Nov 30, 2020

Youth Spotlight | Elise Taylor

Updated: Oct 28, 2022

1. What is your school and grade? How long have you been involved with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference?

I go to Folsom High School and I’m a senior this year. I’ve been involved in Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference for three years now.

2. Why did you join Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference & how did you hear about it?

I joined Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference looking for new service opportunities and to be able to stay more involved in my community. I first heard about the club from my family friends and decided to join during one of our club rushes at school.

3. How has Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference helped you in school, with your friends and family, and in life?

Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference has helped me in numerous ways. I’d say the biggest change for me has been my improvement in public speaking. Having to lead meetings, communicate with my team, and reach out to businesses truly frightened me at first, but sure enough, I’ve become more confident in my abilities. Hands4Hope has also helped me learn about different aspects of project development which is honestly slightly complicated but useful in the long run. Not only that, Hands4Hope has led me to find a community of great people who are just as passionate about helping our community as I am.

4. What has your experience been like since joining?

Since first joining Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference everything has been so great! Everyone involved has taught me so much, and they are really great people to work with. Joining the Youth Board my junior year was really inspiring for me, I was able to be surrounded by great, passionate, hard-working peers who I otherwise wouldn't have met. Lately, I’ve been able to attend and help out with more drives like the Fall Food Roundup and Warm and Fuzzy Drive and it has been so much fun! Staying involved during trying times like these has definitely given me something to look forward to. Seeing hard work pay off is super rewarding.

5. Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experiences with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference or about a favorite project/committee?

My favorite project so far has definitely been the Warm and Fuzzy Drive. It was the first drive that I had really been involved in during the planning, and it was such a big learning experience. While working on the drive, we had to think outside of the box as this year we had more restrictions on collecting clothes than in previous years. It was so amazing to see how many items we still ended up getting! So far we’ve received 142 bags and 2,326 usable clothing items, and items are still being donated daily! I can't wait until the Winter Boutique when all these great clothes can be put to use. However, it’s hard to pick a favorite project as I’ve had such a good time helping out with drives at Hands4Hope, they’ve all been great!

A few images of Elise enjoying activities outside of school, work and Hands4Hope activities.