Cool Kids Alexa, Allegra help fund scholarships for low-income teens

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Our ABC7 Cool Kids for Thursday, May 12, are Alexa Bates and Allegra Smith who focus on giving back to those who are less fortunate.

Both girls are 17 years old and seniors at The Marlborough School. They run a nonprofit called Violets' Giving Circle. Their mission is to support organizations that fund scholarships for low-income teens.

"I think the important part about Violets' Giving Circle is recognizing that we're so similar, but also so different from these girls," Alexa said. "We're girls and we're women in Los Angeles and we kind of have shared experiences, but we're also very different in that we're super privileged to be at Marlborough and to receive the education that we have and a lot of girls don't get that."

The student-lead charity has donated more than $200,000 back to the community.

"It's definitely not a rule that 16, 17 and 18 year olds are doing the work that we're doing. It's, I would say, the exception. We're in a sphere of philanthropy that is so dominated by adults," Allegra said.

The girls don't just talk the talk, they also walk the walk. Their board meets once a week and put together fundraisers, review applications and get highly involved in the process.

Allegra plans to attend Duke University to study history, while Alexa is headed to the University of Michigan to study political science.

"We're all growing up in the same world. This is our responsibility. We're all going to be the next president and politicians. This is our world to shape," Allegra said.