Meet Orly
All Dreams Begin with a Dreamer
Orly Wahba is an educator, entrepreneur, author, inspirational speaker and community activist passionate about inspiring and motivating people to be the best that they can be. Since her teenage years, Orly has worked extensively with tweens and teens as well as local charities in her community providing a helping hand for those who need it most.
Meet Orly
All Dreams Begin with a Dreamer
Orly Wahba is an educator, entrepreneur, author, inspirational speaker and community activist passionate about inspiring and motivating people to be the best that they can be. Since her teenage years, Orly has worked extensively with tweens and teens as well as local charities in her community providing a helping hand for those who need it most.
Orly is like a mother to a huge family.
I have seen that Orly and LVI give a lot of people out there a community where they have a chance to belong to, no matter what each individual case is, LVI is their “Home”. Her care and positive outlook give them the love they so ache for, in this seemingly more and more unloving world. It’s nice to know that Orly’s light is out there, lighting the way away from darkness.”
~Paul G, Germany
Beginnings
Orly’s Journey
Orly began her career in Kindness as a Middle School educator at the Yeshivah of Flatbush in Brooklyn, NY, teaching the children to embrace unity, build their self-esteem, and use the power they have to influence the world for good. Orly is well known for incorporating and integrating ideas of kindness, love and respect in the hearts and minds of her students both in and out of the classroom setting. She is often quoted as saying, “Kindness, don’t just do it…LIVE IT!”
Yearning to make a larger impact with her philanthropic work and after having been inspired by a small sign on a plane labeled “Life Vest Inside” Orly founded (2011) Life Vest Inside, a non-profit organization with a mission to encourage people to embrace the incredible power of giving and recognize that in times of hardship, kindness, like a life vest, keeps the world afloat.
Kindness is Addictive
The magic that Orly spreads is undeniable!
Through Life Vest Inside, kind happenings are becoming more frequent. There is a spectacular energy about Orly and if you are lucky enough to encounter the spunky, (usually) orange-clad brunette herself, she will most likely be making a chalk walk of inspiration in Times Square or giving out her famed Acts of Kindness Cards on the subway. And as Orly’s kindness mob grows by the thousands, more people are experiencing the addictiveness in the giving of kindness.
Orly received her BA in Film Production and English from Brooklyn College, and her MA in Jewish History from Touro College. Orly serves on the Board of The Pay it Forward Foundation as well as the Brooklyn College Foundation.
Fun Facts About Orly
Orly attended Trapeze School NYC for two years
Orly directed community theater for 10 years
Orly figure skates, plays basketball, softball and is a mean ping pong player
Orly is a crazy Disney fan!
Orly plays piano and drums
Orly saw Wicked the Musical 16 times and counting!
Michael Jackson is one of the single most influential musicians in Orly’s life
Orly dreams of one day directing a feature film and o yea, running for President!
Leaving a Mark
HEART TO HEART with Orly Wahba
Where does your passion come from?
The ideas behind the organization started ever since I was a young child, listening repeatedly to the song, “Heal the World” by Michael Jackson and knowing in my heart of hearts that I wanted to make a difference in the world; I wanted to leave my mark and I wanted more than anything to bring people together under the banner of peace, respect, and kindness. Those thoughts were always part of me ever since I could remember.
As I grew a bit older, a middle school experience I had took a big blow at my self-image. I became very shy, reserved and lacked self-esteem and self-confidence. I always looked at others, thinking that they had it made and I was just not good enough. I never took the time to learn to love myself and believe in my abilities.
Then the big shift, in my sophomore year of high school I went through a very trying time. There was a fire in my house, my dad lost his business and one thing after the next seemed to go wrong. I wanted to be strong for my family and so I held in the pain I was feeling, putting on a fake smile and telling people “I’m totally fine.” I couldn’t keep that up for very long. In December of that year, I fell into a dark depression and was out of school for a couple of months. I had always cared about others. If someone was absent from school, I would copy notes for them, give them a call and show a bit of concern. I was taken aback when I didn’t receive the like.
It was a time in my life in which I felt completely alone, hopeless and afraid to go on.
It came to a point where I didn’t recognize myself; I had lost that amazing spirit and that scared me most of all. I was angry everyone, including G-d. But as things turned out it was actually my faith that got me through and helped me push forward.
One day I woke up, looked in the mirror and I didn’t recognize the person staring back at me; where was the girl who was gonna heal the world with acts of kindness? I looked at myself long and hard, looked up and asked G-d to give me the strength to go on. This would not be my end; it was just the beginning.
I promised myself back then that I would rise above and that I would be there for people the way I had wished someone would have been there for me.
Been keeping to that promise ever since.
It was that promise that led me to working so intensely with community service organizations, it was that promise that led me to teaching, and it was ultimately that promise that led me here today – to Life Vest Inside.
