On July 23rd, 2023, 2022 C4K Winner Sriya Tallapragada, 2023 C4K Winner Benjamin Barkoff, and Riley’s Way Co-Founder Ian Sandler were featured on Good Morning America (GMA), discussing their inspiring work and why Riley’s Way Foundation is so unique. Watch the fantastic GMA clip below, or at this link.

Ian and Mackenzie Sandler founded Riley’s Way Foundation in 2014 in memory of their daughter Riley Hannah Sandler and how she led her life full of kindness and connection-making. Ian beautifully expresses, “Riley was a magical young girl, and she was going to make a huge impact on this world. And we were not prepared to let her light go out.”

Riley’s Way has worked with over 3,000 young people and provided over $2 million in grants and programming. Riley’s Way works with emerging leaders, ages 13-22, who are leading social impact projects – all through the lens of kindness, empathy, and human connection. Learn more about Riley’s Way’s mission and values.

Sriya Tallapragada is the founder of GirlsWhoSTEAM, an organization dedicated to empowering women and girls in STEM through free events and workshops. Sriya was a 2022 Call For Kindness (C4K) winner and is a 2023 Continuation Grant recipient.

“Being a Fellowship winner for Riley’s Way has in many ways validated the work that I’ve been doing through GirlsWhoSTEAM,” says Sriya. “GirlsWhoSTEAM has various different types of programs that we hope can connect with younger girls in various different types of underrepresented fields.”

Benjamin Barkoff is a 2023 Call For Kindness winner and the founder of Whiskey Bravo, an organization that seeks to improve the lives of those in the US military and their families while teaching youth about service and leadership.

“Whiskey Bravo’s goal is to raise student awareness of the sacrifice made by less than 1% of our country to serve in our volunteer military. We strive to educate and create young leaders by empowering them to develop their own service projects in their communities.”

“We believe we have the future leaders of our world at Riley’s Way,” says Ian. “If leadership turns into kind leadership, we believe that the future is going to be a much better place.”

We could not be more proud of our young changemakers who work tirelessly every day to transform our world, one community at a time. And thank you, Ian and Mackenzie, who continue to lead with incredible courage, providing us with the vision, tools, and resources to create an indelible youth-led movement built on kindness, empathy, and an inclusive community.

Learn more about the Call For Kindness and check out all our C4K Fellows.