Living in a community defined by its abundance, sophomore Ryalee Multani and her brother, senior Ishaan Multani, founded Impact Circle, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bridging the resource gap between Irvine and underserved communities, whether local or international.
The idea behind Impact Circle was one rooted in giving back to marginalized populations and addressing the disparities in wealth and opportunities, according to Ishaan Multani. By acknowledging their own advantages, the Multani siblings sought to transform their awareness into a tangible support system.
“Growing up in Irvine, it’s a really privileged area, and I’m really privileged to have everything I do have, but in a lot of places, people don’t have that,” Ryalee Multani said. “Since I am in a privileged place, and since I have resources, I thought why not use the resources I have to give back to other people so people could have more?”
Starting a brand new organization is not easy, and Impact Circle was no exception. The process included setting up a bank account, social media and GoFundMe, along with the added challenge of attracting a large enough group of participants for projects, according to Ryalee Multani.
“I feel like to actually build your nonprofit, you need people to come to your events so you can raise the money and so people volunteer,” Ryalee Multani said. “I just overcame this by being patient. Honestly, I’m still overcoming it because our nonprofit is very new, but I’m just being patient and trusting the process and hoping that in time our nonprofit will grow and we can really make an impact.”
Since launching in January, Impact Circle has led multiple projects to raise money for rotating charitable causes and hopes to reach a goal of raising $10,000 overall. In April, Impact Circle’s first large-scale event successfully raised $500 for the Orange County Rescue Mission, according to Ryalee Multani. Held at Woodbury Town Center, adults and children alike helped decorate and make care bags for the homeless, according to Portola High Impact Circle coordinator and sophomore Alivia Bonoan.
“It was really exciting to see all the little kids come out because I know little kids can be shy, and I’m definitely not super open myself,” Bonoan said. “But just seeing them made me feel really good, and seeing them get involved so early on just really made me happy.”
Building on the momentum from the April event, the organization will host its next event on May 24 at Great Park. Currently, plans involve featuring booths with activities such as face painting and selling baked goods to raise money for Room to Read, a nonprofit organization that works to improve literacy rates and gender equality in education around the world. Additionally, plans involve expanding Impact Circle’s reach beyond high school, according to Ishaan Multani.
“I’m not a college student right now, but when I do go to college, I do plan on setting up a chapter there,” Ishaan Multani said. “I think that would be really good, because we’re expanding our reach and involving more people and getting help [for others in need].”
