Something Good: Teen’s nonprofit aids the homeless
(NewsNation Now) — With her own global nonprofit, teenager Khloe Thompson is doing Something Good.
Khloe, 14, of Irvine, California, founded her own global nonprofit, Khloe Kares, at the age of 8, and through it she’s been helping people in her community and across the globe.
Her motivation, she said, comes from the smiles she gets from those she assists.
“Mostly it’s the people I’m able to help, the people experiencing homelessness, the people who get access to clean water, the kids who can now start their own businesses,” she said. “So things like that really keep me going in what I do.”
Initiatives promoted by Khloe Kares include an effort to bring personal hygiene vending machines to homeless shelters, so that people in need, rather than getting junk food, can get “something easy to access, (that) also is affordable and also is just necessary for everyone.”
Khloe and her associates have also handed out more than 5,000 Kare Bags filled with toiletries and other necessities to people experiencing homelessness.
“Kare Bag Day, it started a good four, five years ago,” she recalls. “It started with me wanting to bring people to come and pass out Kare Bags with me. I wanted people to be a part of it, people who didn’t have the funds to be able to send donations, or just send funds in general. They can still help give back to their community without having to come out of pocket for it.”
Khoe’s efforts have reached as far as Ghana.
“I install water pumps and bathroom facilities in Ghana,” she said. “A lot of times, with different schools in Ghana, for instance, their toilets, it’s pretty much a shed with dirt on the floor and a hole to use the bathroom in. So now, when I raise funds, I’m able to install a water pump and bathroom facilities. With the bathroom facility, they get a fully flushing toilet that has their own little space of privacy and then also they get a place to wash their hands that has clean water with soap because in the original place, they don’t have a sink or anything to help keep their hands clean.”
The young Californian insists age is not an impediment to helping others.
“I like to remind kids that I started Khloe Kares when I was 8 years old and I’m 14 now. So no matter how old you are, you’re still able to make some sort of difference in the world.”
And the difference Khloe Thompson is making is something good.