Global Youth Service Month highlights a time when youth around the world come together to serve their communities, and The Youth Empowerment Initiative (TYEI) reflects just that. “We believe we hold the responsibility to give back to the community that we grew up in and help out the up-and-coming generations to come through TYEI."
Meet TYEI - where passion meets ingenuity and philanthropy. “We are a group of high school entrepreneurs who had a common goal of wanting to leave their community better than it was before. As a result of this, we came together to start an organization called 'The Youth Empowerment Initiative' (TYEI) to provide warmth, comfort, and love through the gift of shoes and clothing to those in need.
As kids and even now, Nike has always been the brand that everyone wanted to wear no matter what piece of clothing it was. So, we believe that we should take these opportunities and give others the opportunity to wear Nike products through these donations.
In the world of sneaker reselling, we realized that the true value lies not just in profit, but in the power to make a difference. We chose to donate shoes because every pair carries a unique story, a connection, and sense of identity no matter the value of the pair. We are not just giving them footwear; we are giving them a piece of empowerment, a step towards a better future.
What we do is we set aside a percentage of our profits from our respective businesses, and after a few months we reach out to our local homeless shelters and youth centers asking if they need any clothes or sneakers for the children they take care of. Once we have got a response from a location we simply go to our local shoe stores and try our best to fulfill their requested sizes. Our commitment to this organization is not driven by the recognition from others, but the real reward lies in the positive change we bring to the lives of those in need which keeps us going day after day."
Thank you to TYEI and your heart to inspire and build up your peers and generations to come! Through their work, they donated shoes and socks to the house for families and kids staying with Ronald McDonald House Orange County.
"I am so glad that we were able to provide these families with Nikes! It makes us so happy to see smiles on their faces and to see people who need them receive them," remarks TYEI member, Joshua Kim.
Follow TYEI at https://www.instagram.com/tyeiorg/
