By Ashley M. Casey
Associate Editor
Philanthropists such as Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett and the Rockefeller family have pledged millions and billions of dollars to worthy causes around the world, but how many of these donors can say they’ve been in the giving game since elementary school?
DJ Villnave has a nonprofit resume a decade long, and he’s a junior at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. Since its inception in 2011, when its founder was in second grade at Karl W. Saile Bear Road Elementary School, DJ’s Gift of Warmth has collected hundreds of blankets for the Rescue Mission to distribute to the homeless population of Syracuse. Last year’s drive brought in more than 800 blankets.
Now, Villnave is embarking on his 10th year of keeping Syracuse warm.
“I’m so excited that we’ve been able to keep it up for this long,” he said. “I just think the community’s continued support is really what’s kept it up and allowed it to expand and grow as much as we have.”
Villnave has set an ambitious goal for the 10th year of his blanket drive.
“My goal this year is 1,000 blankets,” he said. “I think it’s very possible.”
DJ’s Gift of Warmth was born when Villnave, then 7, saw a news report about the Rescue Mission’s work with the homeless.
“The Rescue Mission had a van going around and they were showing all the homeless people and people out on the streets having frostbite because last winter, unlike this year, it was so cold,” DJ’s mother, Sara Villnave, told the Star-Review in 2012. “So he was very serious, and he was very upset, and he said, ‘They can’t be cold. I don’t want anyone to be cold.’ Then he decided, ‘Everybody needs a blanket,’ because when he’s cold, he gets a blanket.”
DJ Villnave set out to collect 40 blankets for the Rescue Mission’s emergency shelter on Gifford Street. His final tally that first year was 281 blankets.
Since then, DJ’s Gift of Warmth has grown from just a couple of donation boxes at KWS Bear Road to a district-wide network of drop-off locations. Local businesses, churches and even the Syracuse Crunch have collected blankets for DJ’s Gift of Warmth over the years.
Now 16, Villnave said seeing his project’s effect on the community has been “one of the greatest memories” of his childhood.
“It’s a great experience that I’ve had. It’s brought me so much opportunity in and out of school,” he said.
Villnave has received several accolades for his work, including the Youth Impact Award, for which he was nominated by the Rescue Mission and given a plaque and a medal by Biz Events. He also received a Youth Service Agency (YSA) grant for $1,000, which he donated to the Rescue Mission.
Villnave was named a Distinguished Finalist in the 20th annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, for which the New York State Legislature issued a legislative resolution congratulating him. He is also a two-time Pop Warner All-American.
As for what is next for Villnave, the 11th-grader is starting to think about college and passing the nonprofit torch to his two younger sisters.
“I have two sisters, Brenna and Grace, that most likely will keep it up. But I would like to continue it in college,” Villnave said.
The needs of the local homeless population continue to grow, Villnave said, so he plans to keep collecting blankets.
“If we can continue it throughout my whole life, I think that would be great,” Villnave said.
Sarah Hall contributed to this story.
How to help
Drop off new and gently used blankets for DJ’s Gift of Warmth at any school in the North Syracuse Central School District and the district office through Jan. 31. if you’d like to donate and will be attending a musical event at Cicero-North Syracuse High School, the C-NS music department is collecting blankets throughout the concert season, which ends Jan. 16. For more information and additional drop-off locations, visit facebook.com/DJsGiftOfWarmth.
