Simone Bernstein is a trendsetting young woman with a flair for the altruistic. At the age of twelve, she began volunteering at her local library. Then it was the V.A. Hospital. Before long, she was serving the Children’s Museum and a Crisis Nursery Center. Her passion for volunteering exposed what she believed was a missing link between young volunteers and the causes which need them. The solution, she felt, was an online meeting place. A digital portal where organizations could advertise their needs to a growing population of teen volunteers.

Without any prior experience, she soon found herself acting as President, C.E.O., and Webmaster of StLouisVolunteen.com. Simone was recently referred to MpoweredParnet.com as a Hometown Hero, and it’s easy to see why. “I created StLouisVolunteen.com in July 2009,” she told us, “I wanted to provide a one-stop search site to promote youth volunteerism in our metropolitan area.” She started by meeting with various nonprofit organizations and museum directors, seeking to find ways that youth volunteers could be integrated.

“Once a student enters middle school and even high school, summer opportunities are tough to find. Middle school students are too young to apply for summer employment. Day camps and even school summer programs, as well as employment for this age group are limited. The website helps students easily find updated contact information, requirements and opportunities, and even submit applications on-line directly to local area volunteer agencies.” -Simone Berstein

Simone regularly visits inner-city high schools, churches and community centers to promote volunteerism. She says that she is particularly concerned about the at-risk youth groups, and their diminished access to support networks. She has also created interfaith projects, where youth groups from different religions collaborate on benevolent projects, such as sending care packages to U.S. troops deployed overseas.

There are currently about 45 organizations represented on her site. Simone says that she gets about 800 visitors a month, and that her efforts have helped fill about 1,500 volunteer positions since 2009. But she hasn’t stopped there. Simone recently hosted the first annual Youth and Family Volunteer Fair. Attended by over 500 teens and family members, the event was considered a huge success. An encore event has already been scheduled for April 10, 2011.

Bernstein and her teenage brother are the only full-time officers for the organization. They began work with a limited budget, built by Simone’s part-time babysitting income. The initial marketing blitz was aided by local school districts, who linked to her site from their parent/student portals. Local media outlets helped as well, adding their free publicity to the mix. A small group of volunteers from local high schools help out with the marketing of the service. They recently started a twitter account @stlvolunteen, where short-term volunteer openings are advertised.

Currently a freshman at St. Bonaventure University in Olean, NY, Simone says it’s too early to tell if her efforts will someday turn into a career. As she now looks to grow her efforts into a national entity, the obstacles of funding, technical expertise and marketing loom big on the horizon. Proving the adage, “There’s nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer,” Simone says that she looks to the difference that she’s making, as motivation to push onward. Having received poignant emails from young volunteers that have benefited though her site, Simone claims that if just one of them had been helped, she would have considered the site a success.

The site is a success Simone, and so are you. Godspeed in your future endeavors. MpoweredParent is proud to name you as our October 2010 Hometown Hero! Send Simone a question or comment below. You can also contact her directly by emailing simone@stlouisvolunteen.com.

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