You are never too young to be on a board in business. Kidbox, a kid’s style box organization, offers cool brands, amazing prices and a mission to clothe 1 million kids in need. July 25, the company celebrated the opening of the new Kidbox headquarters on Park Avenue in New York City, where they introduced 12 young board members for 2018-2019. Aged 8 to 14, these bright and talented kids come from across the U.S. and will serve as fashion business consultants. Kidbox ambassador and actress Brooklynn Prince, known for her role in “The Florida Project,” was in the house.
Initiated in 2017, the Kidbox board picks have demonstrated leadership skills, a strong fashion sense and a passion for social good. They serve to advise Kidbox on children’s style, learn new leadership skills and identify new ways to give back in their communities.
The entrepreneurial, philanthropic members are an interesting group. Naomi Wadler is an 11-year-old March for Our Lives activist from Alexandria, Va. Jayden Perez is a 9-year-old Woodland Park, N.J. resident who organized a drive in his hometown. He hand-delivered 1,100 toys to child hurricane victims in Puerto Rico. A fashion designer, Sylvie Reimer Sherman is a 12-year-old, philanthropic New Yorker. Daniella Marie Benitez, a 13-year-old from San Diego, Calif. builds homes for families in need.
Addisyn Maree Goss, from Linden, Mich., founded Snuggle Sacks, a survival kit to help the homeless. Grace Anne Richardson, a 14-year old from Minneapolis, Minn., donates school supplies in partnership with Kids in Need Foundation. Joshua Smothers, a 9-year old in Ashburn, Va., raises awareness for pediatric cancer. Ella R. Tyson, an 8-year old from Cleveland, Ohio, has donated more than 29,000 boxes of crayons to young patients at children’s hospitals around the country with the Help Me Color a Rainbow Foundation.
Carter Buchholz, a 10-year old Wooster, Ohio resident, is helping to stop global warming by raising hundreds of dollars for Greenpeace, a nonprofit organization. Sidney Keys III, a 12-year-old entrepreneur from St. Louis, Mo., is making strides to end literacy by launching the Books-N-Bros Book Club. Aden Joseph Garf is a 12-year-old “creative thinker” from Needham, Mass. From Lexington, N.C., 13-year-old Bella Temple is a clothing, jewelry and interior designer. She mentors younger children in her school, and she’s a participant in local give-back programs
“We created the Kids Board of Directors program before our formal adult board was formed because we are a brand for children and parents and, from the start, we wanted to understand what matters to our customers,” said Kidbox CEO Miki Berardelli. “The board allows us to see the world through a kids’ point of view and ensures that kids—the heart of Kidbox—have their fingerprints all over the brand.” They want to incite innovation in kids’ retail and design a better society.
The day’s events included concurrent interactive sessions that focused on fashion, business, philanthropy, technology and design. The members were joined by other kids from Harlem’s nonprofit Cherry’s Kids, Inc., and The River Fund, another nonprofit group from Queens. Together, the kids designed anti-bullying T-shirts for National Bullying Prevention Month in October. The group was also addressed by an anti-bullying professional who helped them create a voice for themselves and speak out against bullying in their communities.