The non-profit organization My New Red Shoes is accepting applications for its Junior Board, to be composed of ten to 20 high school students in the Palo Alto area who are interested in learning about or starting a non-profit organization.

Heather Hopkins, who founded My New Red Shoes, says she is searching for outstanding citizens. The ideal students for the board are those "who are leaders, interested in community service, and go getters," Hopkins said.

Board members will learn the basics of starting a non-profit organization, including writing mission statements and earning the support of the community. Hopkins also intends to have speakers at Junior Board meetings: community leaders who have founded their own charities.

Board members will "design and complete a community service project that will benefit homeless children in their community," stated a Jan. 9 press release. They will also study the aspects and effects of homelessness on children and families.

Hopkins’ objective is to provide board members with the knowledge and desire to use their abilities to work toward causes close to their hearts.

"The real goal of the Junior Board is to teach students that if they want to change something, they can do it alone," she said. "We want to give them tools to start a project they care about or a non-profit with social impact further down the road."

My New Red Shoes, a Menlo Park-based non-profit that distributes new clothes and shoes to needy elementary school students, was started by Hopkins in March 2006.

Hopkins says she had grown up with her mother’s stories about being ashamed to go to school without new clothes. She seized the opportunity to help other children in the same situation.

My New Red Shoes distributes clothing to the Menlo Park area, but Hopkins hopes to expand its reach.

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Visit mynewredshoes.org for more information, or contact Heather Hopkins by email at [email protected] or by phone at (650) 283-5112. Applications are due Jan. 23.