Chirag Vedullapalli is 13 years of age and a 8th grader at Chief Kanim Middle School. He is a very talented artist and creates gorgeous art using lots of different mediums including oils and acrylics on canvas. He is a social entrepreneur and supports charities through the sale of his art. He has donated over $20,000 from these sales to many charities including Seattle Children’s Hospital, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and others.
Chirag is also the founder of Creative Children for Charity (3C) whose mission is to empower one million kids and teens to donate their time and talent for charitable and social causes. He has spoken at TEDxRedmond and SAM KID 2014. Thus far he has organized over 10 events in various communities and brought thousands of kids and teens to contribute their time and talent to various charities in the region.
In addition to being a social entrepreneur, Chirag is a representative of his school representing over 750 classmates in his school and an active Leo Club member making a difference in the community. Currently he serves as the President for a growing Toastmaster Club. Chirag has won several awards including, Youth Spirit and Trevor Award for community service.
Catalina Raggi, leads PR and Marketing for 40 Story’s. Born in Argentina, she moved to the United States when she was two, but considers English her best language. She is 15 years old, and a junior at STEM high school. She has recently won first place at a regional speaking contest.
She is a published poet, and a previous President of a local Toastmasters Youth Club. She has been speaking for almost two years, and although she used to be painfully shy, now loves it. She is also an avid environmentalist who wants to inspire people to care for our planet. Cat often spends her time outside reading, and loves it whenever it is sunny, something which can be rather rare in Seattle.
Also, Cat is a strong believer in the power of art, and is an officer in her school’s National Art Honor Society. She is very grateful to be able to help bring the community together, and is especially thankful to be able to do it in a creative way.
Rohini Mettu leads Partnerships for 40 Story’s. She is 14 years old and is a 9th grader attending Skyline High School. She is a very passionate artist, and loves to use her imagination, whether it is through her paintings, her music, or her writing.
Rohini is also a snowboarder and martial artist. She is only two belts away from black belt, a journey that has taken her almost 5 years! She is very grateful for her martial arts training, because it has affected her in many positive ways. She finds it to be a very good way for her to relieve stress and clear her mind of worries. She has made many good friends, and is a much stronger person now, both physically and mentally. It has transformed her from a very introverted, shy girl to an outgoing and confident teenager.
In addition to this, Rohini is a very strong supporter of the LGBT community and their rights. She believes that all people are born equal and have the right to choose how they live their lives without nearly as many restrictions. She is very happy to be a part of 3C, and very proud of the positive effect that 3C has on youth in her community.
About Creative Children for Charity (3C)
Creative Children For Charity (3C) is a program that supports non profit mission by bringing kids and youth together through art and leadership programs in the community. The mission? To inspire one million kids and teens to donate their time and talent for a social cause. The group strives to unify the community by bringing art together with charity and help those in need. 3C believe in the abilities of today’s youths, and want to empower them to donate their time and creativity to a good cause. Fundraising events are regularly done, from which all of the profits go to various charities. One of 3C’s main goals is to try to promote the young artists of today, and the creativity which is such a fundamental part of leadership.
3C started with one person, Chirag Vedullapalli, who painted and sold paintings since he was young with support from his family, friends, and the community. At nine, he realized that the talents of others could also be used to help those in need, and 3C was founded.
The group started small, with only three kids showing incredible initiative by organizing events to fulfill the mission, and slowly began to grow.
Along with the events, 3C has also run workshops that generally run for a few hours and focus on a theme. During the workshops, kids are given instructions on creating their masterpieces.
Currently, 3C has raised and donated over $10,000 in last 3 years for the various organizations it’s worked with, and over 700 hundred kids participate in our events. The latest project 3C is working on is called 40 Story’s, and focuses on strengthening leadership qualities in the youth involved.
Visit http://meylah.com/3c for more information
About the 40 Developmental Assets
The 40 Developmental Assets were founded in 1990 by the Search Institute, which released a framework that identified a set of skills, behaviors, and relationships that enable youths to develop into mature adults and leaders. Over the following two decades, the development assets helped kids through school programs and were widely utilized in the world. William Damon from Stanford University described these assets as a “sea of change” in adolescent development.
Search Institute has identified the following building blocks of healthy development, known as Developmental Assets, which help young children grow up into healthy, caring, and responsible citizens.