Ashley Nevison (15 | Phoenix, Arizona) is taking her passion for improving her community and turning it into action. In 2018, Ashley was looking for organizations that allowed youth to make a better world for the next generation. Unable to find such an organization, Ashley launched Sargeant’s Army, a nonprofit which focuses on bringing kindness to those who need it. 
Sargeant's Army, named after Ashley's cat who passed away in early 2018, was initially founded to support animal shelters and rescue organizations. Ashley used her love of sewing to make cat toys and animal blankets to help care for and socialize animals while they wait to find their forever families. In the process, Ashley wanted to keep waste down, so she made sure to use scrap fabric whenever possible. 

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, Ashley found that she could use her sewing skills to create masks for health care and essential workers. After donating over 600 masks, that summer she turned her efforts to creating masks for a homeless youth outreach program. Attending an event for the organization she was helping, Ashley quickly saw the challenges faced by youth experiencing homelessness and decided that she was going to expand the work of Sargeant's Army and further support those in her community. 

Today, in addition to supporting animal shelters, Sargeant’s Army also creates Hope Bags for organizations that assist people experiencing homelessness across Arizona. To do so, Ashley maintains a general list of most requested hygiene items and then tailors the supplies she and her volunteers include in the packs depending on the needs of community being supported. 

Since her first Hope Bag, Ashley has provided nearly 17,000 Hope Bags to organizations in 10 of the 15 counties in Arizona and has also supported similar organizations in Utah and Nevada. She has also supported shower trailers at The Human Services Campus with 6 months’ worth of hygiene items, made Halloween “Boo Bags” for youth at an area elementary school, and led a nationwide Giving Tuesday outerwear drive! While Ashley knows that her work alone won’t end homelessness, she hopes that her Hope Bags provide a little bit of comfort and hope.