Ella Ostlund and her sister co-founded Super Service Kids (SSK) in September of 2014 when they were in the 4th and 5th grades. Motivated by their parents’ involvement in community service, they wanted to do something for others. SSK is a youth-led service organization that partners with nonprofits to help children. They recruited kids from their neighborhood and school to meet at their home on a monthly basis to identify and work with nonprofits that are local, national and international. Those involved in SSK have ranged in age from 6 to 18.
SSK has worked with the Sole Hope organization to cut old denim and upcycle plastics to be used to make shoes for children in Uganda to protect their feet from parasites. They’ve worked with the Embry Rucker Shelter in Reston to prepare bagged meals for residents and collect supplies like diapers and toiletries. These supplies support young children and families living in the shelter. In addition, SSK has collected new and gently used stuffed animals and shipped them to Project Smile, an organization that provides emergency responders with stuffed animals they can give to children as an immediate comfort item during emergencies like a house fire or car accidents. And they’ve worked with Cards for Hospitalized Kids to send joyful and encouraging messages to children who are gravely ill in long-term hospitalization settings.
“My sister, mother and I search for child- and family-focused nonprofits that SSK can help,” said Ella. “And the other members of SSK help also. In 2014, SSK was just 14 elementary aged kids who wanted to help other kids, but over the past nine years, dozens of children and teenagers have participated in dozens of SSK projects. Although many original members have graduated and moved away, nine core members still organize service projects for youth committed to helping local, national and international service organizations. My hope is that everyone’s SSK experiences inspire them to continue engaging in service after high school.”
SSK has also been involved in seasonal projects like creating Thanksgiving baskets in partnership with Facets, organizing school supply drives, and collecting coats, hats and gloves for hypothermia prevention initiatives.
“Even though the height of the pandemic put a hiccup in what SSK was doing, we were still able to fundraise for projects like UNICEF’s WASH programs to provide safe water to children around the world,” Ella said.
In addition to her work with SSK, Ella has been involved in advocacy and fundraising for women’s rights issues and in protests to encourage sensible gun laws.
“I think it’s important for me to inspire others to help people,” Ella said. “And it’s important for youth to know that they can contribute to changes that help improve people’s lives. Everyone can offer something because there’s no action that’s too small to help.”