On Nov. 9, Carlsbad’s Kids For Peace global organization put on their first Friends Helping Friends event, a service festival at Sage Creek High School, to showcase all the non-profit organizations the community has to offer.

“There are lots of different organizations around Carlsbad that many people don’t know about, so this is a cool way to get them all in one place and show people what they have to offer,” junior Hana Craft said.

The Friends Helping Friends event offered many different outlets where members of the community could reach out and support those in need.

“The Aqua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation is making people pledge to conserve water, in doing so they’re putting their thumbprint on a piece of paper that is going to be put together to create an entire mural of a tree,” senior Grady McDermott said. “We are creating dirt clogs full of poppy seeds for the fire burnt areas of Carlsbad as well.”

Kids For Peace offers internships to high school students, which entails a long list of commitments and duties.

“The internship is pretty diverse, some days I’ll be making posters for events, and other days I can be giving speeches at city council,” McDermott said. “So it really requires a large amount of commitment.”

Although being a high school student may seem limiting on their role in the organization, there is a broad spectrum of involvement that one can have in the group.

“Basically how much you put into non-profit is how much you get out,” McDermott said. “I put a lot of effort into this and ended up becoming the president of the World Kindness Movement, so I got to travel with them to Australia and speak at parliament.”

As this organization offers student involvement, Kids For Peace may make an appearance on campus next year.

“Many Carlsbad High School students are involved with Kids For Peace, so we are considering for next year making it into a club,” McDermott said.

Overall, Kids For Peace shares a positive message that they look to spread deeply throughout the community.

“Kids For Peace works to support and empower children, to bring peace in their lives, schools, communities, and ultimately the world,” Craft said.