Over the past seven years of building Bag of Joy, I’ve learned that giving doesn’t have to be big or visible to matter — starting small is enough. I was fortunate to meet adults like Ms. Theresa Toia and Professor Cynthia Swenson, who encouraged me to give back in simple, thoughtful ways.
 

As I began sharing these experiences with other students, I started to notice that many kids want to help but feel unsure where to start, or feel pressure to do something “big” — sometimes even thinking they need to start their own nonprofit. I wanted to share what I was learning: that noticing a need, caring about it, and taking a small step can already make giving meaningful.