LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — May is not only Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, but it's also National Foster Care Month.
A nonprofit founded and run by AAPI high schoolers is working to improve the lives of foster kids in Clark County.
Clark High School senior Armaan Parikh founded the nonprofit, AIQ — or Armed with IQ — Foundation, in early 2021. The organization is all about helping foster children, and it's entirely run by high schoolers; youth helping youth.
Parikh became passionate about the foster care crisis a few years ago when he and his parents did some spring cleaning and brought their donations to Peggy's Attic. It's the donation center for the Clark County Department of Family Services.
"We didn't really know much about it. But we came here, we talked to the donation coordinator who was here, and she really shed a light on the issue that foster care really is, and how much it really needs more attention," Parikh said.
That's when Parikh decided he could do more for the nearly 3,000 kids in foster care in Clark County.
"So we went around and collected 800 suitcases for foster care and we brought them here, and from there, we kept on going. So we did suitcases, we did shoes, we started a tutoring program, and recently we started an internship program, trying to connect students to different businesses in the community and help them step into the workforce," Parikh said.
Parikh said the tutoring program is his favorite initiative at the AIQ Foundation.
"Just because it's the most intimate thing that we do. Once a week, we do 10 tutors and 10 tutees, so 10 foster children that we tutor," he said. "Whether we're doing math, we're doing reading, or we're just talking about life, it's something that is really, really impactful, being able to share that kind of connection."
He even recruited some of his friends to join the foundation, like sophomore Karen Wu, who currently serves as the director of fundraising.
"It was really the first tutoring session I attended that left the biggest impact on me. I tutored a girl, 7th grade, who was absolutely awe-inspiring," Wu said. "She was so passionate about learning. I remember sitting down with her and she was like, 'What are we learning today?' And seeing that, it made me realize, however cliche it sounds, we take a lot of things for granted."
This fall, Parikh is heading off to college in Tennessee. But that doesn't mean the end of the AIQ Foundation; in fact, they've barely scratched the surface of what Parikh wants to achieve. He plans to start a chapter of the foundation in his college town. His goal is to expand the nonprofit and form chapters all over the country. There's already a chapter in Michigan now, too.
"Being able to do a teens-for-teens organization is something that is kind of very integral to the way we started and the way we're going to continue to grow, as well," Parikh said.
As for the founding chapter of the AIQ Foundation here in Clark County, Parikh certainly hasn't forgotten about that. He's passing the torch to Karen Wu, who will lead the organization once Parikh graduates. She already has big plans for it, including expanding their services to help foster kids not just now, but also after they age out of the system.
"It's definitely something that needs more attention because our children are our future and people need to start fully realizing that and acting on it," Wu said.
Parikh said the idea is for the AIQ Foundation to live on through students, generation after generation, continuing the model of youth helping youth.
"You definitely do not need to be a full-grown adult to make an impact. You can really make an impact as long as you take that step, you can do some sort of positive change," Parikh said.
If you're interested in becoming a foster parent in Clark County, visit the Family Services website.
