I came up with the idea for Skincare for Kids In Need during the winter of 2008. My friend's mom hosts a holiday party every year for a Los Angeles group home and I went to help out. We decorated, played with the little kids and cleaned up. We helped with art projects and Santa came to wish them a Merry Christmas.

I was helping with the younger children, but the teens were also having a holiday party at the same time. With my practiced eye of a dermatologist's daughter, I noticed the poor condition of many of the teenagers' skin. I realized that these teens do not have the kinds of resources to have healthy skin that are readily available to me. Not everyone is able have skin products handed to them whenever they need them.

I had been thinking for a while about starting a non-profit, but I just couldn't find a cause that I could really relate to. I know what it's like to go to school feeling terrible because I had occasionally woken up with some acne. But the difference is, I had the medicines and products to cure any blemishes. These group homes do not have the funds to buy many acne medicines or products for their kids.

I realize that supplying products and skin related education to these teens is a small gesture in the scheme of all the problems that they are dealing with. My goal is to help give confidence to teens who are self-conscious of their skin problems. Everyone deserves the chance to feel good about themselves. These teens' lives are difficult enough without acne. I can't imagine not having a family or a permanent home. Hopefully in our way, we can make a difference in the lives of these teens.

~Daniele
Founder of Skincare for Kids In Need