Las Vegas Teen Organizes Drive To Build 3,000 Care Kits for Unhoused Population

About 100 kids and teens gathered at Centennial Hills Park in northwest Las Vegas on Saturday to assemble 3,000 care kits for the unhoused, filling them with snacks, water, toothpaste, shampoo, and other essentials. The event was organized by Creating A Giving Culture LV, a nonprofit founded by Aiyana Castro, a junior at Arbor View High School.

Castro, who has long dreamed of expanding youth service in her community, said the initiative is designed to fill a gap left by organizations that typically require volunteers to be at least 13 years old.

"It's all about getting youth involved in the community, because most kids don't get the opportunity to serve from other non-profits — the age [to serve] is usually 13, so everyone that's not 13 isn't able to serve," Aiyana told Channel 13 on Saturday morning. "We're just trying to build that bridge and build that gap and get youth in the community serving."

For Castro, the event also represented a personal milestone rooted in early rejection.

"I was that person that got told no, so I started my own initiatives," Aiyana said. "It was always my dream to get more youth out in the community, because it's all about helping people and making a bigger impact. Taking a look out here, there's so many youth here — I'm just so excited."

Several other youth-led organizations joined the effort. The Wellness Box Foundation, a nonprofit run by Chloe Kim and Ilana Stone, both juniors at the Meadows School, distributed feminine hygiene products. OCA Las Vegas, which focuses on youth mentorship in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, contributed snacks and toiletries and sent volunteers.

"Being able to collaborate with other youth is really important, we think," Ilana said. "We're such a big part of the community that doesn't get a chance to be a part of Las Vegas as much as we can be, so being able to give back in this way — especially collaborating with so many other people — is so great."

Alexa Guloy of OCA Las Vegas reflected on the staying power of youth volunteerism. "It's so great to see it's alive and well," Guloy said.