Cultivating Health, Community, and Resilience
The mission of the Strong Starts Initiative is to provide a helping hand to young mothers and their children in Massachusetts. We assist young mothers and their children by providing care baskets with essential needs, creating community educational materials, leading volunteering initiatives, and advocating for them in times of need. Overall, our goal is to support the health and well-being of young mothers.
About The Founder
Aleena is a high school student at Longmeadow High School in Massachusetts. She enjoys supporting local community members and making a difference in their lives. She founded the Strong Starts Initiative because she saw firsthand a need to help local mothers in her community. She has wanted to support them in securing the assistance they need to achieve their goals and desires.
In addition to the Strong Starts Initiative, Aleena takes on a wide array of community leadership roles to help advocate for those in need. She is currently the President of her school’s Red Cross Club, Key Club, and STAND Club (Students Against Negative Decisions). Through her work, she has led many community service initiatives. Some examples of her work include fundraisers for Camp Sunshine, a program for children with cancer, and community holiday events for children and parents. Beyond volunteering, she is also a research assistant on social impact and scientific projects. She assisted UMass Amherst professors with an impaired driving research project to help prevent distracted driving in her community.
Aleena strives each day to make an impact on her community and to ensure she can provide the support it needs.