Arden Pala is an American philanthropist, author, actor, and filmmaker. He is known for founding the nonprofit organization Sports4Kids[2][3][4][5] He received a 2024 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award and a President's Council Award for his work with Sports4Kids.[6][7][8] He is the youngest person to receive a President's Council Award.[6][9]
Pala is also the author of the children's book series The Adventures of Noah's Flying Car.[10][11][12] He wrote and directed the documentary film A Second Chance.[13][14]
Early life and education
Pala was born to Turkish immigrants Serhat Pala and Zeynep Ilgaz Pala, who are the cofounders of a biotech company, Confirm Biosciences.[13] He also has an older brother named Kenana, that started the non-profit organization Kids4Community.[15]
Pala published his second book, The Adventures of Noah's Flying Car Through Turkey, in 2019.[19]
In 2020, Pala published the third book in The Adventures of Noah's Flying Car series, The Adventures of Noah's Flying Car Through Mexico.[12] He donated the proceeds from the book to the San Diego COVID-19 Community Respond Fund.[12][20][21] Pala was named Best Child Actor at the 2020 Los Angeles Film Festival for his performance in the short film Tahz.[10][12] In 2020, Pala also founded Sports4Kids, a charity that raises funds to provide sports equipment and coaching for elementary schools in underprivileged areas.[2][3][6][4]
In 2021, he released a documentary film on homelessness, A Second Chance, which he wrote and directed.[13] For his work on the film, he received the Best Young Male Filmmaker award from the Los Angeles International Film Festival/Indie Shot Fest.[13] The film was also chosen as a finalist at the New Filmmakers NY and Oniros Film Awards NY film festivals and an official selection in the New York Movie Awards and the LA Live Film Fest.[13]
Pala organized the Bags of Hope event, which provided relief for the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes.[22][5] In 2023, he also organized the Christmas Bags of Hope event, which provided essentials, toys, and other items for homeless children in the San Diego area.[23]
Sports Illustrated named Pala its SportsKid of the Year for his work with Sports4Kids in 2024.[4][24][25] He also received a Presidential Lifetime Achievement award and a President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition Community Leadership Award in the same year.[6][7][8][26] He was the youngest person to receive a President's Council Award.[27][9] In recognition of his philanthropic efforts, the city of San Diego also proclaimed February 23 as "Arden Pala Day."[25][28][8] In 2024, Pala also received the Starbucks Neighborhood Grant for his efforts with the homeless population.[29]
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