When I was younger friends told me that I was wasting my time volunteering at nursing homes, but I knew that I wasn?t. Many people also said that I should focus on helping our children and not our elderly. But I saw a lack of concern for our elderly and knew I needed to change that. Now twelve years later many have come to understand how large the aging population is and the importance of finding ways to meet their growing needs.

   For those of you that don?t know, a large percentage of our elderly reside in nursing homes. A majority of them, however, do not have family or do not receive visitors. Knowing this touched me, because I know how much my grandmother appreciated having us around to love and care for her until the end. That?s why I formed The Victorian Hands Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing respect among younger generations for our elderly.

   My appreciation, respect and advocacy for the elderly did not only come from my family values, it was reinforced when I watched a 20/20 special on elder abuse and neglect. At age eleven, I had no idea that so many of our elderly were being mistreated. Even though I didn't know where to start, seeing those stories inspired me to volunteer and give back. The following day I started to make random calls to nursing homes listed in the yellow pages until I found a place to volunteer.

   On my first visit I greeted all 236 residents with "Hi my name is Nadia, what?s yours?" I immediately started to see the difference my presence made.

   My visits became a regular routine and I started to visit that nursing home every Sunday. I eventually started telling friends and encouraging others to volunteer with me, but at that time I was the only young person who saw a perfect match.

   As I got older, I was able to get more youth involved and I named our group The Helping Hands Club. In 1998, my aunt Victoria passed away and I renamed the organization in honor of her kind and giving soul.

TVHF has made many transitions over the years. We were able get support from organizations like Youth Venture and we started getting recognition from the media. But one of our most important transitions was becoming a non-profit organization last year. That was a process that was not easy for me to accomplish, but I was fortunate to find the resources to develop programs, form a team, get legal assistance and complete the paperwork.

  Over the years, I have been blessed with many opportunities and honors because of this project. In 2002, I was invited to the White House to discuss ways to get more youth involved in volunteer service. 

In 2004, Commissioner Raymond Kelly presented me with the Osborn Elliot Community Leadership Award at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC. That night I got to meet David Dinkins, Walter Cronkite, Kofi Annan and more...it was an amazing event and honor. This is just an example of what rewards perseverance and passion will bring. I believe that when you are passionate about something, others will become passionate as well.

   Starting and running a nonprofit organization is not easy, but it can be done. I want youth to know that you are never too young to start something great. All you need is the drive, passion and resources, which are out there. All you have to do is network and do research. There are so many organizations that will assist you in getting your business started and provide you with the tools you will need to successfully run it. Youth Venture is a great place to start, check their website out at www.youthventure.org.

  Team work is also essential in starting any venture, so if possible I suggest you not do it alone. Even if you do the planning in the beginning, you should form a team to execute those plans. With that being said, I would like to thank my family, our volunteers, seniors, community and board of directors all of their support, encouragement and shared resources over the years.