The idea for Kids Helping Kids came to Mischa while he was in the hospital recovering from a complicated surgery to remove a tumor that had infiltrated his brain stem.  After the ninth month of Mischa’s thirteen-month hospital stay, a boy in a nearby bed asked if he could borrow a video. Mischa let the boy keep the movie and realized that his generosity made him feel more alive. Mischa was motivated to keep reaching out to others – his inspiration for Kids Helping Kids.

Formed in 1998 by Mischa and his mom Heni Drucker, Kids Helping Kids aims to increase awareness and raise funds to provide equipment, services, companionship and special wishes for kids who have been affected by catastrophic illness or injury.  The organization finds out about kids in need from schools, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, and word of mouth.  So far, the organization has held several successful fund raising events and has managed to provide hundreds of toys to hospitalized children.     

“This organization has fundamentally changed my life by giving me a focus on helping others,” explains Mischa.  “I'm not mired in my own issues, but moving forward to not only help others, but to set an example for my peers and to help inspire them to do the same.  And, because of Kids Helping Kids I'm a whole lot busier.”

Busy is an understatement. Mischa, a senior in high school, also takes classes at New York University and serves as a volunteer for Kids Helping Kids.  He and the other 50 teen volunteers visit children in two New Jersey hospitals and continually raise funds through sporting events, art shows, and music and film festivals to help make kids’ dreams come true.

At the present, Kids Helping Kids is a regional organization that is based in the New York/New Jersey area. But Mischa aspires to have his organization reach kids worldwide.

“I hope that the Kids Helping Kids idea will spread all over the country, even all over the world,” states Mischa. “We envision a network of clubhouses where the volunteers meet, take courses with teens that are ill, and where families can have access to social, emotional and practical resources.”

According to Mischa, Kids Helping Kids benefits all who are involved.  “From the teen volunteers who contribute their time and talents to others in need, to the teens and their families who get a visit from a new friend or have their special wish granted -- all  discover that there are kids in the world who have great heart and a profound sense of commitment to something bigger than themselves.”