My name is Lilly Behbehani.
And I am furiously passionate about telling stories.
I believe in the power of words.
I am a second year journalism student at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am minoring in conflict management under the Peace, War and Defense Department.
My interest in journalism grew from my intrigue by the way in which journalists enlist the power of words to inform people of distant events, or expose the schemes behind powerful circles. I realized that in telling the stories of people who have no voice is how a journalist can have the most impact.
How I Started Here2Help 501(c)(3)
In March 2020, during my senior year of high school, I became worried about my classmates who depended on school meals when it was announced that schools would shut down in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. To try to offer a solution, I decided to create Here2Help, a grassroots, all volunteer organization that makes contactless deliveries of non-perishables to families in need in Montgomery County. At first there were just a few requests, but then, about mid-April 2020, there was a swift uptick in requests from the community. Since then, Here2Help has made 8,200 deliveries+ deliveries and received non-profit status. Without the help of generous community members, Here2Help would not be as successful as it is today.