We recently connected with Aditi Dewangan and have shared our conversation below.

Aditi, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I began Senior Care First Foundation at the age of 16 after I lost my grandfather who had dementia. In his eulogies, a common theme of warmth was expressed. Hearing about my grandfather’s selflessness taught me the value of altruism in my own life. To carry his memory, I began volunteering at my local senior home, Aegis Living Marymoor.

The seniors I met were beyond intriguing. They had many years of experience, yet continued to be humble and to share their appreciation towards others. I soon realized simply being present made a difference in their lives. One night, while closing out with a movie in the theatre, I met a resident who said he was new to the facility. Reality hit me in my conversation with him. He described how his family had left him there and would most likely only visit him on the holidays, which was only a few times every year. In my months volunteering at the senior center, never once had I heard how lonely it could get for the residents.

Inspired and in honor of my grandfather, I began Senior Care First. Through my love for the residents at the senior center, I produced handwritten cards of warmth and appreciation paired with chocolates (since I know how much seniors love their sweets). I brought materials to write cards to my school’s National Honor Society chapter, the City Youth Council meeting, and local elementary schools. Senior Care First Foundation was quickly noticed by newspapers, bringing in several more volunteers globally. What started with just me became a volunteer base reaching 47 US states and 41 countries delivering over 10,000 items across the world.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Aditi Dewangan is an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Washington studying Computer Science with a minor in Business Entrepreneurship and Public Health.

Aditi has been recognized as a 2025 WA STEM Honoree by Boeing and Partnerships for Learning. She has also been interviewed by several nationwide newspapers highlighting youth leadership and impact. Her career aspirations include speaking at healthtech conferences, conducting research at the University of Washington, and promoting culturally inclusive mental health care for people of color.

Through Senior Care First Foundation, she hopes to share the love and care each senior deserves by engaging community members from across the nation to support seniors in and out of senior centers.

Senior Care First Foundation (SCF) is a youth-led 501(c)(3) certified nonprofit dedicated to supporting seniors around the nation. Our goal is to put smiles on the faces of seniors by showing them the love and care they deserve from our community. We have designed, written, and donated cards to seniors and have fundraised for dementia research. We hope for them to never feel alone because in our minds, senior citizens come first.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Our Executive Team consists of Volunteer, Event, and Chapter Coordinators that work directly with their respective audience. We ensure clear and consistent communication by sending nonprofit-wide updates as well as specific opportunities for individuals or groups. For example, we recently were invited to a Youth for Impact event in Freemont, CA and the Executive Team is working directly with the Freemont Chapter to represent Senior Care First. We also have a monthly newsletter that shares our growth, extra leadership opportunities, and general information to our volunteer base. Here are some quotes from our volunteers:
“I had such a great experience volunteering with SCF. I found it so meaningful to be able to do this for the seniors, and to hopefully bring a smile to their faces.” – Reese, SCF Volunteer
“I really enjoyed my time making cards for SCF. I love doing arts and crafts and it’s wonderful that I was able to use that skill to show some kindness to people who need it.” – Carsyn, SCF Volunteer

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Understanding our volunteers. Our main target audience are teenagers to young adults (even though we have had volunteers that reach beyond that goal), therefore, steering our content and promotion to fitting our goal audience included working with Social Media (mainly TikTok and Instagram). We have several of our leadership members working specifically on those platforms to ensure consistent and engaging content so viewers are interested in joining and take that first step to click the Volunteer button.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.seniorcarefirst.org/
• Instagram: @seniorcarefirst
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/senior-care-first-foundation/
• Other: TikTok: @seniorcarefirst
  Carrd (Sign-Up Links): https://seniorcarefirst.carrd.co/