I like to think of these as parties with a purpose. Every time I’m hosting anything, whether it’s a full-blown fiesta or just a casual Sunday afternoon get-together, I always ask myself: How can I make the experience meaningful for my guests and beneficial for others? This started for me in middle school when I stopped asking for birthday presents and instead for donations to causes that were important to me. My family adopted the habit for our holiday parties, too; we asked for canned foods to donate to a food bank and outgrown sweaters to give to a shelter. I was so inspired by the success of these events that I decided to start a nonprofit to provide other young people with the tools they need to throw their own PhilanthroParties. I even wrote a PhilanthroParty-planning book, which was published on May 9. Adding a simple element of action to social events is incredibly easy to do, and I can’t tell you what a difference it has made in my life.