Local Nonprofit Helping Pediatric Patients Worldwide

My name is Suma Gadde, and I am an incoming senior at Hillsborough High School. At the beginning of 2024 I started a nonprofit called Create for Kids (CFK).
I started advocating for the idea of bringing art supplies to pediatric patients, talking to my friends and going from school to school to discuss the mission. Slowly, we began volunteering and creating cards, going to various hospitals, dropping off donations and interacting with different kids. CFK was stagnant for quite some time, with very few people participating in the first couple of months. However, during the summer, we began posting on social media, and many more people wanted to become involved in the mission after seeing the impact we had on children in the Tampa Bay community. Over time, Create for Kids grew to what it is today.

Create for Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting creativity and inspiring children in hospital settings through cards, and craft kits. Thus far, we have donated to over 15,000 pediatric patients in hospitals, and our goal in doing so is to foster imagination and creativity. We also hand-deliver care packages to kids with cancer and take them out for the day: whether shopping trips or taking them for ice cream in the park, each trip is a memory filled with hope for those kids. I hope to encourage the kids we donate to to continue pursuing their dreams and to fight their illness from holding them back.
One of the biggest fundraisers we conducted was a 5k charity run to raise money for the Moffitt Cancer Center. Through this event, I developed my event planning and public speaking skills. I went out of my comfort zone to promote the event: I passed out fliers at gyms, parks, small businesses and amusement parks. I communicated with many more people than I usually do, which prompted me to step outside of my bubble to talk about an issue I care about. The event proved successful, as we raised $5,000 for the cancer research facility and attracted over 100 participants.

In less than a year, Create for Kids has grown to host 175+ chapters, from Singapore to England. By creating art and bringing this mission to six continents across the globe, I have impacted kids in places I never would have imagined. One of my favorite things about our mission is the ability to meet and talk to people across the world: UAE, Kenya, Chile, Brazil, Norway, Mongolia, Turkey, and more.

Today, we have over 10,000 volunteers making cards and kits and have reached over 5 million people on our social media with 30k+ followers on Instagram. Volunteers from across the world and of all ages come together to support this mission and create art. One of our most recent international card volunteers is from France, and she’s only six years old. It is inspiring to have a platform where people of all ages feel welcome to donate and make an impact.

To continue growing our mission, I attend conferences, appear on podcasts, and sit in on monthly board meetings to bring more awareness to pediatric patients and the impact life in the hospital can have on young children. CFK has been featured in the local magazine “Tierra Verde Stroll” and across numerous social media platforms. On a day-to-day basis I communicate with the board to ensure all aspects of the mission is being met (Instagram posts, volunteer questions, website accessibility); I coordinate volunteer opportunities and brainstorm ways to be creative with the crafts CFK chooses to host for events; I also manage our chapters we have and contact each one to host monthly meetings, ensuring that every community leader is on track.

Create for Kids is more than a place to donate to or help kids in need. It is a place where people from all over the world can come together for one common goal. It is a place to meet new people and cherish new experiences. It is a place that our community can always rely on to be a part of a bigger goal.

We would love to be able to share our story more locally through Tampa Bay Times. We feel strongly that our story will move many at home to volunteer and bring new readers to the story. We love the work Tampa Bay Times endorses and would be proud to have the opportunity to be featured.