My grandparents immigrated to the United States from the Philippines and Indonesia. Growing up, they would tell me stories about the difficulty of starting over in a new country, having to make new connections, build a new life, and learn a new language. As I got older, those stories continued to stick with me, and I began to notice that the majority of what they experienced is still happening to refugee families today. Their stories, and their support, are what helped encourage me to begin my work with refugees.

I began volunteering with a nonprofit that helps refugee families resettle, and after a while I started mentoring and tutoring some of the kids. Eventually I started a club at my school called CARES, Community Assistance and Refugee Empowerment by Students. I still felt that I wanted to do more to help, so I started Gifted Birthdays for Refugee Families. We are officially a 501(c)(3) nonprofit!

The idea for this nonprofit came from my love for my birthday. My birthday is my favorite day of the year, and it's a day where I feel happy and get to celebrate just being me. Combining that with my passion for working with refugees, I wanted to start something. I believe that every child deserves to feel happiness on their birthday despite going through a difficult time. So I began this nonprofit to hopefully bring children some joy on their special day.

I hope to continue growing this nonprofit so it can reach more people every day!

-Malia Wallace