How did Movies with a Mission start?
Barrett, the other co-founder, is one of my best friends. We’ve been friends our whole lives, and our moms have always been super close. They’ve always been a part of Children’s Health. Around the time we started it, I got TikTok for the first time, and I wasn’t used to seeing all these videos of people’s perspectives on mental health and how bad it can be at such a young age. I would show my mom, and she was like, “You can talk to people at Children’s hospital and talk about what causes anxiety, what causes depression, what these kids are going through in the hospital.” So, I met with a girl named Holly at Children’s Health, and that was a moment where I was like, “I want to start a nonprofit for these kids in the hospital.” I realized how much I loved working with kids, and I wanted to use that to my full advantage.
How has the organization changed since you started it?
We’ve partnered with AMC all four years, but before, we couldn’t really get the biggest theater in AMC. It was super small, not a huge crowd. We weren’t really sure on decorations. There was no organization at all. But last year was our biggest year. In the fall, we had a screening of Wicked as our biggest event, and I was so happy. There were so many people. We had a DJ, and we rented out the biggest theater in AMC NorthPark.The growth of it was awesome to me. We really became a lot more responsible and took it more serious every year. I’m just so much closer with the kids, so it makes it even more fun for me to host these events. It makes me super happy.
What made you guys want to start Smile Cinema?
Barrett and I do a volunteer program every year at Children’s Health. I was like, “I see these kids so much, but I’ve never actually had a film screening for them,” because they’re not allowed to leave the hospital. Maybe a few are, but I don’t want to do that if not all of them can. So once we had a meeting, I was telling everyone that they couldn’t come to us, so we should come to them. So we went to them in the hospital, and we screened Lilo & Stitch. We had pizza, we had non-salted, non-buttered popcorn. They were super happy, and they also all got a chance to connect in a way, too.
Is there a moment with Movies with a Mission that stands out to you as particularly rewarding?
The screening of Wicked last year. Seeing all those people, like even the kids I babysit, and just the people I wouldn’t expect. My dance instructors and all my friends came to support me. I think just all the support really overall made me super happy. Another time was with Smile Cinema. Seeing the kids talk to me and thank me made me super emotional.
You and Barrett are both seniors this year. What does the future of Movies with a Mission/Smile Cinema look like?
I still want to pursue Movies with a Mission in college because I don’t think it would necessarily be too hard if I ended up in the area. If I ended up further away, it might be a little more difficult. But what I’m hoping to do is do Movies with a Mission in different locations. If I do that in college and end up not having the time anymore, I would love to pass it down to a member that has always been super loyal to the charity, been to every ambassador meeting.
What have you learned through this process?
I just learned that I love to be a leader. I feel like when I was younger, I would hold back from speaking up for myself. I knew it was always the right thing to help others out, but I would never really think about it in depth. I think just knowing how great of a leader I can become and how much I really do love helping people and doing good deeds. This charity has really helped me also become closer with God. I think now I’ve been thanking God every day for this charity and what it’s brought me.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.