Keshia co-founded The Little Angels Club, whose members are young boys and girls helping to teach their peers about bicycle safety.

What kind of philanthropic or volunteer work did/do you do?

Keisha: Our mission of the organization is to increase awareness of children's health and safety within the community, to provide programs that deal with issues with children (peer pressure, bullying, etc.) and to enhance self-esteem and morals in its members. For the past two years, our club has given more attention to child safety. Most of the club members are teen girls, and it is so impressive how they are willing to help others and have fun with it! To date, our club has given 372 bicycle helmets and 200 booster seats to needy kids.

What is the name and location of the organization?

Keisha: The Little Angels Club, located in Humboldt, TN. We serve Gibson County and surrounding West Tennessee counties.

Tell us about the project, especially who benefited from this work.

Keisha: For the past two years, we have hosted a Community Bicycle Rodeo to increase bicycle safety awareness in the community. This project was very necessary since not many programs of this kind are offered in our area due to the population.

What inspired you to get involved?

Keisha: My daughter, Kiara, was my inspiration for forming The Little Angels Club.

How did you first get involved? Give us some details.

Keisha: We had just moved to Humboldt, and she was trying to make friends in kindergarten. One little girl told her she could not play with her because Kiara did not belong to her "club". So we started out with homemade T-shirts, a newsletter and candy treats sent to kids who joined the club. Now we have guest speakers, regular meetings and are doing what we can to help our community and those in need.

What is/was the best thing about your experience?

Keisha: There is no greater feeling than to see a child smile because of our projects. Parents thank us and appreciate us for what we do and THAT keeps us going! To see young ladies helping the community warms my heart. It's one of the greatest feelings in the world!

What is/was the hardest part?

Keisha: Getting donations for our projects. It's like you have to constantly prove that what we do is very important to the community.

What was the biggest surprise?

Keisha: Seeing young people getting involved with helping others.

What new things have you learned as a result of your experience and how have you changed as a result?

Keisha: I have learned how important our projects are to children. Instead of saying, "Someone needs to do that," we are saying, "WE are going to try and do something about that." My love of working with kids grows stronger each year.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of getting involved in philanthropy or volunteering?

Keisha: There are so many important projects that affect the community. Whether it's for the young, old, disabled, etc., your actions can make a big difference in someone's life. If you reach just one person, that makes it all worthwhile.