29 May Volunteer in Profile: Wentao Li

The first to arrive and the last to leave at most volunteer projects, Wentao Li goes above and beyond regular volunteer duties. Since joining Youth Central in 2012, Wentao has become a staple at Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) projects and has written countless thought-provoking articles as a Youth Are Awesome Blogger.

For the past two years, Wentao took a further leadership role with Youth Central by joining the YVC Steering Committee. As a member of the committee, Wentao helps create new partnerships with community organizations, which lead to more projects for the YVC program.

Wentao with other YVC volunteers decorating the Christmas tree at Edwards Place last year

“I applied for Youth Central committees and got to be on the Youth Volunteer Corps steering committee,” says Li. “I didn’t know where I got that courage or why I was propelled to do so. Along the same path, I then took up the art of blogging as I started contributing on Youth Are Awesome.”

An example of one of the projects that Wentao helped to spearhead is the work with seniors at Edwards Place, an independence living facility for low income seniors in the East Village. Last June, Wentao helped secure plant donations from RONA to help refurbish the garden at Edwards Place. Fellow committee members and YVC Team Leaders describe Wentao as dependable, kind and always willing to lend a hand and take on extra work.

Wentao’s passion for community involvement inspires those around him to become more active. He is a natural leader and an exemplary volunteer. Check out his posts on Youth Are Awesome here.