Emmy Liss, a junior at Friends Academy, is working hard to make a difference. Earlier this year, the 16-year-old Brookville resident launched Teens Take Charge, a new nonprofit Long Island-based organization designed to help teenagers find community service opportunities they can identify with through an easily accessible online resource. Teens Take Charge website (www.teenstakecharge.org) is accessible database listing various registered nonprofit foundations located throughout Nassau County. The information is sorted by location and focus so teenagers can find whatever they are looking for based on their priorities.

Through her own experience with service opportunities, Emmy discovered that many of her peers wanted to volunteer but did not know where to start. Many teenagers feel forced into community service to complete school requirements or to pad college résumés. Such projects are not necessarily fulfilling because many students partake in opportunities they personally would not choose or do not find stimulating.

"I started the website because I noticed that many kids my age want to get involved in community service. I am fortunate to have a vast variety of programs available at my school and I have even started some of my own, but many people I know do not have options like that. Other people do community service without being personally rewarded because they find the work tedious, since they're doing it just to fulfill a requirement," said Emmy. "Additionally, I've organized candy drives and other collections in the past, and found it difficult to locate organizations to accept the items."

Through Teen Take Charge, Emmy has set out to alleviate these programs. "Teens Take Charge was designed as a solution to those issues. I have personally benefited so much from my service work and I want other people to feel the same way." While on the site, students can search the various categories and locate countless opportunities.

"When Emmy explained her idea to me, I thought it would be a tremendous tool for high school students, and since its inception, the website has received great interest with an increasing number of daily views and inquiries," Gail Liss said of her daughter's work in starting Teens Take Charge.

She added, "I applaud teens who want to make the effort to find a community service opportunity that is truly meaningful to them - Teens Take Charge enables and empowers teens to find these opportunities."

One organization listed on the Teens Take Charge website stated, "I want to thank you for the opportunity to be listed along with other nonprofit organizations. This is a wonderful idea [from which] many people will benefit ..."

Emmy began collecting data from organizations back in January and launched the site in March. "I now have 34 member organizations, but through organizations like Long Island Volunteer Center I have many more volunteer opportunities from non-members," said Emmy, adding that she would "still really like to add more ..." and has made joining as simple as filling out an online information survey. "That's all an organization needs to do to join," said Emmy.

When she's not busy working on the website, Emmy, daughter of Gail and Sam Liss, enjoys studying foreign languages and traveling as well as art, photography and playing tennis.

For additional information, visit www.teenstakecharge.org or contact Emmy Liss at info@teenstakecharge.org.