Operation Sweet 16

Photo Courtesy of Tori Pimental

Tori Pimental, right, and friends at Stonebriar Centre, before decorating window displays.

What started as a plan for a sweet 16 birthday party led a local teen on a two-year journey to discover what it means to help someone else.

Tori Pimentel, now a senior at Southlake Carroll High School, had the opportunity to plan the party of her dreams in 2011.

Before moving forward with her plans, however, she said she stepped back and thought of the military men and women overseas and the state of the economy.

She told her mother, Mona Burk, that she would rather spend her 16th birthday doing something worthwhile for someone else.

"I decided I wanted to help U.S. soldiers," she said. "They are the true heroes of America and the reason I was able to have a sweet 16 party."

She set a goal to raise $16,000, and she formed Operation Sweet 16, which is now a certified nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization.

Two years later, after dozens of fundraising efforts and support from local businesses in the Southlake area, Frisco and Plano, Pimentel has raised a total of $24,000.