Simple Acts, Big Impact

Liam's Lunches of Love distributes meals and kindness to people who are experiencing homeless in the Cambridge, MA community. Liam created the organization when he was only 10 years old, and has distributed over 20,000 meals over the years. Liam and his friend and fellow volunteer Arson share their experiences with this important work, and remind us once again that "food is love." Follow Liam's Lu...

Avery K. is an energetic 15-year-old with ambitious goals, big dreams, and a heart for service. She started Love Carries On which provides duffle bags and luggage tags for children navigating the foster care system. I loved our conversation and I hope you will check out her efforts. You can find Love Carries On on Instagram @lovecarriesondrive And you can follow all of Avery's work @inspiredmelani...

Charlie, Alexa, and Jack are high school seniors from New York City who have created a very special model of microfinancing for macro impact. With a passion for finance, entrepreneurship, and social justice, MyFiNYC provides small "game-changing" loans to communities in developing countries. To learn more, check out their website www.myfinyc.org or follow on IG @myfi_inc LinkedIn https://www.linke...

Follow Maya as she works toward her goal of recording 300 interviews! Check out Maya's interviews on her YouTube channel @popstarextraordinairemaya and follow her on Instagram and Tik Tok @thelatestnewswithmaya.

The pandemic certainly put a spotlight on educational disparities and the digital divide in the United States and around the world. Zachary L., a high school senior from NYC, has created an organization to help bridge that divide, Philanthropy4Technology. If you'd like to learn more or to become an ambassador for Philanthropy4Technology, check out Zachary's website at www.philanthropy4technology.c...

It's the giving season and I'm delighted to share a special HOLIDAY edition of the podcast! Ava S. was only 6 years old when a classmate who was fighting leukemia inspired her to launch a project called Ava Claus, providing toys for children in the hospital. The effort turned into Ava Claus and Friends and a partnership with the Broward Children's Center. Listen and be inspired to give back in a m...

Zach G. is a thoughtful, insightful teen who believes that we should engage in meaningful conversations about tough mental health issues. He created a media platform, Talk with Zach, that is an important space for teens to connect, access resources, and share their feelings. Everyone should follow this work on social media @talkwithzach and check out his website www.talkwithzach.org .

Sylvie S. is a New York City teen who is passionate about philanthropy and mentorship. She is an enthusiastic leader in PACT - the Philanthropic Advisory Council for Teens - at the UJA Federation of New York. If you want to learn more about PACT or other teen leadership programs at UJA-Federation, check out the Center for Youth Philanthropy and Leadership at www.ujafedny.org/cypl-pact

CJ. is a big-hearted 15-year-old from Atlanta who turned a personal tragedy into an incredible purpose, providing blankets for people who are dealing with loss, trauma, and other hardships. He launched a nonprofit called Blankies for My Buddies. He wrote a children's book called "And Then There Was One." CJ is also a Giving Tuesday Spark Leader. www.blankies4mybuddies.org @blankies4mybuddies www.g...

Daisy H., a 13-year-old 9th grader from NYC, started Including You to create a community of learners and to promote friendship and inclusivity. If you'd like to learn more, or to become a mentor or mentee, check out  www.includingyou.org or follow on social media @includingyou

I hope today's episode will inspire you to become a Monarch Defender and to do all you can to help or planet and to save species nearing extinction.   Learn more about the monarch butterfly, biodiversity and becoming a Monarch Defender on Noah's website www.monarchdefenders.org . Please follow him on IG @monarchdefenders   Noah also recommends a fantastic book for anyone that is concerned about ou...

Today we will learn about financial literacy with Jacoby K., a high school senior from New Jersey. Jacoby was inspired to create a financial literacy curriculum after watching a documentary on ESPN (reminding us that inspiration to do good can come from anywhere!). Jacoby also teaches us the importance of finding a mentor to help turn your ideas and aspirations into reality. In this episode, Jacob...

Hailey R. is a big-hearted teen whose mission is to help kids who have a family member with Alzheimer's. Her work is inspired by her love for her grandma, whom she calls her best friend, who lived with the disease. Her organization, Kid Caregivers, encourages young people to visit with institutionalized seniors, and to do puzzles with them. Intergenerational services is so powerful. I hope this ep...

In this episode, we hear from Jackson, a 17-year-old from Lake Oswego, Oregon whose passion for running inspired him to start a "24 miles in 24 hours" challenge. He uses this effort as a fundraiser, and over the last three summers, he has raised over $12,000 for two local nonprofits. Jackson has raised money for Hunger Fighters (a local food pantry that was started by a teenager) https://www.hunge...

With Halloween coming at the end of the month, this is an important episode! We meet from Emma Rose Shapiro (who is my first adult guest on the podcast) who started a nonprofit called Halloween Helpers when she was just 12 years old. Halloween Helpers collects and distributes new and gently used Halloween costumes to children in need in the US and around the world. I hope this episode inspires eve...

Have you ever seen a brightly painted refrigerator on the street and wondered what it was? On this week's episode we hear from Charlie H. who, along with a friend, launched The Friendly Fridge Network to help feed neighbors struggling with hunger and food insecurity.   Learn more about The Friendly Fridge Network  https://www.thefriendlyfridgenetwork.org/our-fridges On Instagram @theheightsfriendl...

Gillian Johnson is the founder of Recovery Meetups, a virtual support and mentorship program for teens who are in recovery for disordered eating and other mental health issues. You can learn more at:  https://recoverymeetups.carrd.co/   Follow @recoverymeetups  For immediate assistance and resources around food disorders, visit https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ For more information about Ri...

On this week's episode, I speak with Ava and Sophia P., two sisters from New York City who are passionate about dance. After years of lessons, rehearsals, and recitals, they realized that they had accumulated piles of dance shoes, leotards, and costumes. They decided to set up a collection box at their dance studio to collect gently used dance equipment and to donate it to under-resourced dance pr...

Welcome to Simple Acts, Big Impact: Celebrating Teen Changemakers. On this short weekly podcast, I will interview big-hearted 'tweens and teenagers who are volunteering, fundraising, starting nonprofits, and becoming social entrepreneurs and activists. I will amplify their stories and celebrate them, and share these stories with a world that could really use a dose of inspiration right now. On our...