Sometimes the greatest gift you can receive is giving to someone else. For Serena Patel and the high school team behind Hands for Hopes, this lesson has come early in life.
Read on to discover how young people help others as more than a seasonal reminder of hope.
Please introduce yourself and describe your role at Hands for Hopes.
My name is Serena Patel, and I am currently a junior at Cary Academy. I am a fundraising manager and blog writer for Hands for Hopes. I work in organizing events and opportunities as well as writing overviews of our experience and impact at our events.
Who else is involved in running the organization?
Our founder is Dana Jhoung, who is also a junior at Cary Academy and who helped start this organization! We work with many other students around the Triangle area. We have a team of approximately seven students, including additional writers, website editors, and an operating officer.
What is the origin story of Hands for Hopes?
Hands for Hopes was founded by Dana Jhoung in 2024 after her exchange trip to Argentina. During the trip, she had the opportunity to visit an underprivileged school and spend time with kids who were 4 to 5 years old. Prior to visiting them, a group of students made traditional Argentinian cookies called alfajores. Dana saw firsthand how a simple gesture like sharing handmade cookies made a big difference in the kids’ lives. Although the time spent with the little kids was short, she felt a strong connection with them and the example of how small acts can have a significant impact.
As part of their outreach program, Hands for Hopes volunteers make bracelets and origami with disadvantaged children.
Can you share the mission?
“To foster happiness, positivity, and confidence among youth facing various challenges. We achieve this through engaging activities such as bracelet and origami making.”
Describe that mission in action?
It looks like volunteering locally at organizations like the Ronald McDonald House Charities and bringing smiles to children who may not always have the chance to. We connect with children of all ages and try to bring a smile to their faces through small acts like bracelet making. But the meaning is far deeper than that because when doing these small acts, we start a conversation that can be a break from the superficial reality of our phones.
Hands for Hopes, a nonprofit that benefits children and youth struggling with medical or other challenges, is run by three 16-year-old Cary girls. From left, founder Dana Jhoung, executive operating officer Catherine Eisenacher, and fundraising manager Serena Patel.
How do you determine the participants you will work with?
Anyone is welcome to come and volunteer with us through signing up on our website or Instagram. As for organizations, we choose them based on whether we think we can make a good impact and primarily if they have children beneficiaries.
Do you mind sharing a few impactful moments or experiences with our readers?
I would love to share a quote from volunteers after an event at the Ronald McDonald House Charities:
“Being able to see (the kids) filled with joy though they were going through tough times showed me how small gestures like making bracelets can make a big impact. … It is important that we look after the kids’ emotional well-being just as much as their physical well-being.”
When families seek care through the Ronald McDonald corporation, there isn’t much that patients or even the families get to look forward to. However, through Hands for Hopes, there are not only smiles that touch the faces of those there but also the connection that this organization offers. A lot of patients between the ages of 13–17 find it hard to connect with others their age, but having this face-to-face connection really impacts the days of patients, families, and even volunteers.
What is some of the feedback you have received from participants?
The feedback that we have received so far is to expand and create different and diverse opportunities that more people can be a part of.
Do you face unique challenges as a student-led organization? Are there any advisors or mentors involved?
The biggest challenge is getting our ideas completely out there. We currently do not have any advisors or mentors — we are totally student run, which is amazing, but also has some drawbacks, including sometimes not being taken seriously.
Learn about upcoming volunteer opportunities through Instagram or the Hands for Hopes website.
How do you ensure that the work of Hands for Hopes continues with the next generation of students?
We want to be able to have leadership opportunities and more events so that the impact and traction of Hands for Hopes is more widespread. Having these opportunities will hopefully allow Hands for Hopes to continue with the next generation, as well as inspire many to start or help with volunteer work.
What would your peers say about their time with Hands for Hopes? How has the experience impacted you?
I think everyone who has volunteered through us has had a rewarding time. Everything that we do is aimed toward brightening someone’s day and spreading joy, which is contagious! For me, it has really brought forward how we take a lot of things for granted; through this work, I am able to appreciate the smaller things in life a lot more. I think I speak for everyone when I say that spreading happiness makes us happy, too.
Do you have any advice for other students who are looking to make a positive impact on their community?
You can do anything you put your mind to — and believing in yourself and taking risks really does pay off.
How can the community support you?
We would love to have more people signing up for our events or showing up to fundraisers so we can keep on spreading positivity.
Are there any events coming up?
As of right now, we have volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House on December 2, with more details on our website. There are also several additional fundraising dates that aren’t yet finalized.
Anything else you would like to share?
From all of us at Hands for Hopes, we just want to say that we love the work we do and want to maintain our upward momentum.
- The 2024 Gift Guide
- Sweeten Your Season
- Let It Snow
- Starry Night
- Things to Do: November/December 2024
- Mindful Merriment
- Erica Chats: Surviving Holiday Stress
- Small Business Spotlight: Golden Hex European Food Market
- Nonprofit Spotlight: Hands for Hopes
- Liquid Assets: Turtle Tinsel
- Liquid Assets: Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Espresso Martini
- Garden Adventurer: The Ins and Outs of Amaryllis
- On Trend: Caroling
