Giving Compass' Take:

• Seattle Foundation profiles Zoe Mesnik-Greene, the young social entrepreneur who launched Lasting Smiles, a lip balm brand that supports global farmers and funds cleft palate surgeries for kids.

• What can the older generation of philanthropists learn from Mesnik-Greene and others in their 20s? Their passion and drive should be an inspiration for all.

• Here's why Millennials' notion of charity is drastically different than the way their parents view it.

Zoe Mesnik-Greene was at a juncture in 2013 as a sophomore at the University of Washington. Would she continue as an elite pole vaulter, who had trained at the U.S. Olympic Training Center? Or would she put her considerable energy into the cause-based business she started in her dorm room to make high-quality lip balms that support global farmers and fund cleft palate surgeries for children in the developing world?

As the founder and CEO of Lasting Smiles, whose tagline is "Nourish Your Lips, Nurture the World," Mesnik-Greene wanted to create a philanthropic tool for change that is accessible, affordable and replenishable.

“For our generation, the word philanthropy can seem unapproachable. If I bring it up with friends, a lot of people think it’s for the very wealthy, and how can I be a philanthropist? But, of course, when you look it up, it means love of man. So anyone can be a philanthropist in their own life,” said Mesnik-Greene, who calls Lasting Smiles her life’s purpose ...

Mesnik-Greene’s commitment to philanthropy can be traced back to joining Seattle Foundation’s Youth Grantmaking Board as a high school freshman. “It was hands down one of the most influential programs I was involved with in high school,” she said. "I appreciated how Seattle Foundation empowered youth and taught us real tools to succeed in grantmaking.”

Read the full article about next gen philanthropist Zoe Mesnik-Greene by Kristin Dizon at Seattle Foundation.