“Young people don’t realize the impact they can have. I want to help kids know they can do big things at any age.”
                        Matt Dalio, Founder & President, The China Care Foundation

There were plenty of skeptics when 16-year-old Matt Dalio spent his evenings and weekends raising money to make his dream of creating a foundation to serve the most vulnerable children in China come true. 

But very often skepticism (“How is this kid going to do this?”) morphed into admiration and support when Dalio conveyed his love of China and his passion for helping its most vulnerable children.

So much support that The China Care Foundation grew beyond even Dalio’s wildest teenaged dreams. In 2002, two years after China Care was established, the Foundation had gained such visibility that Dalio was named by Teen People as one of “20 Teens Who Will Change the World.”

Once Dalio realized the power of his young dreams to change the world, he took on a second mission: to become an inspiration and a cheerleader for other idealistic young people. In 2003, Dalio created the China Care Clubs movement, which is dedicated to giving young people a way to make a difference in the world.

Dalio started the movement at Harvard University when he was a sophomore at the school, but it quickly spread to colleges and high schools in the United States and Canada.

That doesn’t surprise Dalio, who says the biggest barriers young people who want to make a difference face are their own qualms and self doubt: “Do it. Just start! It is always daunting when you look at what other people have done, but as soon as you start, you realize it isn’t that hard. The toughest part is just getting the ball rolling. From there, the snowball keeps building.”