Meet Augustus Holm, Founder and Chairman of “California’s largest kid-run non-profit,” the Youth Philanthropy Council (YPC). Officially established in 2019, YPC is the brainchild of a group of young friends, including Coronado resident and Board Member Emilio Perez, with a desire to help other children and teenagers in San Diego. Raising over $3 million in cash and shoe donations since its inception, YPC has transformed the landscape of thinking that age creates a barrier “to philanthropy or making a significant impact.”
Holm was in elementary school when he and his classmates were first exposed to San Ysidro Health, a “non-profit organization committed to providing high quality, compassionate, accessible and affordable health care services for the entire family.” After learning that “children in San Ysidro live 10 years less than those in more affluent communities in San Diego,” Holm was inspired to act. He began to sell yearbooks to support their health clinic, a simple step that snowballed into what it’s become.
Sensing that Holm and his cohorts like Perez were ready to embark into more serious efforts, Holm’s mother stepped in to help “register Youth Philanthropy Council as a 501(c)(3), guide us on how to fundraise and give back, and teach us how to be solutions-oriented.” In the five years since then, their accomplishments thus far read like a laundry list and continue to evolve organically. Beyond its $3 million valuation, YPC has built a school in Kenya. They also host an annual event called Saint Nick’s Kicks which has delivered over 18,000 donated shoes; this year, the event will break the world record for the most amount of shoes donated in 24 hours — and require a venue larger than the Toyota of El Cajon where it was previously held. This August, they raised $120,000 for San Ysidro Health at their Emerald Ball and hosted the YPC Car Sweepstakes to benefit Pediatric Health Services. Participants were offered “a chance to win a pre-loved 2019 Honda Civic generously donated by Honda of El Cajon.” And soon, YPC will be launching a social innovation competition called Nexus. Young entrepreneurs who qualify will gain access to an app and resources they might not otherwise have, and the 1st place winner will be “eligible to win up to $10,000 in cash and prizes.”
With such ambitious projects on the horizon, it’s integral for YPC to remain focused on their “why” as they continue to expand into Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Massachusetts. As Holm puts it: “Our core mission is all about kids helping kids. No matter your age or background, we should all use the power of our voices to make a difference in our communities. We say we’re ‘naive to think we can do anything, but ambitious enough to believe we will.’
“A lot of adults view youths as inexperienced and risky to take chances on, but as we continue to prove we can do what others consider impossible, we’ve been able to build a reputation on trust. We’re getting past the mentality of: ‘You’re young, why even try?’ When people see we’re able to do all of these things, they want to be able to support us and want their kids to get involved. We’re affecting real lives and real people, and it’s amazing.”
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