Anna’s Kindness is a 501(c)3 public charity established in 2017 in memory of 12-year-old Anna LeFort. In an effort to spread Anna’s spirit of volunteerism and helping the less fortunate, the charity works to connect her age group — middle school students — with hands-on, on-site opportunities to serve others in need.

These opportunities to directly help the less fortunate can have a profound impact on young people. Not only do these types of service projects provide a deep sense of satisfaction and compassion, but it gives students perspective by offering a firsthand glimpse into the plight of others in their community.

It’s not always easy finding on-site volunteer opportunities for middle school students, due to age and group restrictions. But thanks to the terrific partnerships we’ve established with many local charities, we’ve been fortunate to find wonderfully rewarding opportunities for this age group.

But providing a list of available opportunities isn’t always enough. Families are very busy, and may not have a lot of time to call the listed charities to set up a volunteer time. And so we took it one step further.

Anna’s Kindness contacts the charities, reserves dates, sets up the volunteer events, posts online signup forms, communicates with volunteers, and attends the events to help coordinate. That makes it easier for busy families whose child shares Anna’s compassion and kindness, and would like to serve others.

We may have lost our daughter, but if we can spread her compassion and kindness to other children her age, we can take a little solace knowing we have created many more Anna’s in this world. Whether you volunteer with us, donate to the charity, or simply follow us here or on Facebook, thank you for your support.