Heartik
Fundraising
Handmade art sales, farmers-market tables and craft drives supporting the autism community and global refugees. Proceeds fund the other programs.
Student-run since 2021 · 11 chapters · 3 countries
Support for autistic children, run by students.
Heartik is a nonprofit staffed entirely by student volunteers. We tutor autistic adolescents, run inclusive basketball and craft programs, and raise money for families across eleven chapters in the United States, Canada and China.
- 150+
- Active volunteers
- 200+
- Families served
- 11
- Chapters
- 3
- Countries
Our story
Founded in 2021 by an 8th grader.
James Zhou founded Heartik in March 2021, in 8th grade, to support autistic children in his community. In July 2022 he and his high-school collaborators incorporated Heartik Inc. as a nonprofit organization.
There are now eleven chapters across the United States, Canada and China, more than 150 volunteers, and over 200 families served. Each chapter is led by students.
What we do
Six programs across eleven chapters.
Awareness & inclusion events
Public events including a recurring inclusive basketball program, where autistic participants and volunteers play on the same teams.
Tutoring
Weekly one-to-one sessions with autistic adolescents, covering academic subjects and social skills.
Holiday activities
Seasonal gatherings for families with autistic children. Quieter rooms, smaller groups, no pressure to participate.
Community service
Park cleanups and neighbourhood projects, including a recurring cleanup at Oakland Lake.
Student innovation forums
Chapter leaders from three countries meet to plan programs and bring new schools into the network.
Recognition
PVSACertifying organization · AmeriCorps
Volunteer hours count toward a federal award.
Heartik Inc. is a Certifying Organization authorized by AmeriCorps. Every September we award the President's Volunteer Service Award to volunteers who complete the standard number of hours in a year. Headquarters handles the application for anyone who qualifies.
The PVSA was founded in 2003 by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. It is led by AmeriCorps and managed in partnership with Points of Light.
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Support the work
Heartik has no paid staff.
Donations pay for craft materials, court rentals, tutoring workbooks and holiday kits.