Of course, no one wants to see homeless men and women on the street. Unfortunatley, not enough of us do something about it. Well, one 12-year-old middle schooler decided to try and make a difference in his community, making sure the homeless could get what they needed…
Young Legend
One day, eight-year-old Symond Boschetto, now 12-years-old, a middle schooler from Rosemont Ridge Middle School in West Linn, Oregon, saw a homeless man begging for food on the side of the highway. As Boschetto recalled in a recent interview, the man held a sign that said: “Need money to eat, please help.”
After seeing the man, the middle schooler felt implored to do something. “I had like, $5 in my pocket, and I wanted to give it to him, but we had already passed him, and so I told my dad, ‘I want to help them.’ And he was like, ‘Well, I can turn around, and we can go give him the $5.’ I said, ‘You don’t understand, I want to help them all,’” Boschetto recalled about his first experience.
When Boschetto and his father returned home, the young man decided that he would not sit by as people went starving in his community. Soon enough, the young man had launched the non-profit Share Hope USA – as a kid! Not only does the organization bring food and clothing to the homeless in their community, but they also educate others on how best to help them. Now, the organization has been running for over four years…
Learning More
Of course, organizations don’t become viral sensations overnight. Over the years, the entire Boschetto family has worked to build Share Hope USA both online and in person. After plenty of hours of research, Russell Boschetto, Symond’s father, created a plan for Share Hope, starting and leading the initial food and clothes handout events. During these events, Share Hope USA does much more than simply give homeless people a new t-shirt and some food. There are also social workers from the city, potential employers, and even animal groomers for any dog companions!
The organization helps with hospital events as well, like the Play-Doh Drive, where volunteers give the molding clay to children in the hospital and play with them. “Play-Doh is the only thing that the hospital can’t disinfect. So when the patient touches it, they keep it forever, and keep it as a memory,” Symond said, explaining how important just one toy can make to a sick child. From the homeless to children stricken with illness, this middle schooler is trying to make the world a better place, one person at a time.
Family Organization
Thankfully, Symond does not face this challenge alone. As stated, his entire family, including his mother Yesenia and teenage sister Hillary also help with the Share Hope USA events. In fact, the family recently moved to the city of Portland, to help Symond to increase his capacity to help. Meanwhile, when he’s not helping, Symond lives the life of any other, typical middle schooler: he does his homework, hangs out with his friends, and occasionally annoys his older sister.
However, the young man has proved he is quite different from his peers. “I really want to just be almost all over the world. I want to be everywhere,” said Symond.
Sources: Beaver 100.3 FM, MSN.