Origins of Project-Gift-A-Smile

When my sister and I were younger, we used to see homeless people on the streets and it always made us realize how fortunate we are. We noticed how we celebrated our birthdays surrounded by friends and family, receiving so many gifts and love, while these people didn't have the same luxury. It struck a chord with us, so we decided that we wanted to help in some ways. That's when we came up with the idea of donating 50% of our birthday gifts every year to help those in need. Ever since then, we have been donating 50% of our gifts to different organizations. It felt good to know that we were making a difference in their lives and it's something we continue to do to this day. When we started this, I was in 2nd grade and my sister Aanya was 2 yrs old. We have been donating to different organizations over the years, such as UChicago Children's Hospital, Toys for Tots, Hessed House,and many others.  We find joy in ensuring that everyone, even the less fortunate, can enjoy their birthday or any special occasion the same way we do. For the same reasons we started this campaign -Project Gift-A-Smile through which we are making a team of kids who will join and help to spread kindness around the world!

Do you want to make a difference in this world, then join us in Project Gift-A-Smile. Watch the YouTube video below to learn more.- Aashka

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YOUNG AUTHOR AWARD

When I was in 2nd grade, I took a part in Young Author competition where I shared the story of how we saw homeless people and started donating 50% of my birthday gifts to kids in need and I won the 2nd place.