When Caleb Oh was six, he began looking for volunteer opportunities after he read a biography of primatologist Jane Goodall. Inspired by Goodall and her philanthropic organization, Roots & Shoots, Caleb decided that he, too, wanted to help others. However, there were not any nonprofits that would work with someone his age. Caleb decided to change that narrative. He and his brother, Joshua, gathered neighborhood kids to make bagged lunches for a local homeless shelter. It was then that they launched Kid Changemakers, an organization designed to create volunteer opportunities for kids to serve their communities. 

After realizing how great the need was in their area, Kid Changemakers began communicating with other organizations such as churches, shelters, and schools, to create partnerships and collect and run food and toiletry drives.

Over the last 9 years, Kid Changemakers has raised $85,000 and has volunteered more than 1,000 hours with Helping Hands of America, Sarah’s House, and The Blue Ribbon Project to serve as youth leaders for foster kids in the state of Maryland. The organization also arranged weekly outings for kids to volunteer at local gardens, food pantries, and senior centers. Kid Changemakers has been recognized by Dr. Jane Goodall, Senator Cardin, and Dr. Ben Carson, and Caleb is the national recipient of the Prudential Spirit of Community Award and a scholarship award from Sodexo.

During COVID, Kid Changemakers partnered with local nonprofits and churches to hold pop-up pantries and food distribution events throughout Anne Arundel County. The group also collected laptops for older teens so they could participate online in their Blue Ribbon Project life skills courses during the pandemic. Kid Changemakers exceeded its goal of collecting 20 laptops, bringing 28 laptops to teens in need. The result is that some of the teens are even taking college classes and working jobs from home, said nominator Taylor Pyles, Director of Blue Ribbon Project.

“When they see a need, Kid Changemakers sets their sights on fulfilling that need. It’s very inspiring and gives people a lot of hope with all that’s going on in our world,” said Pyles. “We have teens who volunteer and get involved, but Caleb’s leadership is what stands out. He just steps right up and gets others to join him.”

“I feel that people need to pay attention to Caleb and his organization,” said Pyles. “The takeaway is that anything can be done if you set a goal. Nothing is unsurmountable. Sure, you have to work at it, but I want people, especially youth, to know that when they recognize a problem in their community—no matter what that problem is – that they can make a difference. That’s what Kid Changemakers does.”