Sending Love to Bolivia
Event background:
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Living in Silicon Valley, we
often know of, but fail to truly comprehend just how
privileged we are. We know that we are mostly upper
middle class, yet we rarely pause to think of those
below us on the socioeconomic ladder. To us, things
such as education are considered universal rights, but
in focusing so much on ourselves, we fail to see how
we may be able to help others. This is why Global Youth
Philanthropy exists. To me, GYP is important because
we bring together youth through music, allowing people
to feel and appreciate the art, and at the same time
we are able to help other children around the world.
Our performers have been learning music for many
years, and using our experience, we can give aid to
those who never got the chance. I was able to visit
Stansberry Children's Home in Bolivia this summer, and
working with the children let me see how even the
smallest of actions can make such a difference in
people's lives. There was one 4-year-old orphan who
was mostly deaf, but was a bundle of joy all the time
and loved to make people smile. Though he himself did
not have much, he did his best to make the world a
better place. His kindness helped me realize how much
we, who have so much to give, could do if we all
worked together to help those in need. Being able to use my love for
music to help others is something that I am so
thankful for. Something that seems so small to us can
make a world of difference to others. We have so much
to give to the world, and I hope that you will join me
in continuing to improve the world we live in.
Janae Zhang
Event Chair |
| Event: | Fundraising Concert "Sending Love to Bolivia | |
| When: | Oct 9, 2016 at 400PM | |
| Where: | Center of Performing Arts, Recital Hall, Santa Clara University (at the corner of Lafayette and Franklin) | |
| Address | 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, 95035-0341 | |
Event Outcome: A sold-out concert
that raised $9,028.75 while incurring cost of $1,798.75, which
yielded a net amount of $7,230
This amount of $7,230 was sent to Stansberry
Orphanage in Bolivia.
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Left Row (from bottom to top): Jason Dunn, Eric Huang, George Wang, Kevin Gao, Jessica Lee, Claren Dai, Justin Tsin, Nathan Tran Right Row (from bottom to top): Jocelyn Tseng, Michelle Kao, Janae Zhang, Jamie Chang, Claire Chang, Elise Kwan, Matthew Zhou |
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Profiles of Team
Members Claire Chang, Event Performer Claire is a junior at Monta Vista High School and has been playing piano for eleven years. Apart from piano, she plays volleyball and participates in her school’s FBLA and Speech and Debate clubs. In her free time, she enjoys doing Pilates and watching movies and television shows. This will be Claire’s fifth year in GYP. Over the summer, she visited the children in the children’s home with fellow GYP members and thoroughly enjoyed the eye-opening and memorable experience. She is extremely grateful for the opportunity to help the friends she made in Bolivia through her music. Jamie Chang, Jamie Chang Jamie Chang is a sophomore at Lynbrook High School and has been playing piano for nine years. In addition to piano, she also plays bassoon for the school band and CYS. Jamie used to dance and play basketball, and is now running with the school cross-country team. She is currently an officer of Viking Buddies, in ASB, and a member of the Angles team. Jamie hopes that she can help make a difference and improve the lives of orphans in Bolivia. Claren Dai, Event Performer Claren is a sophomore this year at Homestead High School. She is 15, and has now played piano for about 9 years. Currently, she is on her school's field hockey team. Claren’s main passions are the arts, and they reflect clearly in her hobbies such as her dancing, drawing, and love for music. She strongly believes in using one's own talents to help others. So as a young musician, she is extremely excited to put her talent to good use for her 4th year in GYP to help the orphanage in Bolivia this year. Jason Dunn, Event Performer Jason is a freshman at Monta Vista High school. He has been playing piano for 7 years since the young age of 6. Other than piano, Jason enjoys playing soccer and singing choir. Jason's choir has traveled around the world and earned numerous awards, the most recent of which was at the Kathaumixw festival this summer. As a new member of GYP, Jason is proud to support orphans in Bolivia. Kevin Gao, Event Performer Kevin Gao is a sophomore at Los Altos High School and is 15 years old. Starting at the age of seven, he has played the piano for eight years. Apart from piano, he plays on the Los Altos varsity badminton team