Strobel 2025 Youth Volunteer Award Winner: Daniel Liu, Founder of Vanderbilt Peace of Mind

Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Daniel Liu, who recently was honored with the Youth Volunteer Award at the 2025 Strobel Volunteer Awards hosted by Hands On Nashville powered by United Way of Greater Nashville. Daniel Liu, a pre-med student at Vanderbilt, founded the Peace of Mind program to address the shortage of volunteers for home hospice care in Nashville. He recognized that while many students wanted to volunteer, transportation was a significant barrier, particularly for reaching the 90% of cases requiring in-home visits. Drawing inspiration from his middle school experience with free bus rides to nursing homes, Daniel developed a solution by coordinating free transportation for Vanderbilt students to volunteer in home hospice care, providing them with valuable patient experience while meeting a critical community need. Volunteer Uber Voucher Pipeline Daniel created a simple pipeline that allows volunteers to apply for Uber vouchers to visit patient sites, considering factors like distance, time, and cost. Since its inception, 35 classmates have been trained to administer Hospice care, volunteering at patient homes and contributing to over 600 hours of service across nearly 200 patient cases. Daniel has personally volunteered for about 350 hours over two years, visiting around 20 patients, and finds the Uber voucher program to be one of the most impactful ways he has contributed to his community. Volunteering Shapes Leadership Journey Daniel reflects on how his volunteer experience has shaped him as a leader, emphasizing that it taught him the importance of taking the first step in community involvement. He explains that he now understands the process of initiating change, from writing grants to securing funding, which gives him confidence in future endeavors. Daniel also describes the unique nature of hospice volunteering, highlighting that each patient interaction is different and tailored to individual needs, ranging from playing piano to discussing art. Vanderbilt Peace of Mind Initiatives Daniel discusses his work with Vanderbilt Peace of Mind, which involves meeting people, understanding their experiences, and conducting educational training sessions with experts in hospice care. He expresses his vision to lead interventions in communities and emphasized the importance of finding partners, communicating effectively, and identifying community needs to create impactful solutions. Daniel was recognized as the Youth Volunteer Award winner at the 2025 Strobel Volunteer Awards, which he considers a significant honor. He encourages others, especially college students, to take leadership roles and create movements for community betterment. Daniel also shares his email address for those interested in partnering with or supporting his efforts with Vanderbilt Peace of Mind. Email Daniel Liu at daniel.x.liu@vanderbilt.edu to learn more and get involved with Vanderbilt Peace of Mind.