VolunTeens Connects Youth With Nonprofits For Opportunities

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Compassionate youth oftentimes struggle to find volunteer outlets where they can make a difference. Atholton High School rising senior Michael Zhao launched VolunTeens last year to help shrink the disconnect between high school students seeking to volunteer and help others with the local nonprofits hoping to harness the energy of volunteers like them.

"Our mission is to help connect high schoolers to these nonprofits to ensure that everyone's needs are met and that the community as a whole benefits from the increased activity of nonprofits. Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak and quarantine restrictions, we have been focusing on fundraising to help donate hot meals to the needy, which supports locally owned businesses while also providing food during a troubling time," Zhao told Patch.

So far, VolunTeens has raised more than $2,000 and donated hundreds of meals.

"Our meals were bought from locally owned restaurants around the county and were all donated to the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center. So far, we've donated over 300 meals and supported four local restaurants. If anyone is part of a locally owned restaurant and would like to get involved with us, feel free to contact us," Zhao said.

The teens also donated more than 1,000 surgical masks to local communities and other nonprofits. The surgical masks were donated by family and friends and they then were distributed across various neighborhoods as well as to several local nonprofits such as the Howard County Food Bank and Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland.

"We are also working with Columbia Community Care to donate canned foods and other household essentials, so we encourage all donations to VolunTeen. If your family is too busy or uncomfortable with going out to donate, we can also come to pick up the donations from your doorstep," Zhao said.

Zhao emphasized that it is important for the community to help out as much as possible because "VolunTeens is here to serve the underserved."

"To do that we need the support of the whole community. Increasing our exposure and donating are the two best ways to support our organization, so that we can give back to the community," he said. "For many teens, the COVID-19 outbreak leaves them with no choice but to sit idly by at home. Many of them want to get more involved with community service, but they're not sure how. We've seen this disconnect between students and volunteering opportunities even before quarantine, but the struggle of figuring out how to get involved is more prevalent than ever."

VolunTeens said that while the organization will continue to raise funds to donate meals and masks, they also have other plans in store.

"One of the things we plan on doing is a 'virtual volunteer fair,' much like the in-person volunteer fair that inspired me to create VolunTeens in the first place. The original volunteer fair had tables set up with various local nonprofits and students could come talk to these nonprofits to learn more and find service opportunities. Only this time, the virtual volunteer fair will be hosted in multiple meeting rooms on Zoom conference calls. Each nonprofit will host a meeting room and students are free to enter and leave the rooms during the fair. This will help nonprofits coordinate with students to find ways to help from home, as well as plan for future, in-person events," Zhao said.

The fair will be held July 15 from 1:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Anyone wanting to support the collection and donation of meals and masks can help at VolunTeen's GoFundMe page or at their website. Teens can follow the group's Instagram @volunteens_ for more information.