Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy

Vidya Iyer

Nominated by Community Youth Concepts 

Vidya Iyer is a recent graduate of West Des Moines Valley High School who devoted her high school career not only to academics, but to serving her community and working to create a better world. From environmentalism and anti-racism to fighting human trafficking and protecting vulnerable children, Iyer’s advocacy has been making a difference since 2018, when she joined Community Youth Concepts’ uVoice: Youth Philanthropy Board.

uVoice promotes philanthropy while also working to build leadership skills among students; Iyer chaired the board in 2020-2021. As a uVoice volunteer, she contributed 193 service hours to the program while also remaining active with organizations such as the State of Iowa Youth Advisory Council, Valley High School’s Community of Racial Equity Program, Showing Up for Racial Justice Des Moines (SURJ DSM), and Iowa Lutheran Hospital VolunTeens. Her youth philanthropy benefitted a variety of Central Iowa organizations, including Dorothy’s House, HOPE Troupe, Orchard Place, SURJ DSM, and ArtForce Iowa.

In 2019, she founded the nonprofit organization Redivivus to collect books and medical supply donations from local elementary schools and hospitals and send them to rural schools and hospitals in India.

As a student at Valley High, Iyer was a National Merit Scholarship finalist, was active in Silver Cord, and was a member of the girls’ golf team. She was a 2021 recipient of the City of West Des Moines’ MLK Day Social Justice Scholarship.