MSU Student Encourages Small Acts of Giving with Big Local Impact

EAST LANSING, MI AND PERKASIE, PA / ACCESS Newswire / June 30, 2025 / Michigan State University student and business school standout Lily Krut is calling on students and families alike to support youth creativity, community engagement, and hands-on volunteering. Drawing from her own experiences mentoring children and working with local charities, Krut is encouraging others to take simple, meaningful steps to help those in need-starting right in their own neighbourhoods.

"Volunteering doesn't need to be some big, overwhelming thing," said Krut, a summer intern at Campus Ink and former camp counsellor. "It can be packing a bag of groceries, donating journals, or just showing up for someone who needs help."

Krut, who grew up in Birmingham, Michigan, has long been active in both service and leadership roles. She helped run creative camps for children through Elena Victoria Day Camps, where she taught sewing and jewellery-making. She's also a regular volunteer for local nonprofits like Yad Ezra and has helped her family adopt multiple local families during the holidays to provide food, clothing, and gifts.

A Call to Create and Connect

Krut's most personal advocacy comes from her support for creative expression as a tool for healing and growth. Through her mother's charity, My Story, Krut helps donate journals and art supplies to local children's shelters. The goal: give kids an outlet for self-expression and emotional wellness.

"We don't always realise how much it helps someone just to write things down," said Krut. "A journal can be a place where kids feel heard when they don't have anyone else listening."

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, expressive writing and creativity-based therapy have been linked to better mental health outcomes in children and teens facing trauma or stress. By combining simple resources with compassion, programs like My Story provide low-cost, high-impact ways to support youth well-being.

Local Giving, Lifelong Lessons

Krut, a Dean's List student at MSU's Eli Broad Business School, balances her academics with a commitment to helping others. Whether assisting Jewish families through Yad Ezra or participating in events with Make-A-Wish and Chabad, her focus remains on "being useful in small ways."

"You don't have to be a CEO or have a lot of money to make change," she said. "Start with your time. That's what people remember."

Research from VolunteerMatch shows that over 60% of people are more likely to volunteer when they see someone close to them doing it. Krut hopes that by sharing her story, more students will realise how easy it is to get involved.

An Invitation to Step Up

Krut's message is clear: You don't have to start a nonprofit to make a difference. You just have to care-and act.

How to Get Involved:

• Donate unused art supplies or journals to a local shelter

• Volunteer at food banks or local donation centres

• "Adopt" a family for the holidays through local community boards

• Support school-based programs that encourage kids to write, draw, and express themselves

"These things matter," Krut said. "When I hand a kid a journal and they smile, it reminds me why we do this."

About Lily Krut

Lily Krut is a Michigan native and student at Michigan State University, currently studying at the Eli Broad College of Business. She has made the Dean's List each term and has worked as both a creative camp counsellor and business intern. Her community involvement includes work with Yad Ezra, Chabad, Care House of Oakland County, and her family's charity, My Story.

Media Contact:
Read the full Interview here.
Email: lilykrut@emaildn.com

SOURCE: Lily Krut