Almost 15 children are in the Flagstaff Family Food Center’s reading room on a Wednesday night. Hannah and Maia Mahanti, twin sisters and juniors at BASIS High School, both encourage kids like six-year-old Levi to pick out a book and read it with them. Afterward, Levi gets a sticker and chooses a prize.
“They’re safe here in this area. I’d rather have them here than out on the streets,” said Levi’s grandmother, Annette Bobadilla. “I want them to learn respect, love and how to play nice with other kids. They have fun. It’s helped a lot with Levi at school.”
Hannah and Maia are both founding members of Girls 4 Good, a group of young women ranging from 7th through 11th grade who do service work for local Flagstaff charities, including Flagstaff Family Food Center. Four years ago, the core group got started by their mother, Joy Mahanti, and her friends.
“It was a way to keep these girls connected but an amazing way to do good for the community – pay it forward and helping at your own back door,” said Mahanti. “It always put a smile on our faces.”
“We decided to start a charity league and we’ve stuck together ever since,” said Hannah. Although created by the mothers, the high school girls now manage it and have almost 20 members. Ellie Hammond, a junior at Flagstaff High School, and Hannah often take the lead in organizing events, but they emphasize the group effort involved.
“Even at different schools, Girls 4 Good keeps us connected,” said Hammond.
The groups has had many volunteering highlights, include making close to 500 sandwiches one morning at Flagstaff Family Food Center, cleaning gardens at the Taylor House, cheering on athletes for Special Olympics and adopting and cleaning up trash on the urban trail in front of Sechrist School. They also help host Halloween and Christmas events at the Flagstaff Family Food Center. Many of the girls cited the Special Olympics and the holiday events as their favorite memories.
“It’s very rewarding to see kids smile about something you might not think is a big deal, like costumes on Halloween. When they get them, it’s amazing. They get so happy,” said Maia. “I’m fortunate for what I have, for having it easier.”
This year, Girls 4 Good is planning the Halloween event for Flagstaff Family Food Center. The girls hope to receive 500 costumes for children two to 12 years old.
“The children just love Halloween. It’s a chance for them to escape reality. They can be whoever they want to be on that day,” said Hannah Brand, children’s literacy and volunteer coordinator at the Flagstaff Family Food Center.
Girls 4 Good collectively volunteered more than a 100 hours last year. They work from August through June, with a month-long break in July.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with them on a lot of our literacy projects because I know I can depend on them and they’re going to be there,” said Brand.
“Now that we’re older, and 16, we want to hang out with friends. We’re doing that, but we’re also helping the community,” explained Abigail Downs, a junior at Northland Prep Academy.
The girls have found the experience to be rewarding in many ways. They say it has helped them with communication skills, taught them to interact with people from diverse backgrounds and encouraged them to step outside their comfort zones.
“It’s gotten me more involved and more aware of my community and the needs close to home,” said Bryce Patten, a junior at Flagstaff High School.
“It can take a lot of stress away. When you’re helping someone, it can feel so good,” said Claire Cashmore, a junior at Flagstaff High School. “It’s almost like going on a run, another way to feel better about yourself, and you’re also helping other people to feel better too, so why not hit two birds with one stone?”
As they get ready for college in two years, they hope to remember the importance of setting aside time for those in need.
“My goals are that every time I see some an opportunity, it should be my instinct to go help, to give,” said Leah Almquist, a junior from Northern Prep Academy.
Joy Mahanti, married to Dr. Robert Mahanti, an ophthalmologist at The Eye & Laser Center, says helping the community is not only a family value but a business value as well.
“It’s always important to give back,” she said. “When you run your own business, you rely on people to support you and it’s a very simple way to give back and appreciate all the people who support us.”
Community members can donate to the Flagstaff Family Food Center Halloween costume drive at The Eye & Laser Center, 900 N. San Francisco St. in Flagstaff. Girls 4 Good is also looking for new recruits to join them. For more information, contact Girls 4 Good at Girls4GoodFlagstaff@gmail.com, or like the Facebook page at Girls 4 Good Flagstaff. FBN
Girls 4 Good members say it feels good to help others. Pictured from left to right are:
Danielle Shanahan, Hannah Mahanti, Bryce Patten, Lauryn Ramos, Tala Faukhory, Danna Du and Ana Nicol in the front row; and Claire Cashmore, Maia Mahanti, Leah Almquist, Abigail Downs, Ellie Hammond and Sydney Dahl in the back row.
Story and Photo by Elizabeth Hellstern