NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — For 14 years, generations of AYJ Fund youth volunteers have worked to support families fighting cancer — one smile at a time. 

 

The non-profit was founded in memory of Anna Yan Ji Arabia, who became an angel at the age of 16 after a 3 1/2-year battle with gliomatosis cerebri. 

 

Today, the young adults who step up to volunteer for the organization carry forward the positive and outgoing spirit for which Anna is remembered.

 

The work these teens do to bring smiles to children with cancer, while organizing and aiding in fundraising efforts, has earned them the iBerkshires.com Youth for the Future designation.

 

Youth for the Future is a 12-month series that honors young individuals that have made an impact on their community. This year's sponsor is Patriot Car Wash. Nominate a youth here. 

 

Throughout the year, the AYJ Fund organizes initiatives like musical bingo, care packages through its Smiles Program, and bake sales to uplift kids with cancer, help them stay connected to friends and school, and support brain cancer research in the quest for a cure.

 

One of its biggest events is the "Once Upon a Dream" Children's Princess Concert, providing children the opportunity to meet their favorite princesses, and some princes, while raising funds to support the fund's mission.