[img]2802|right|||no_popup[/img]Niko Vlahakis, who shares his giving spirit with the homeless, recently was named an ABC7 Cool Kid.
“They think they're alone,” said the Culver City High School student.
“I would like those people to feel like there are people who care and people who would love to see them get back on their feet and want to see them succeed.”
For years, Mr. Vlahakis and his family have been volunteering with the organization, The Giving Spirit. Among other activities, they help assemble and distribute survival kits for the homeless.
“I like doing it,” Mr. Vlahakis said. “I’ve been doing it for multiple years.
“I wanted to get a little more involved in it, because I felt I could be doing more.”
To do more, Mr. Vlahakis started the Giving Spirit Club at Culver High.
“I got a bunch of my friends together, and some people I didn't know,” he said.
“I roped all my friends into it. My sister brought a lot of hers. It’s got something like 20, 25 people in it now.”
Mr. Vlahakis has been doing this since he was 8 years old. Now he wants to share with his friends what he has been feeling all these years.
“It’s that feeling every time that you’re helping others, that you’re making them realize there’s someone looking out for them,” Mr. Vlahakis said.
Cool Kid Vlahakis truly knows the spirit of giving, and he is making sure to share that with many more. As part of the honor, he received $500 from ABC7 and Sylvan Learning Center.
To watch the ABC7 video about Mr. Vlahakis online, see http://abc7.com/education/cool-kid-niko-vlahakis-reaches-out-to-the-homeless/486960/
Mr. Maleman may be contacted at gmaleman@aol.com
