Shona Kumar, a sophomore in Livingston High School, founded Young Hearts for Change, a non-profit organization dedicated to driving positive change for underprivileged communities through community service initiatives.
“The inspiration for our organization came from a desire to make a difference in the lives of students who lack access to essential resources and opportunities,” Kumar said.
The first initiative for Young Hearts for Change was a book drive that stemmed from Kumar’s passion for literature.
“From a young age, I’ve loved the joy and knowledge that books bring, and I wanted others to experience that same love,” she said. “It became clear that many of my friends were in the same situation, with shelves full of books waiting to be shared. We noticed that many schools struggled with inadequate access to books, hindering students’ ability to learn and grow. Determined to make a change, we organized a community-wide effort to collect and distribute books to those in need.”
The project started with distribution of a flyer advertising the book drive, and the response rate was much higher than anticipated.
“Thanks to the kindness and generosity of our wonderful residents, we collected over 6,000 books just this summer,” said Kumar.
The principals and administrations at Burnet Hill, Hillside, Mt. Pleasant Elementary and Mt. Pleasant Middle Schools also donated boxes of books.
Additionally, reading materials were donated by Friends of the Livingston Library. Materials were also collected through local townwide Facebook groups like Buy Nothing in Livingston, LTown Lowdown, and Livingston Moms NJ.
Amy Panitch, the principal of Franklin School in Newark, reached out to Kumar after seeing her flyer on Facebook. Youth Hearts for Change ended up donating 1,500 books to the school.
“Meeting the children and witnessing their smiles as they received the books was a wonderful experience,” Kumar said. “We have realized that there is so much more that can be done, and we are determined to ensure that every child has access to the resources they need to thrive. Visiting the school made us question, ‘How else can we help?’” With that, the organization set a school-supplies drive as its second initiative.
“As we approach the back-toschool season in the fall, our goal is to gather essential supplies to support students from underprivileged communities,” she said. “We want to work towards the standard that every child has the tools they need to succeed academically.”
When she initially posted the flyer promoting the school-supplies drive, Kumar was skeptical as to how much support the non-profit would receive.
“We shouldn’t have worried, for the Livingston community has supported each other endlessly in the past and has continued to do so for our supply drive, including community members, teachers, and schools,” she said.
In addition to various supplies like notebooks, pencils, backpacks, and art supplies, a wide range of teaching materials were collected for educators at schools in need.
Experiencing the generosity spread throughout the township has made Kumar especially appreciative of Livingston.
“The town is brimming with warmth and generosity, and neighbors are always eager to lend a helping hand or share their resources and time with others,” she said. “Thank you to everyone who has supported us on this journey so far and has continued to support us. Your generosity and support mean the world to us, and together, we are spreading the love of reading and education far and wide.”
To learn more about future initiatives, visit the Young Hearts For Change’s Facebook page.
