__On January 2nd, the East Villagers interns gathered together at Stanford Shopping Center in order to spread awareness about the name and vision of Transparent Fish Fund. The game plan was to split into three groups, and then station each group at different sections of the mall. Each group carried fliers that contained information about the TFish Fund, and began stopping people respectfully in order to talk about the organization. We hoped to communicate our vision behind spreading a movement of philanthropy.

I was assigned to a group that consisted of three volunteers and myself, an EV intern. The experience was exciting, but at the same time, nerve-wrecking. We were all nervous at first, unsure how to approach people, and had to do a quick “rehearsals” before asking people walking by if we can borrow some of their time. Like any other mission, there are times of success and failure, and after a couple of rejections, people began to stop and listen to what we had to say. A few caring individuals were genuinely interested in our work and message and listened attentively, making our jobs as the communicator easier. After talking to six people, our group was stopped by the mall’s security official, stating that we could not continue because we needed to sign paperwork for permission.

Even though our mission had to conclude earlier than expected, the experience was still worthwhile. Together as a group, we sat in chairs in the center of the mall and debriefed the one hour that we had spent talking. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the experience, besides the challenges of rejection, and the early conclusion of the mission.
Now that I am more exposed and comfortable with communicating to the members of my community about the TFish Fund project, I cannot wait to spread the vision of TFish Fund through the many other projects coming forth this year!

Sophia Huang, EVSS Intern
Los Altos High School, California, Grade 11

_Philanthropy is not simply about sums of money being donated from one party to another. On a greater level, it necessitates educating minds, stirring hearts, and inspiring action - all driven by a collective compassion to address issues of human need. One of our hopes is to engage a unique population with this essence of philanthropy: students. This past weekend, we were excited to sponsor a charity dinner - planned and executed by our high school interns - with the hope of initiating a movement of philanthropy amongst the youth in the Bay Area.

Nearly 80 guests, mostly consisting of high school and college students, gathered this past Saturday for the charity dinner. The interns led a variety of fun and informative activities aimed at raising awareness of the world’s social injustices, and even got to share some of their personal reflections from interning at the TFish Fund and the Chao Foundation. One intern, Emily, shared:

"We see the differences that distinguish them [the LRS children] from our routine lifestyles, and we have a better perspective of their dire needs. Their difficult living conditions are heartbreaking to see. Growing up in the Silicon Valley, an affluent area of an affluent nation, I feel a sense of guilt, and this sensation is uncomfortable. But, I believe that this guilt is accompanied by a sense of responsibility to reach out to these victims of social injustice."