In the wake of the Columbine High School Massacre and the September 11th terrorist attacks , Helmbrecht set out to help young people , who felt powerless in a increasingly tumultuous world , restore their sense of agency and potential for impact through service . Helmbrecht founded an organization called the Youth Investment Project with a grant from Youth Service America , and was acknowledged by that organization as one of the " six most promising social entrepreneurs in America . " The project was an intensive mentoring program for middle school students in Denver , Colorado to encourage their participation in peer mediation and conflict resolution activities . The youth involvement project included a " Day of Hope " on the first anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre that featured two surviving students . On the Day of Hope , 10,000 young people participated in volunteer service projects At the age of 25 Helmbrecht founded Champions of Hope , a global team of youth dedicated to tackling personal and social challenges through service . That organization , along with Youth Service America , founded the United Day of Service , which was designed to promote youth-led service learning projects across the country . Activities were sponsored by the Verizon Foundation . Helmbrecht was responsible for securing the participation of Kelly Clarkson in the first celebration of the United Day of Service on September 11 , 2002 at the National Mall , along with actor Sean Astin and former U.S. Senator Harris Wofford . That year she served on the White House 's " Youth Service Compact , " a committee of the top non-profit groups in the country that convened at the White House to design a strategy to increase the impact of youth service organizations
Columbine High School massacre
Columbine High School massacre
Melissa Helmbrecht