How philanthropy shaped my story.
My journey
through charity.
"When we graduate, you will take the reins and continue the legacy of this program."
Joining a newly formed high school club in my freshman year, the sight of the handing over of the club, from president after president, year after year became routine. Each with the common goal of expanding the club’s reach and tackling food insecurity. In a blink, senior year was here, and it was time for us to fill the shoes.
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The Spillover Effect
Youth Forum for Asian Representation
As collaboration between GoGivers and other organizations grew—such as the joint Dim Sum Luncheon and Distribution with the Youth Forum for Asian Representation—I gained a deeper understanding of their mission. This experience eventually led me to join their team as an advisory board member.
Changing Environments
GoGivers Foundation
Learning alongside the leaders for so long, it was almost second nature when it came to the club's operations. But there were perimeters to what we were allowed to do at school. Wanting to do more, we assembled a team of nine executives, launched a new non-profit and for the next five years, and counting, we would distribute monthly care packages to the DTES. Today, that initiative has grown into a community of over a thousand members, continuing the mission to support those in need.
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GoEducate: Student Advocacy
I remember my first year at UBC when growing student protests brought attention to the issue of food insecurity. As Chair of the Advisory Board, I saw an opportunity to do more, so we launched GoEducate—a seminar on food insecurity and student advocacy — to show that food insecurity efforts don’t end after high school and that continuous advocacy drives meaningful change.
Dialogue to Action Conference
One of the major projects we worked on after joining was the Dialogue to Action Conference, where we engaged over sixty youth with community leaders like Carol Lee, Hon. Harjit Sajjan, Jennifer Chan, and Steven Ngo. This provided me with experience in dialogue in both political and corporate spaces.
A Leap Forward
Cars and Hoops Charity Festival
Cars and Hoops Charity was one of the largest events I had the opportunity to help organize, navigating both corporate and public relations. Working alongside a team of over 50 volunteers to run an event of over 1,600 attendees challenged me to balance multiple responsibilities and adapt to different needs. In the end, we were grateful to raise over $160,000 for the Canuck Place towards pediatric palliative healthcare.
Thrive Refuge
Bringing People Together
At the end of the day, I’ve come to realize that the heart of charity is bringing people together around a shared mission for good. No matter the cause, it’s the people who drive the impact. Through these experiences, I’ve learned that meaningful change starts with creating the right environment for it to happen.
Traversing The Past
Past Events
