Empower Orphans is one of Penn State’s newest addition to its lengthy list of clubs. The organization held its first meeting last Thursday night for all who are interested in helping underprivileged children with education and healthcare through fundraising. The organization began when Neha Gupta, a 19-year-old Penn Stater and winner of an International Peace Prize, began a tradition with her grandparents to celebrate birthdays in orphanages. After her visits, she felt a responsibility to help the children she met.

Gupta strongly believes in “youth helping youth.” This inspired her at the young age of nine to start Empower Orphans, and do everything in her power to help the other young kids. This year, Gupta decided to bring her organization to Penn State, in hopes that the students could help it grow. The organization, now 10 years old, focuses on empathy, opportunity, and equality. So far, it has helped 25,000 kids and has raised $1.7 million for orphans over the years.

“I hope to get more people excited about not only helping locally but also helping overseas and helping kids who don’t have the same opportunities that we have,” Gupta said. “My goal for this club in the future is to make it a self-sustaining organization that has chapters all across the country that are student-led.”

During the meeting, the team educated newcomers about poverty in our nation, emphasizing that 15 percent of people in America live under the poverty line, including 20 percent of people in Centre County alone.

The Big Ten Network was present at the initial meeting, filming for a promotional video to show just how philanthropic Penn State is. Empower Orphans has a mission that speaks to the heart. For anyone who is new to the Penn State family and is still searching for a club to join, Empower Orphans is a great way to get involved and also make a positive difference worldwide.