Barbara Goleman’s (BGHS) very own Gabriella Mestre created an organization to alleviate the homelessness issue in Miami-Dade by encouraging local teenagers to get involved and do more volunteer work, aptly named Teens Against Homelessness.
According to Mestre, “Miami has a high standard of living and is flourishing economically. However, more than 1,000 people are on the streets. No one chooses to be homeless. This issue isn’t being addressed sufficiently and I want to change that.”
Mestre and other teens often get together and volunteer at the Camillus House and other nonprofits. Although a lot of these centers don’t allow anyone below the age of 18 to volunteer, she persisted. She was able to get permission from these organizations to go in and volunteer with groups of teenagers younger than 18.
Besides volunteering with several organizations, Mestre has started collection drives on behalf of Teens Against Homelessness for clothes, food, and hygiene items at two schools. She has collected over 2,000 items and has donated it all to the Camillus House.
Mestre has even bigger goals for her organization. Some aspirations include increasing community participation by creating her Teens Against Homelessness club at BGHS and helping the homeless acquire jobs by creating a GED program to meet necessary educational requirements.
Mestre is providing the homeless with the support they never got through her organization. She is changing the world and helping anyone in need. She is among those in the younger generation to create a positive impact on society and she is just getting started.