Serena Dalrymple is not only a young professional now at Paramount Pictures, she is also presently dedicating her time for a cause. The former child star is now part of AdoptTogether, a nonprofit crowd-funding platform that helps families raise money to pay for adoption costs.

“I’ve always wanted to be a part of something that makes the world a better place. But I’ve also had a dozen excuses for not doing it like “I don’t have enough time,’ ‘I need to focus on my career first,’ ‘I don’t know the right people,’ and my favorite, ‘I’m not special enough.’ Then I watched Hank’s (founder of AdoptTogether) TEDx clip, he asked everyone ‘What mark do I have, what scars do I have and how can those develop into a passion to accomplish something beautiful for the world?’ I got excited and wanted to know more,” she said in an email interview with Push.com.ph.

Serena herself lost her loved ones when she was very young. “I lost my parents at a young age and that has always been my ‘scar’ growing up. I realized I could develop that scar into a passion to help orphans be with family. That’s when I decided to reach out to AdoptTogether,” she shared.

Serena was introduced to the organization by Hank Fortener, the founder of AdoptTogether who was a pastor at Mosaic, the church she goes to in Los Angeles. “He talked briefly about what AdoptTogether is and how much it meant to him. I was inspired by his passion and wanted to know more, so I Googled him and AdoptTogether and started asking our mutual friends to help me be a part of his volunteer team,” she relayed.

According to her, wherever you are in the world, you can help spread the word and the vision of AdoptTogether. “Social media is a powerful tool! Everyone can be a part of this cause by helping us spread the word! World Adoption Day is on November 9 and we can all help raise awareness by posting a photo of ourselves, our family and our friends with a smiley face on our hand with the hashtag #WorldAdoptionDay,” Serena said.

Being part of the project, what is her greatest learning so far? “You always hear people say ‘anyone can make a difference’ and that “actions matter, even small ones.’ Being a part of something like AdoptTogether proved how true these statements are. I realized that all I needed to do is to just actually do something, anything. You can talk to your friends about a cause you’re passionate about, donate to a nonprofit you support or be a volunteer. I’ll always remember what one of my heroes Erwin McManus's encouragement to everyone, ‘Stop waiting for life to happen and make life happen,’” she stated.