Founder and Executive Director
Olivia Larson
For Every Little Handprint
About Us
For Every Little Handprint Inc. strives to foster a love for and commitment to learning. We help children in poverty preserve a sense of curiosity, creativity, and discovery as they navigate life’s challenges and build exciting visions for their futures.
Our Vision
We envision a WNY and world where children who face economic challenges grow, learn, and excel without barriers.
Our hope for all youth is that the effects of poverty do not hinder their creativity, childhood memories, education, goals, dreams, and opportunities. We strive to transform the challenges youth may face into tools for strength and resilience by providing school supplies, facilitating a mentorship program, supporting literacy initiatives, and hosting creativity workshops.
Our Core Values
Inclusivity.
We believe that every child deserves equitable access to our programs no matter who or where they are.
Diversity.
We believe in celebrating our differences and are inclusive of diverse perspectives.
Individualism.
We believe in taking time and care to help each child. A one-size-fits-all solution does not effectively target the need.
Adaptability.
We believe in continuous learning and flexibly meeting the needs of the communities we serve.
Collaboration.
We believe that by working together with other local organizations and community leaders we can make a greater impact, increase empathy, and deepen understanding.
Our History
Olivia Larson’s life was changed after learning about poverty in Buffalo in her Spanish class sophomore year of high school.
She went home and did research, where she found out the childhood poverty rate in Buffalo in 2016 was 44 percent. After learning this statistic, a fire was lit in Olivia, the desire to make a change. Olivia began Seeds of Change, a collection drive at her parish, Nativity of Our Lord. After collecting hundreds of items for Gerard Place and Family Promise of WNY, Olivia wanted to do something that would make a bigger impact.
In October of 2018, sixteen year-old Olivia founded For Every Little Handprint. In March of 2019, Olivia received 501(c)(3) status for the organization. Olivia’s experiences in school and as a teenager have informed the programs she has and continues to develop to serve Buffalo in the city and surrounding areas.
Our Team
Board Chair
Tim O’Shei
Mount Saint Mary Academy
Board Treasurer
Don Larson Jr.
Catholic Health
Board Secretary
Heather McCarthy
St. Mark School
Board Member
Tania Castillo
Univera Healthcare
Board Member
Riane Lafferty
Bond Schoeneck & King
Board Member
Shara Armprester
Say Yes to Education
Team Member
Abigail Bradley
Our Sponsors
Our Partners
For Every Little Handprint is proud to partner with the organizations below. Whether they are a school hosting one of our programs, or a company providing volunteers, we could not make a change for the youth of Buffalo without their help.
