Hello, my name is Ryan Son, and I am currently a 10th-grade student at Palos Verdes High School. You might be wondering how I came up with this idea.
During the summer before I entered 9th grade, I developed a keen interest in clothes, shoes, and food, and I wanted to start buying nice things for myself. My parents always emphasized that if I wanted something, I needed to earn it through hard work. That's when I conceived the idea of starting a window-cleaning service.
I rode my bike around my neighborhood, going door to door in search of clients. It took hours and many days of knocking before I finally landed my first customer. He was incredibly supportive, providing encouragement that motivated me to keep pushing forward. From that point on, every weekend—when I wasn't caught up with baseball games—I would ride my bike to various places and clean windows.
While working, I noticed that many seniors in my community often had their trash bins left outside and mail piling up, especially when they went on vacation. It became clear to me that they needed help, yet these small tasks only took about 10–15 minutes, which isn’t sufficient to warrant hiring someone professionally. This observation sparked my desire to assist my community, contributing to the concept of helping hands in neighborhoods.
Before I launched my cleaning service, I didn’t really know my neighbors. This experience allowed me to connect with them and understand their needs better. Since I can't cover all areas by myself, I aim to expand this initiative to other local communities by recruiting volunteers to work alongside me, helping more people and ultimately transforming neighborhoods for the better.