have a board of advisors and other things, but my role is overseeing the organization. I help with gathering the donations, going to schools, and dropping them off. We plan period packing events. For the past four years, I was at the University of Iowa for my undergrad, and so I ran our Iowa City team. We have our newsletter, our social media posts, events, and fundraisers. I run all of our meetings, and we actually have a student ambassador program that creates a leadership opportunity for students to take care of their school’s menstrual product needs.
What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?
One of our really big strategies is advocacy. It’s something that we started in 2023, when we went to the Iowa State Legislature to advocate for policy change for free menstrual products. Our legislative goals for the past few years have been getting free period products for students in Iowa and making them free in all Iowa schools. I would say that one of our goals is to be able to get something passed. We got really, really close. It’s something where we’ve gained so much traction and progress in the past few years, specifically for students. That’s something that I really want us to be able to get passed.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
We send a feedback form out towards the end of the year to see if these products are helping people and making a difference. That’s when it’s so eye-opening to see staff and students talk about their experience with having these products accessible to them. They’re talking about how, otherwise, they were spending their own money for these products or missing school.
Students are so grateful to have these products accessible to them. It just feels like we’re truly actually making a difference for Iowans.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
One of the biggest things is just how much I’ve changed as a person over the past six years because of Love for Red. A lot of people are shocked when they hear me say that I’m like an introvert. I’m scared to talk to people on the phone. But with Love for Red, it’s truly changed me as a person. It’s changed my confidence, my skills, and my outlook on the things that I want to do. I’m applying for medical school right now.
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
We all see issues that happen in our world, and we all have the desire for them to be solved. But they’re not going to be solved unless we do something about it. I know it can be really scary for people to take that initiative. When we started, we had no idea that it would grow this much. But we started because I wanted to do something about this, and then we uncovered more of the need that we saw in Iowa. Because of that, we were able to create such an impact. It’s really important to take that first step in addressing things that you want to see solved because one person can truly make a difference.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
Research organizations that do exist for the issues you do want to solve. Some organizations always need help, and just email them, reach out to them, or look on their website. There are so many places that need help, and we just have to reach out and ask what it is. If you have a cause that you want to help, there are so many more people out there that want to do the same. If you start it, other people will join you as well.
