Helping Our Community Breathe Easier: Sienna’s Story
Sienna, a Senior Girl Scout and youth leader, created her Breathe Easy project to bring lung health awareness to the Bread & Roses Food Pantry, connecting prevention with community care.
Sienna is a high school student, Senior Girl Scout, and youth leader whose Gold Award project, Breathe Easy, is helping expand how we talk about lung health, air quality, and prevention.
“I give love endlessly and work very hard in my commitments. I care a lot and am truly dedicated and devoted.”
From personal loss to public purpose
In 2021, Sienna’s grandfather, Papa Nestor, passed away from lung cancer. He never smoked.
As she learned more about his life and the environments he lived in, she began to understand how long-term exposure to air pollution could impact lung health over time. That understanding deepened as wildfires and prolonged poor air quality became more common in Los Angeles.
“When my grandpa died from lung cancer but never smoked, and then the fires hit Los Angeles, it really clicked for me that lung cancer isn’t just about cigarettes.”
Meeting people where they are
Sienna’s project focuses on accessibility and real-world reach.
She wrote and illustrated a children’s book, Little Lungs, Big Job, created educational materials on air pollution and lung cancer risk, and built a website to bring these resources together in one place.
Her work also connects directly to the community through St. Joseph Center’s Bread & Roses Food Pantry, where her materials help share critical health information in a space people already trust and rely on.
The Bread & Roses Food Pantry is one of Los Angeles’ largest and most consistent points of access for food support, reaching more than 22,000 visits annually.
Sienna’s work becomes part of that everyday care, sharing information in a place where community members already turn for support and connection.
A version of her educational brochure is also available to download and share. You can also explore more of her work at breatheeasynow.org.
“I wanted to make sure people of all ages could access the information. Books, libraries, food programs, and websites all reach different people.”
Community health in action
Sienna’s story is a reminder that leadership can begin at any age. At St. Joseph Center, community health means addressing both immediate needs and long-term conditions that shape well-being for our community’s most vulnerable members.
Sienna’s work reflects this by moving the conversation beyond crisis response and into prevention. Through Breathe Easy, she helps others better understand lung health while honoring her grandfather’s legacy.
By sharing her project through the Bread & Roses Food Pantry and beyond, she contributes to a broader effort to support health, dignity, and access. Her work shows the power of compassion and partnership in creating lasting impact.
