I make time for this work because I have seen how something small can change how a person feels in a moment when they are struggling.

Origami for Good started with a simple idea: folding paper with kind messages and giving them to people who might feel overlooked, such as patients in hospitals, seniors in care centers, and kids in shelters. What we quickly realized is that these pieces of paper were not just decorations. They became conversation starters, reminders that someone took time to think about them, and proof that they were not invisible.

I am inspired by the people we serve and by the volunteers who keep showing up. I have watched a senior keep an origami crane by their bedside for weeks. I have heard from parents whose kids reread the handwritten notes when they feel anxious. Those moments gave me clarity that service does not have to be grand to matter. It just has to be human.

The challenge we are addressing is not only loneliness or mental health in isolation. It is disconnection. In a fast, digital world, people are craving something tangible and personal. Folding origami forces you to slow down, be intentional, and create something with your hands for someone else. That process has changed me too. It has taught me patience, empathy, and the power of consistency.

Being American, to me, means carrying forward a history shaped not only by laws and leaders, but by ordinary people who stepped up for one another. From community organizers to volunteers who filled gaps where help was needed, progress has often come from individuals choosing responsibility over indifference. This work reminds me that that tradition continues today. Change does not always arrive through sweeping moments. It is built through small, deliberate acts of kindness that, over time, strengthen communities and move the country forward.