Hayden Ko, a Stuyvesant High School sophomore, has a rich history of volunteer work. His service includes providing meals at a local soup kitchen for the disabled, teaching STEM lessons to underprivileged children, and participating in violence prevention initiatives in his community.
Simultaneously, Gia Kim, an eighth-grader at De La Salle Academy, has been actively volunteering from a young age. She’s used her creativity to design cards for hospitalized children and the elderly. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she extended her support by creating thank-you cards and signs for first responders, and decorating cards included with food relief packages. “Even though I was just a child, I felt the need to help as many people as I could,” says Kim.
Both Kim and Ko serve on the youth advisory board for Amplify Teens and are active volunteers in multiple programs. They are part of their local chapter of the Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Promise Club, a youth leadership initiative by Sandy Hook Promise.
This summer, with a group of like-minded peers, they resolved to use their vacation to positively impact their communities. “We brainstormed projects that combined our personal interests with service to the community,” Ko elaborates. As a competitive swimmer, Ko spearheaded a drive to promote swimming and water safety.
Kim, a rock climbing enthusiast, initiated a campaign to motivate other girls to take up climbing, emphasizing its benefits in boosting confidence, strength, and coordination.
In the midst of their service, both Ko and Kim have demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities, inspiring their friends and younger family members to join in voluntary work. They’ve dedicated a significant amount of time to educating younger students about the importance of service, proving to be excellent role models in their communities.
Their commitment to their communities earned them youth leadership awards and the President’s Volunteer Service Award. However, they assert that service isn’t about receiving accolades. “Our goal is to contribute using our unique skills. Small acts can have a significant impact,” says Ko. Kim adds, “The sense of achievement you experience when you help others makes all the effort worthwhile.”
The initiatives that Hayden Ko and Gia Kim have developed exemplify the transformative effect of service learning, benefiting both the individuals who volunteer and the communities they support.
