Country of Residence
United States
Age
16
Project title
Dignity on Wheels: Youth Leading Change
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Dignity on Wheels is a youth-led movement transforming how Birmingham addresses homelessness and food insecurity. Through Ethan's Heart-Bags4Blessings, our Free Mobile Store delivers essential supplies, dignity, and hope directly to underserved communities while empowering young leaders to organize service projects, mobilize volunteers, and become changemakers in their own communities.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https://www.ethansheartbham.org
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Scaling (We’re expanding impact to new locations or in new and innovative ways)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
I was just six years old when a moment on my way to school changed how I viewed the world. One cold morning in Birmingham, Alabama, snow was in the forecast. As we drove to school, I saw a man named Mr. Marcus experiencing homelessness. While I was headed to a warm classroom, I couldn't stop thinking about where he would go when the snow came or how he would stay warm. That Christmas, I had received $100. Instead of spending it on toys or things I wanted, I decided to forget about myself for a moment and use my Christmas money to share Christmas with someone else. I wanted Mr. Marcus to know that somebody saw him, cared about him, and believed he mattered. That experience sparked Ethan's Heart-Bags4Blessings in 2016. What began as one child wanting to help one person grew into a mission to serve people experiencing homelessness with compassion and dignity. Ten years later, we've distributed more than 12,500 care packages, launched a Free Mobile Store, and created opportunities for other young people to lead through service. Mr. Marcus taught me something I'll never forget: You don't have to be rich, grown, or powerful to change someone's life. Sometimes, changing the world starts with choosing to think about someone other than yourself.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
In Birmingham, Alabama, homelessness, food insecurity, and poverty create daily challenges for individuals and families. Something as simple as finding a meal, clean socks, hygiene products, or weather-appropriate clothing can become a struggle. Transportation barriers, limited mobility, and lack of information about available resources make accessing help even harder. People experiencing homelessness are often overlooked or judged rather than treated with dignity. Older adults, individuals with disabilities, and people facing health challenges can be especially vulnerable when services require them to travel long distances. Another problem is that young people are often taught about community issues without being given meaningful opportunities to help solve them. These problems matter to me because I've personally met people whose immediate needs were going unmet. I've learned that homelessness is not someone's entire identity. Every person has a story, and every person deserves respect. My community doesn't just need more donations. We need accessible resources, stronger partnerships, and young leaders who understand that service is a responsibility we share.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
Through Ethan's Heart-Bags4Blessings, I created a youth-led approach that combines direct community assistance with civic leadership development. Our signature initiative is the Ethan's Heart Free Mobile Store and Educational Unit. Instead of expecting people experiencing homelessness to find transportation to resources, we bring essential items directly into underserved communities. Individuals can receive food, hygiene supplies, clothing, and other necessities at no cost. We organize packing parties, community distributions, and volunteer opportunities where young people and adults work side by side. These experiences help volunteers understand homelessness and food insecurity while showing them practical ways to respond. Our Youth Leadership Council gives students opportunities to take ownership of service projects, coordinate activities, strengthen partnerships, and develop leadership skills through real community work. We're also strengthening our ability to reach older adults, people with disabilities, and individuals with cognitive or physical limitations who may struggle to access traditional assistance. The model is designed to be both immediate and sustainable. We address urgent needs today while helping young people develop the skills and commitment to create solutions tomorrow. Funding would help us stock and expand our mobile outreach, support youth-led initiatives, strengthen educational resources, and reach more individuals who are too often left behind. We aren't simply handing out supplies. We're bringing dignity to people and putting civic leadership into action.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
Since founding Ethan's Heart in 2016, I've watched one child's idea grow into a nonprofit organization that has distributed more than 12,500 care packages and approximately $1 million in goods and services to people in need. In 2021, Ethan's Heart became an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and in 2022, we launched our Free Mobile Store and Educational Unit to bring essential resources directly to underserved communities. Our distributions reach people across generations. At one recent outreach event, more than 60 people were waiting for assistance, including individuals ranging from approximately age 9 to 86. Our impact extends beyond supplies. Through packing parties, distribution events, partnerships, and our Youth Leadership Council, we're creating meaningful opportunities for young people to lead and serve. We've also learned to overcome setbacks. After truck and mobile unit challenges interrupted operations, we worked with supporters to rebuild and continue serving. The greatest impact isn't only what we've given away. It's the people we've reached, the dignity we've protected, and the young leaders we're helping develop.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
What makes Ethan's Heart different is that we're addressing two community challenges at the same time: the lack of accessible resources for people experiencing homelessness and the lack of meaningful leadership opportunities for young people. Traditional charitable programs often require individuals to travel to a specific location to receive assistance. Our Free Mobile Store reverses that approach. We take resources directly to underserved communities, removing transportation barriers and creating a more accessible, dignified experience. But our innovation goes beyond a mobile store. Ethan's Heart is led by someone who started serving at six years old. Young people aren't simply invited to volunteer. Through our Youth Leadership Council, they're encouraged to help identify problems, develop solutions, organize projects, and participate in decision-making. We combine mobile outreach, hands-on education, youth leadership, and community partnerships into one model. We're also working to make our services more responsive to older adults, individuals with disabilities, and people with cognitive limitations. This means thinking beyond what supplies people need and considering whether they can physically access and use those resources. Our approach changes who receives help, how help is delivered, and who gets to lead. I want to demonstrate that a child with an idea can become a civic leader and create opportunities for other young people to do the same.
How many people are on your team?
16
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
As founder, I guide our mission, outreach priorities, and youth initiatives. Our Youth Leadership Council includes student leaders who help plan projects, organize volunteers, improve operations, and develop new ideas. Adult board members, mentors, and community partners provide guidance, fundraising support, and logistics. We share leadership by giving young people meaningful responsibilities, encouraging their ideas, and allowing them to help turn those ideas into action.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next year, I want to strengthen Ethan's Heart in three major areas: expanding mobile outreach, developing youth civic leaders, and improving access for vulnerable populations. First, we'll work to increase the frequency and reach of our Free Mobile Store distributions by securing dependable supplies, improving transportation and equipment, and building new partnerships with businesses, schools, and community organizations. Second, we'll strengthen our Youth Leadership Council by creating more opportunities for students to design and lead service projects. I want council members to gain experience in planning, fundraising, teamwork, communication, and solving real community problems. Third, we'll expand our focus on older adults, individuals with disabilities, and people with limited mobility or cognitive challenges. We want our outreach to be more accessible, responsive, and informed by the people we serve. We'll also improve how we document our impact by tracking supplies distributed, community members reached, volunteers engaged, and youth-led projects completed. My goal is to build an outreach and leadership model that other young people can learn from and eventually bring to their own communities.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
I believe people are more likely to become changemakers when they're invited to be part of the solution instead of simply hearing about a problem. Through Ethan's Heart, I use community events, social media, school connections, speaking opportunities, and partnerships to educate others about homelessness, food insecurity, and the power of youth leadership. Our packing parties and mobile distributions turn that awareness into action. Volunteers help collect supplies, assemble care packages, organize inventory, and distribute necessities directly to people in need. Our Youth Leadership Council provides another pathway for involvement. Students can contribute ideas, take responsibility for projects, work with community partners, and gain real leadership experience. Businesses, churches, schools, and community organizations participate through donations, volunteer support, and partnerships. We have distributed more than 12,500 care packages, and each service opportunity helps introduce others to the importance of civic responsibility. I want young people to leave our events understanding that they are not too young to lead, and adults to recognize that youth voices belong at the table where community solutions are created.
