Khloe Thompson uses her powers as an activator to help women experiencing homelessness with Khloe Kares. Let’s learn how we can look for and respond to needs in our communities.
Khloe Thompson uses her powers as an activator to help women experiencing homelessness with Khloe Kares. Let’s learn how we can look for and respond to needs in our communities.
You can write to us at listen at listen@akidspodcastabout.com. Check out our other podcasts made for kids just like you by visiting akidsco.com.
You can find out more about Khloe Kares by visiting www.khloekares.com!
The Activators
S1 EP02, Khloe Thompson and Khloe Kares
[INTRODUCTION]
Leo: Welcome to The Activators! A Kids Podcast About Activism. I’m your host, Leo Abelo Perry!
On this podcast, we want to celebrate and amplify kids who are activating social change by doing what they love to spread more love. Social change means providing opportunities for people and communities to recognize what’s wrong and do something about it, for the betterment of humanity.
And on today’s show we’re talking to Khloe Thomspon, the founder of Khloe Kares.
But first, how are you today? On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being “things are rough” and 5 being “off-the-charts amazing,” I’d say I’m a 4. No matter how you’re feeling, it’s all okay. I’m glad that you’re here with me today. And doing a self-check can help you to understand how ready you are to learn new things or meet new people.
For now, you can just sit back and relax. Get ready to be inspired.
[MEET KHLOE THOMPSON]
Leo: Today’s guest is Khloe Thompson, the 14-year-old founder of Khloe Kares. Khloe Cares is a nonprofit organization that helps give bare necessity items to women who are experiencing homelessness.
That’s not the only thing Khloe is up to, as you’ll learn in my interview...but let me just say—I still kinda can’t believe all the things she’s been able to do to make this world a better place.
While you listen, think about whether or not people in your community have the basic items needed to survive.
That’s what Khloe did when she first started, and that’s what makes her an activator!
I can’t wait for you to meet her! Here’s my interview with Khloe Thompson.
[INTERVIEW]
Leo: Hi Khloe. How are you doing?
Khloe: I'm good. How are you?
Leo: I'm great. I, I, so can you tell our listeners your name and your age?
Khloe: Yeah. Hi, I'm Khloe Thompson and I'm 14 years old.
Leo: So out of a one to five how are you feeling? One being the worst and five being amazing.
Khloe: I would say that I'm at a five, just because I can talk to you today. I'm very excited. And I've been looking forward to this today, so, yeah.
Leo: What's one of your favorite hobbies to do?
Khloe: Let's see. It depends on how I'm feeling on the day. Like sometimes I like sewing. Sometimes drawing. Sometimes I want to read. It really just depends on how I feel.
Leo: How about today?
Khloe: I think today it's mostly been drawing because that's what I've been doing all morning.
Leo: So, let's get into the real questions. What do you think to people that think kids should just be kids?
Khloe: What I think towards those people is that, I guess you just really have to show them that kids can, I guess even the saying kids can be kids. I think it's a great thing just because kids like you, Leo and kids are just giving back, they're showcasing that kids can do so much more than what people think.
So the saying that making kids be kids, we are being kids in our own little special way.
So that's what I like to think is saying that kids are just being themselves and their own little special way.
And yeah, I think it's just most importantly to also show them that we're kids and we're doing something great. And it's just showing them that we're not just kids and that's not the only thing that we ever want.
Leo: What is your vision to make the world a better place?
Khloe: My vision to make the world a better place. Hmm. I think it is finding the problems and finding those kids or those people that can help us solve them and the correct ways. And so that's how we can make the world a better place. And just by coming together and helping each other, and it's finding those people to help make it a better place and do what they do best.
Leo: So can you tell us more about what you're doing? Like you made a book, you, you do so much. Can you tell our listeners what you do?
Khloe: Yeah. So, um, I've written two books so far. I've done one in collaboration with Callaloo and they're also a book company and it's called Marisol's Helping Hand.
And it's about this girl, Marisol. And she goes to LA to meet up with her cousin and they get lost in LA and they end up finding themselves in Skid Row. And I showed them and teach them about homelessness and I helped them find their way back.
So pretty much that book is all about teaching kids that people who are experiencing homelessness aren't scary people and should be treated as equally as everybody else. And that's an audio book.
And then I have another book called The Girl Who Became the Change and it's all about my story on how I started giving back and the children's book as well. And it's just to teach girls, but as well as just kids in general, that, you know, there's someone that's giving back and so can you.
And then, um, I'm talking a lot about like what I do and like my stories throughout my books.
So like I have my own nonprofit organization called Khloe Kares and I make tote-like bags and I filled them with bare necessity items and I pass them out to women experiencing homelessness as well as I teach kids leadership workshops and business skills so that they can start their own businesses and become change makers and help make the world a better place.
