Скачать или смотреть NEISD teen uses creative skills to give back by forming non-profit organization

At just 17-years-old, Simran Patel already has her own non-profit organization creating custom cards for a cause.

“I’d been making handmade cards since I was little for my family members and so I thought it would be cute to take it to another level and use it to start the base of my non-profit,” she explained.

The Johnson High School senior formed Simply Simran Inc., making handmade works art to help raise money for charity.

“It’s very important to give back to our community, especially since San Antonio has raised me. I’ve been here for almost all my life and I’ve grown up here. I think that interacting with our community also teaches us really important lessons and able to give us a better world view for the future,” Patel added.

Nearly 1,000 greeting cards, wall designs and bookmarks later, she’s donated more than $3,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Little Mended Hearts of San Antonio, both dedicated to helping children battling critical illness and heart defects.

She said the idea to donate to these kinds of organizations came about after a family-friend’s son was diagnosed with Leukemia and was granted a Make-A-Wish dream to meet the founders of ROBLOX.

“I heard it was a life-changing experience for him. To see what an organization could do to change a child’s life was extremely moving to me,” Patel said

Balancing her own nonprofit, school and extracurriculars has taught her a lot about leadership and time-management but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Each greeting card costs around $4.00 to $5.00 and depending on how the number of orders, she typically spends around 10 hours per week working on them.

Patel said she does not take a salary and that all of the money, less the cost of supplies, goes to the two charities.

“It’s actually something that I want to do a lot. Whenever I sit down to make a card, it’s more of a creative process and I don’t really think about the time it takes,” she explained.

Her organization has gone almost entirely online due to COVID-19 safety measures, and Patel is thankful for the support she’s received since the beginning from teachers, parents and the community.

“It’s definitely been rewarding for me and I’ve been extremely excited to see the kids that I’ve impacted through my non-profit,” Patel added.

She said it’s proof that no matter how old you are, anyone can make a difference using the skills they have.

“There’s always something you can do and there’s always an impact you can make in your community!”

To view more of Simran’s creations and learn more about the non-profit organization, visit www.handmadebysimran.com or on Instagram at @Handmadebysimran.

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