ORLANDO, Fla. – Maddy Lee Ann, 17, and Athena Choudhry, 15, have a mission this holiday season. They are hoping to get as many donations for this year’s Salvation Army Angel Tree Program.
And they are doing it with the help of social media.
“We have used our platforms to reach a lot of people and volunteering this way, it’s not like you have to go somewhere, you can live at your house and reach a lot of people,” Maddy said.
[TRENDING: Now that Florida police have new guidelines, are they applying them? | Central Florida man to surprise 13 families in need this holiday season | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]
Reaching people, especially the younger generation, is what they’re doing by posting on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
One of the most popular posts was an 11-second video with Captain Ken Chapman doing a TikTok dance in an effort to Get Results.
“People usually have a positive reaction because what I do is positive. I’m giving back to the community. I’m only 15 but I want to be so engaged in my community,” Athena said.
The teens are actually two out of 22 social media influencers volunteering with the Salvation Army’s Osceola Hope Take Over program.
Their goal is to reach $200,000 to help Central Florida families in need this Christmas.
So far, they’ve reached $12,000 just by spreading a positive message to the next generation of donors.
“This is our community and we want to better our community and reach people,” Maddy explained.
“It’s important to give back because at the end of the day, we are all one. We want to make sure everyone has the bare necessities,” Athena said.
You can find out how to help the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program on our website.