And I take trips to Ghana. I installed water pumps in back in facilities there in schools. They don't have access to clean water. So that's what I do.
Leo: Alright! We're going to take a quick break. And when we come back, Khloe talks about how she got started and how others can respond to needs in their community.
[BREAK]
Leo: Welcome back to The Activators! And my conversation with Khloe Thompson founder Khloe Kares. She’s 14 years old. She’s the author of 2 books. Not one, two!
She’s made and donated over 2000 Kare Bags filled with daily necessities to women experiencing homelessness in LA. And even more acts of awesome!
Khloe: It started when I was... I used to pass the same homeless woman on my way to school. And I would just ask my mom, “Why?” How she got there.
And she would tell me some reasons, and I just started to feel really bad for her. And at the time my grandma, she was teaching me how to sew too, like bags and shoulder bags.
And so I told her that I saw this when, and I needed to do something to help. And so we started going back and forth on different ideas. And we ended up coming up with the idea of creating these tote bags and filling them with necessity items like soap, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and all the items that we use on a daily basis.
So we made about like 25 of those bags, and then we started passing them out. And then I ended up falling in love with it and then one thing led to another. I started doing more and more things.
Leo: That's amazing. What did it feel like when you went to Ghana?
Khloe: Awesome. Okay. I say this a lot. Every time I go to drop Ghana it feels like a dream. I don't understand, like, I, it feels as if it's not really happening. That's how amazing it is out there. Um, it's so much fun. Like my auntie Dawn lives out there and so we get to stay at her house and then she mentors these 12, no 13 girls at the moment and they're called the Dawn Sunday girls and they come every Sunday and she just teaches them. Amazing skills that they need in life type, situation, type thing that she does. And so it's so cool being able to go out there and talk to those girls and hang out with those girls. And same with my auntie Dawn.
And, um, my auntie Dawn knows like all the chiefs and people out there in Ghana. And so even when we go out there, every time we get new people, we do this thing called a Naming Ceremony. And so we end up, um, People being able to be put into like a tribe in Ghana type situation. So like they get named into a tribe.
So in Ghana you have, uh, you have like three names. You have your first name that your parents picked. Uh, you have your second name, which is based off the day you were born and then your last name. So those are your name. That's your name?
Pretty much a lot of people go, um, based off the name that is based off their day. And so a lot of times we do those naming ceremonies with these, with all our new guests, that they can go back to their roots and really learn about where they're from.
And then we also every year raise funds to get a water pump impacting facility installed in a school, um, which is also really cool because the village has access to it.
So you're not only helping a school have access to clean water, but you're also helping a whole village. So there's also that. Um, but that's just a few things that we do on our trips to Ghana, but our main focus is getting those water pumps and bathroom facilities installed in those schools.
Leo: That is so cool. My mind is blowned.
Khloe: Thank you.
Leo: Do you have any suggestions on how kids can make a difference in the world?
Khloe: I would say finding your passion. So finding what you really love doing. Even though most kids may not like it. So maybe like doing homework or maybe you like doing math or maybe you're really good at math. They're really good at English or really good at science. Any of those subjects, maybe you can do tutoring programs for kids. Like there's different options for you to give back.
Or even finding a need in your community. Whether there's people experiencing homelessness, there's a food pantry whatever's near you finding a way to help out in any sort of way. That's really helpful too. Um, but anything along those lines, they're always great.
Any sort of giving back is always needed in the world.
Leo: Okay. That is so cool. Like so cool.
Khloe: Thank you
Leo: I have no words. I literally have no words.
One more question. What is your non-profits mission?
Khloe: My nonprofit’s mission is to help the community around me, but as well as teach kids on how they can help their community.
So that's the whole point of my nonprofit is to teach kids on how they can give back while also giving.
Leo: That is so cool. Okay. So for all those listeners who are listening, if you're already an activator or you're just getting started. I want you to do your superhero pose and on “three” we're all going to say “Activators!”.
Okay. Are you in your superhero post?
3, 2, 1. Activators!
Thank you so much, Khloe.
Khloe: Thank you for having me on so much fun talking to you.
Leo: Oh, that was so great. Thank you so much.
[CONCLUSION]
Leo: It was so great to chat with Khloe. I learned so much from her!
Here are some things that I learned and lessons we can take with us as we make the world a better place:
[CLOSING]
Leo: Thank you to Khloe Thompson for joining us today. You can find out more about Khloe Kares by visiting www.khloekares.com!
The Activators! is written by me, Leo Perry (with a little help from my mom).
Our show is edited and produced by Matthew Winner with help from Chad Michael Snavely and the team at Sound On Studios. Our executive producer is Jelani Memory, and this show was brought to you by A Kids Podcast About.
You can write to us at listen@akidspodcastabout.com. And check out our other podcasts made for kids just like you by visiting akidsco.com.
See you again next week for another episode of The Activators!