National Philanthropy Day® Spotlight: Brooklyn Stewart

Brooklyn Stewart, 2021 Spirit of Philanthropy – Youth Award, AFP Greater Kansas City Chapter

Even as an eighth grader, Brooklyn Stewart has already touched the lives of hundreds of children in our community. Over the course of the past seven summers, the Kansas City, Mo., resident has supplied stuffed backpacks for Kansas City children going back to school. Each year, Brooklyn organizes a donation and school supply drive, making the necessary arrangements to fill and deliver backpacks to Salvation Army Corps Community Centers for families in need to pick up. She averages about 200 filled backpacks each summer and, to date, her efforts have benefited upwards of 1,400 children in the metro area. 

Brooklyn also commits her weekends in July and August to reaching out to family, neighbors and local businesses to encourage them to donate to her school supply drive. To publicize the backpack drive, she has appeared on multiple news shows to bring awareness to her and The Salvation Army’s Children Shelter’s mission. In her most recent radio interview, her message included inspiration to other children to find a cause they want to support and to find a way to help. 

Through Brooklyn’s empathy and determination, she is creating a philanthropic ripple effect in her community that will pay dividends for years to come. Because of all that she’s accomplished and her dedication to giving back, she is being recognized by the AFP Greater Kansas City Chapter with the 2021 Spirit of Philanthropy award. 

The AFP Greater Kansas City Chapter will celebrate National Philanthropy Day on Thursday, Nov. 11. Learn more about the event here.