My Giving Story is about the national connections and leadership skills that I have been able to receive through this program of which I am able to pass on to those in my community through service.

My Giving Story is about the time I raised money through a duet dance performance with my sister to donate to an orphanage in my mother’s country of India. It’s about the impact that such a donation made on each individual child's life. It’s about the smiles and joy that I was able to bring to children who do not have access to learning resources. 

My Giving Story is about the impact I made through co-founding the Pay it Forward national project. It is about the 615 student volunteers rallied, the 3,000 brand new books provided, and the 3,000 service hours volunteers received. It is about rallying hundreds of individuals across the country to write words of encouragement to students who may need it during these trying times. It is about the numerous books that were donated to underfunded schools which made it possible for students to start their literacy early on in life. My Giving Story is about the Pay it Forward project being the encouraging factor for volunteers across the country to serve children and spread kindness. It is about the service and large impact that we all, as a team and organization, were able to make in such a short amount of time. 

My Giving Story is about partnering with passionate teachers, schools, and organizations in my area to host book drives and sticker parties. It is about engaging the youth in service to spark a life-long service-driven experience. It is about talking and brainstorming with teachers who deeply care about seeing early literacy and who have good ideas. They just need a little encouragement and support. My Giving Story is about the book drive that I am currently hosting that could very well be the foundation for some children’s education. It is about spreading awareness about the positive impacts that the youth can have on others in their community.

My Giving Story is about empowering my school’s service clubs and organizations to take action and participate in service projects that I was hosting in order to engage and educate those in my community on how to make an impact.

Want to join the Leaders Readers Network this Giving Tuesday to help ensure children have access to high quality and relevant brand new books. Click here to learn more. Your support will reach the most vulnerable students and unlock a lifelong love for learning, reading and creativity.