and is the vice president of the school's chess club. In his free time, he likes to watch hockey and learn more about computer science. This is his second year in GYP, and he would be honored to help orphans in Bolivia through music. Eric Huang, Event Performer Eric is a sophomore at Monta Vista High School and is 15 years old. He was been playing the piano for nine years, ever since he was six. Apart from playing the piano, Eric has a passion for mathematics and has enjoyed success in recent years in competitions including Math Counts, USA-JMO, and high school math competitions. Michelle Kao, Event Performer Michelle is a freshman at Lynbrook High School. She has played the piano for nine years and the flute for five years. Aside from music, Michelle also loves drawing, reading, math and listening to music. She enjoys going on drop towers and roller coasters, and is looking forward to helping the orphans in Bolivia. Elise Kwan, Event Performer Elise is an 8th grader at Stratford Middle School, and has been playing piano for 8 years. In addition to piano, she plays the violin, and is currently the 2nd seat of the El Camino Youth Symphony's camerata division. Elise also plays on her school's volleyball and basketball team. She likes to draw, cook, bake, watch anime, and bike. Although this is her first year participating in GYP, she hopes that she can make a difference in the lives of Bolivian orphans. Jessica Lee, Event Performer Jessica is a senior at Monta Vista High School and an officer of Musician's Society, a music service club at her school. With over eleven years of experience in playing the Chinese harp (guzheng), she has won 1st place in the CMTANC International Youth Music Competition. In her free time, Jessica loves sharing her music by performing for the community Jessica is extremely grateful to be able to be part of GYP and for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of less fortunate children across the world. Nathan Tran, Event Performer Nathan is a junior at Saint Francis High School. Since the age of 6, he has been learning how to express himself musically through piano. Besides piano, Nathan plays varsity tennis at SFHS and writes for the school newspaper and yearbook club. He hopes to share his passion with everyone through music and hopes you enjoy the show. Jocelyn Tseng, Event Performer Jocelyn is a freshman at Monta Vista High School and has been playing piano for over eight years. She was selected to play in the 2016 California All-State Honor band for trombone which she has been playing for three years. Jocelyn is currently on the Monta Vista Girl’s tennis varsity team. She is a great fanatic of dogs, and enjoys programming, biking, and listening to music. As a first year participant in GYP, she is pleased to have the chance to help Bolivian children in need by means of music. Justin Tsin, Event Performer Justin is a senior at Gunn High School. He has been playing piano for 8 years, and this is his second year with GYP. He enjoys rawing, painting, and graphic design, and is an active member of the Gunn robotics team. George Wang, Event Performer George is a senior at Saratoga High School and plays piano and sax for his school band and orchestra. He enjoys playing ragtime, classical, and listening to folk. When he is not playing music, George indulges in trivia, playing quiz-bowl competitions with his school team. George also likes visiting natural or historic parks. As a music tutor and first grade T.A, George has learned a lot from younger kids and continues to be inspired by videos and messages he receives from children around the world through GYP. Janae Zhang (2016 Event Chair), Event Performer Janae is a senior at Monta Vista high school and has been playing piano since she was seven. She is the president of the school’s Gender Sexuality Alliance, and is an active member of a robotics team. When not attending her numerous weekly activities such as archery, Janae likes to sew and read. She was able to visit the orphanage in Bolivia this past summer and is grateful to have been able to help in person as well as through this concert. Matt Zhou, Event Performer Matt is a junior at Lynbrook High School and has been playing piano for eleven years. He participates in his school’s DECA and Interact clubs and works as a developer for management businesses and for universities. In his free time, he enjoys power-lifting. This will be Matt’s fifth year in GYP. He went with some of the GYP performers to Bolivia to visit the orphanage, assisting the teachers and helping build a play structure for the children. Matt is extremely excited to help these children through his talents. Choir members:
Nicholas Chen, Grace Chang, Vivian Chang, Angela
Pang, Xinxin Han
Alyson Lu, Mullai Shanmugam, Adrian Wang, Megan Chiu |