Kenan Pala: Kids4Community
One day on a beach in California, a less-than-10-year-old Kenan Pala and his dad were running on the beach when they noticed a sick baby seal surrounded by people giving it blankets and calling Park Rangers. On the way back, though, they noticed a sick homeless person on the side of the road going entirely unnoticed. While the baby seal was attracting a crowd of concerned beachgoers, a human being in the same predicament was being utterly ignored.
This experience left a mark on Kenan, and planted in him a desire to hopefully alleviate some of the suffering he saw going unnoticed. However, because of his young age he was initially doubtful of whether he would be able to find places to volunteer. However, instead of giving up and waiting till he was older to make a “real” difference, he decided to start a program specifically with like-minded kids in mind. Instead of waiting for a better window to climb through, he decided to build a new one big enough for more people to follow.
Though at first Kenan’s program ran into issues with organization and volunteer numbers, eventually it began to snowball: partners and volunteers met at one event would then end up involved in further events. Starting a 100% volunteer-led organization is no small task, especially before high school. Yet Kids4Community has grown into an incredibly impactful nonprofit offering food and hygiene kits to the homeless and providing education on substance abuse issues to kids and families.
Looking for a solution to a lack of youth-friendly charities, Kenan has started a movement with a focus on being open to younger help–and in fact being based largely on the efforts of younger volunteers. Kids4Community not only assists the homeless but provides opportunities for service-passionate kids to get valuable experience doing so early on.
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This is a great idea by Keenan. He saw an chance to make an impact from an experience he had and has made a difference through adversity in many people’s lives
That’s such a great perspective! I do think it’s fascinating how concerned people get over sick or injured creatures and completely neglect (or don’t notice) other people who are also suffering. This is a sad reality, I’m glad Keenan wants to make a difference and is taking the steps to get there!
It is so cool to see what social impact Kenan was able to have at such a young age. It is also inspiring to see how the majority of the volunteer staff of his nonprofit is made up of young likeminded kids.