High School Senior Skips Prom to Help the Homeless, Starts Nonprofit

A couple of YouTube videos inspired high school senior Ashley Yong to skip her prom to help the homeless, but it was the video she posted that motivated more than 200 people to help her start a nonprofit for the cause.

The 17-year-old student at Hinsdale South High School spent the money she’d saved for her senior prom on care packages for the homeless of Chicago, which she personally delivered.

She videoed the process and kicked off a gofundme for round two in July. But with word-of-mouth, media attention and the help of a few celebrities, the fundraiser quickly collected more money than a single service project could manage.

It’s little surprise that Yong is building one simple act of service into a full-blown nonprofit organization. She’s certainly no stranger to success.

Yong earned recognition in the Business Professionals of America national competition and the IHSA State Forensics Championship. She was named the Illinois Journalist of the Year, and she won a scholarship from AAUW. Yong is the editor-in-chief of the Hinsdale South yearbook, the executive producer of multimedia ads and the web editor of Stinger News magazine. She’ll be the master of ceremonies at her school’s graduation.

Yong took a short break from kicking butt and saving the world to answer a few questions for Patch.

How did this go from an interesting idea to a realistic project?

Yong: It was back in December, when I was getting excited for prom with the senior class at Hinsdale South. I knew my dad wasn’t going to pay for prom, so I started selling clothes, and I marketed myself as a graphic designer. I raised $250. I realized I was doing a lot for prom, and I was going to spend it all in one night. It seemed overly extravagant to me. I started watching YouTube videos of people helping the homeless. I got inspired by that, but I wanted to put my own spin on it. What could be better than to do it with my prom money? In March, I went shopping. On April 26, the day after my prom, I delivered the boxes.

Did you have any doubts?

Yong: Before I distributed the boxes, I was nervous. My dad was worried about me going up to people on the street. The night of prom, I was doing nothing all night, just sitting on my bed scrolling through Facebook, looking at photos. I thought, “Am I going to regret this?” But by the end of the distribution, I didn’t regret anything. What I experienced from that hour or so of distribution really impacted me. I got emotional during the distribution. After I gave boxes to a woman and two kids, I got in the car and cried. I told my dad I couldn’t believe how blessed we are.

What was it like to put the packages into the hands of the people who needed them?

Yong: That was undoubtedly the best part of the entire experience. I’m not one to put a credit card on website to donate like that or put money in a cup. Interacting with people makes you a more empathetic person. People were incredibly kind and thankful, some people were shocked and didn’t know what to say. The best was giving it to kids. The smiles on their faces said it all.

What kind of response did you receive from people who know you?

Yong: When I had told my dad my plan back in December, he was very skeptical. He didn’t want me to do it because he thought I would regret missing my only senior prom. As for the reactions by the people in my community, there was an incredible amount of love and support. So many teachers, students and strangers approached me telling me I was an inspiration and that the video brought them to tears. But there was some backlash. Many people would talk about me behind my back, saying I just did it for attention. I did do it for attention, but not attention for myself. I want to bring attention to the fact that Chicago is one of the most homeless-populated cities in America. I want to bring attention to the fact that 50 percent of the homeless population in Chicago is families. Homeless people are veterans, flee-ers of domestic abuse, HIV-sufferers and the disabled. At the end of the day, homeless people are people. A lot of times we seem to forget that.

As an accomplished student, how is the success of this project different from your other academic and extracurricular achievements?

Yong: The part about this is it’s actually very ordinary, in the way any student could do this. The point of creating the video was to show that a high schooler could do all this. That was the message I wanted to convey. This is worth more to me than any medal or certificate. This has inspired people in a way that things I list on my résumé never could.

What would you say to other students or people who want to try something similar?

Yong: I’d say it’s very easy and it’s equally rewarding. It’s very easy to give. I’m a highschooler with no job and no car. I urge them to sacrifice something they want. It makes it more worth it. Be hands-on in the way you volunteer and give back to the community because those experiences are the ones you grow from.

What’s next for you?

Yong: I’m repeating the project in July. I’ve gotten tons of volunteers doing distribution and packing. I’ve gotten offers from people working in different companies willing to donate different items for the box. The gofundme is at $5,800. I don’t think we could do that many boxes with that money, so I’m in the process of starting a nonprofit. It’s insane because I’m 17. I’m getting a domain name, working on legal fees and all that stuff. The whole reason I wanted to repeat the project was not only because I was so happy when I finished all of it, but I wanted to share that feeling with others. As we were leaving the city, I saw maybe five or 10 homeless people, but I didn’t have any more boxes. That crushed me. I wanted to do it again from the moment we were leaving the city.

Did you ever dream that this project would evolve into a nonprofit?

Yong: It was insane because I thought this would be a small scale thing. I never thought it would blow up like it did. There’s been a crazy amount of media coverage, and celebrities posted it, like Ashton Kutcher and Nicki Minaj. There’s a purpose for this attention, and I won’t let something like this lose momentum. I want to go for it and make this something that will change people’s lives. The nonprofit will be called Help the Homeless. Providing a hands-on approach to this kind of giving back will definitely be a main focus.

Has this project changed your plans for the future?

Yong: This has made me consider running a nonprofit as a career. It’s looking like a future for me. I’m actually going to the University of Missouri in Columbia next year. They offer a certificate in nonprofit management. So I’ll study journalism and business marketing as a major with that certificate in nonprofit management.

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