Today we’d like to introduce you to Thrive 4Youth.
Hi Thrive, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
It’s hard to believe that the student sitting next to you might be suffering from hunger simply because they do not have access to food, yet this is the reality for many young residents in the Houston area. Just this past year, HISD reported more than 7,200 food-insecure students—that’s 7,200 empty stomachs. After recognizing this prevalent issue, FBLA members Lekhana Kothuri, Rithvika Kolli, and Afreen Jahingir made it their mission to support these underprivileged children by creating a long-lasting system.
What began as a simple idea quickly grew into Thrive4Youth, a student-led nonprofit dedicated to supporting youth across the Greater Houston area. In the beginning, the founders organized small donation drives and fundraisers while learning how to build an organization from the ground up. Along the way, they faced challenges, setbacks, and countless moments of trial and error. Through those experiences, they realized that lasting impact could not be created alone—it required the support and involvement of the entire community.
This realization shaped Thrive4Youth into an organization centered on community engagement. By partnering with local businesses, schools, nonprofits, and volunteers, Thrive4Youth has expanded its reach through fundraisers, donation drives, meal initiatives, and service projects that directly support children and families in need.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges we faced in the beginning was our age. As high school students, many businesses and organizations were hesitant to partner with us because we lacked experience and credibility. We also had to balance running Thrive4Youth while managing school, extracurriculars, competitions, and our personal lives, which often meant working late nights and weekends to keep everything moving forward.
Another challenge was that Thrive4Youth was not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit when we first started. Without that designation, we were limited in the partnerships we could form, grants we could pursue, and opportunities available to us. Rather than letting those obstacles stop us, we reached out to experienced nonprofit leaders, business owners, and community members to learn from their advice and improve our organization. Those conversations helped us grow as leaders, strengthen Thrive4Youth, and eventually earn our 501(c)(3) status. Looking back, those challenges taught us resilience and showed us that persistence and a willingness to learn can turn setbacks into opportunities.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Thrive4Youth?
Thrive4Youth is a student-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering underserved youth throughout the Greater Houston area. Our mission is simple: **youth helping youth**. We address challenges such as food insecurity, limited educational resources, and lack of access to basic necessities by organizing donation drives, fundraisers, volunteer initiatives, and community partnerships that create lasting impact.
While Thrive4Youth was founded by Lekhana Kothuri, Rithvika Kolli, and Afreen Jahingir, it has grown into a collaborative organization led by a dedicated team of student leaders. Our officer team includes Ray Raparla (Operations Manager), Melissa Ding (Grants Manager), Raj Sarkar (Community Outreach Manager), Sahana Arvind (Volunteer Coordinator), Prabhesh Yerneni (Volunteer Engagement Coordinator), Grace Ban and Shaina Shreeya (Social Media Managers), Dhvani Kundalia (Workshop Coordinator), and Dharmik Shetty (Fundraising Head). Together, our team plans initiatives, builds partnerships, organizes volunteers, and expands our impact throughout the Greater Houston community.
What sets Thrive4Youth apart is our focus on creating sustainable, community-driven solutions rather than one-time acts of service. One initiative we are especially proud of is **Project Serve**, a Buy One, Give One program implemented at **Dos Tacos** in Katy. Thanks to the generosity and vision of owner **Omar Aceves**, every taco purchased results in one taco being donated to someone experiencing food insecurity in our community. By transforming an everyday meal into an opportunity to give back, Project Serve makes it easy for anyone to make a meaningful impact. The program is also available on DoorDash and Uber Eats, allowing even more people to participate. We are incredibly grateful to Omar Aceves and the entire Dos Tacos team for believing in our mission and helping turn this idea into a reality. As Project Serve continues to grow, we are working alongside the Fort Bend Foodies community to expand the program to additional local restaurants, allowing even more businesses to join the movement and help fight food insecurity throughout the Greater Houston area.
Beyond Project Serve, Thrive4Youth leads food, clothing, book, hygiene, and school supply drives, career readiness events, and volunteer opportunities that address the needs of local youth while encouraging others to get involved. Every initiative is designed to bring students, schools, businesses, nonprofits, and community members together because we believe lasting change happens when an entire community works toward the same goal.
Today, Thrive4Youth has engaged over **1,500 volunteers**, supported more than **5,000 Houston residents**, provided over **2,000 meals**, and generated a **monetary impact of more than $42,000** through donations, community initiatives, and outreach efforts. We are especially proud that an organization founded by high school students has grown into a movement that continues to inspire young people to take action in their own communities. More than any statistic, our greatest accomplishment is showing students that age is never a barrier to creating meaningful change.
How do you think about luck?
Luck has definitely played a role in our journey, but only after a lot of persistence. When we first launched Thrive4Youth, we spent months reaching out to local businesses in search of partners who believed in our mission. We called and visited more than **350 businesses**, but most conversations ended the same way—we were told they weren’t interested, asked to send an email that never received a response, or couldn’t even get someone to answer the phone. As high school students, it was often difficult to convince businesses to take a chance on us.
Everything changed when we connected with **Omar Aceves**, the owner of Dos Tacos in Katy. Looking back, that moment felt like a turning point. Omar immediately believed in what we were trying to accomplish and shared our vision of giving back to the community. His own story and passion for serving others closely aligned with our mission, making the partnership feel like a perfect fit. Together, we launched **Project Serve**, a Buy One, Give One initiative where every taco purchased donates a taco to someone experiencing food insecurity. What started as one conversation has grown into one of Thrive4Youth’s signature programs and inspired us to think bigger. Today, we’re building on that success by working with the Fort Bend Foodies community to bring Project Serve to even more local restaurants.
That experience taught us that sometimes all it takes is one person who believes in your vision. We were fortunate to meet Omar, but if we had stopped after the first 50 or even 300 “no’s,” we never would have found that opportunity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thrive4youth.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrive4youth_?igsh=MWVpeWxwNzhleTFsbA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DT3r93977/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thrive4youth/
