​Thank you for making the TFish 5K Walkathon a success and for making a difference in the lives of impoverished children and families in East Asia. We had perfect sunny weather, delicious tacos, raised a total of $9,419, and supported 11 poverty alleviation projects as a result of everyone's kindness and generosity. Enjoy these photos from the event!

Thank you volunteers for all your help at the walkathon!
Acknowledgements: Emma Cockerell, Jimmy Sh, Margaret Li, Beth Kam, Emily Kam, Josiah Kam, June Wang, Sharmila Ranka.

Pictured: Primary school kids in impoverished rural schools eating free lunches from TFISH donations.    

May you and your family have a wonderful Lunar New Year. Let's spread the prosperity in our own lives to communities in need!

We are currently raising money to support a very complex surgery for 14 year old Li Yong. He was born with a congenital heart defect and his family has not been able to pay for his treatment. Join us to bring a happy new year for Li Yong's family.  

TFISH will be holding a booth and fundraising at this year's Tet Festival Sat 02/21 and Sun 02/22 at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. Come check us out!!

In the spirit of giving, our board members cooked a homemade Christmas Dinner for over 100 families and children in East Palo Alto from Bayshore Christian Ministries Bible study program and O'Keefe tutoring program. We wouldn't have been able to do it without our wonderful volunteers. 

Christmas Dinner Program
Introductions 
Opening prayer - Pastor Bennett 
Scripture reading - Giselle
Praise/Worship
Testimony - Jordan Vargas
Brief Sermon - 'The Real Meaning of Christmas', Pastor Les
Testimony - Matt Nguyen
Close - Invitation to Christ
Prayer for Dinner
Dinner Begins
Carolers and Special Performances
Beth and Emily Kam Christmas Duet
Christmas Gift Give-Away
Thank You's/Acknowledgments

Acknowledgements
We thank everyone who came together and collaborated to make this event possible. May the Lord bless you abundantly! Thank you Chao Foundation, Transparent Fish Fund, O’Keefe Family Center, Peninsula Free Methodist Church, Lord's Grace Christian Church, other Bay area churches, and TFish friends. We thank our wonderful cooks who prepared a delicious meal for the families: Ping & Amy Chao, Paul & Cindy Chan, Henry & Lisa Chang, Anna Mar, Jei Shuan & Su-Chen, Gloria Yu, and Adelina Tan. Thank you to the BCM Team, Yee Family, All Volunteers, Worship Team, Table Hosts, Speakers, Performers, Interns, and Helpers.

Last week, TFISH Executive Director Nancy Nguyen was interviewed as part of the "In Our Community" segment for local TV station KMVT.  As Marketing Coordinator of TFISH,
I have been invited to a number of interesting events on behalf of TFISH, but this was my first time taking part in a live taping of a television interview. 

Before the taping started, Nancy and I prepped in the hall way and talked with the KMVT staff about our work. Our graphic designer Sharmila also showed up representing TFISH. It was after work hours and a Friday night so we were so appreciative - and surprised - that she came to help out. This is another example of how TFISH staff goes beyond the call of duty. It's always great to have our dedicated supporters around no matter how big or small the event. 

When we were called in, a small audience took their seats in the front row. A man from the sound room shouted out directions to the three cameraman. It took a few tries to get the camera angles and microphones just right. But once we started rolling, all the tension melted away and it felt like listening in on a normal conversation between two people. 

After the taping, the people at the station expressed their love for TFISH, and the manager wanted to feature us on more interviews!  I'm so excited about the prospects of working with KMVT and getting our story across to a greater audience. Hopefully, there will be more tapings to come...

Have an idea on the type of interviews you want us to do? Please email me at: [email protected]

I'll keep you all updated on when the show will air. Thanks to KMVT staff for making us feel welcome!  Watch us On Comcast 15 and 26 in Mountain View, Los Altos and Cupertino. AT&T U-Verse channel 99 throughout the Bay Area

June 8th 2014, LOS ALTOS, CA -- New Heart Benefit Concert was held last week at the Foothill Covenant Church to raise money for congenital heart surgeries in rural China. TFISH intern Lauren Kam and her family spent weeks preparing for this event. Lauren went out to local businesses for sponsorships. Her sisters Beth and Emily created handmade gifts for donors. Her mother and father spent the day decorating and setting up the auditorium. Young volunteers dedicated their time and energy to play for the concert. From the program pamphlets to the desserts at reception, every detail was created with care. 

The benefit was a heart-warming success. In such a short amount of time, Lauren was able to raise $4,445. However, she is still hoping to reach the $6,000 mark to fund 3 surgeries. All proceeds are going towards the non-profit Little Red Scarf, a medical program of Transparent Fish Fund. Donations will go directly to recipient surgery and health care fees. Lauren will be personally making a trip to Gansu this summer to visit the patients in the Little Red Scarf hospital. 

To help Lauren reach her goal: http://www.stayclassy.org/fundraise?fcid=311006

Please join us for an evening of classical music to support the Little Red Scarf.

A nonprofit organization providing surgery for children with congenital heart disease in rural China

Sunday, June 8th, 7:30pm
Foothill Covenant Church
1555 Oak Avenue
Los Altos, CA 94024

Strings, piano, french horn, and vocal performance by students of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra and San Francisco Conservatory of Music

RSVP: www.tfishfund.org/rsvp.html
For more information, please make an online donation: http://www.tfishfund.org/lrs.html

Partners
East Villagers Nonprofit Community www.eastvillagers.org
Transparent Fish Fund www.tfishfund.org
Ping & Amy Chao Family Foundation www.chaofoundation.org 

May 8th 2014, SANTA MONICA, CA -- Transparent Fish Fund and the Chao Foundation sponsored One Heart Worldwide's Annual Grateful Heart Gala by providing a dollar-for-dollar matching grant for all donations up to $500. The sold-out event included a live band and silent auction, and was hosted by celebrity guest emcee Carrie-Anne Moss. All proceeds went towards One-Heart's unique programs dedicated towards preventing the deaths of mothers and infants in remote rural communities around the world. 

This is our second year working with One-Heart World Wide. Last year we donated a total of $50,000 that went to neonatal programs in Mexico and Nepal. Their life-saving programs were initially established in the late 1990’s in the Tibetan Autonomous Region and in the last ten years, they have been able to decrease unattended home births from 85% to 20%, mostly by ensuring the presence of a skilled attendant at delivery. They also work closely with local communities and health providers to develop a culturally appropriate "Network of Safety" around mothers and infants. Based on their years of experience, One Heart has developed an effective, replicable, and sustainable model to reduce preventable deaths related to pregnancy and delivery among vulnerable rural populations. 

April 28th 2014, SAN JOSE, CA -- Congratulations to Sahaya International for a successful charity art show held last Friday at San Jose Evergreen Community Center. Our Executive Director Nancy Nguyen was there to present our partnering organization with a $20,000 sponsorship from Chao Foundation and Transparent Fish Fund. This grant contributed to the construction of a bridge and 17 homes in rural Vietnam. The Charity Art Show featured work from a number of local artists, and even a few pieces from children. All artwork was donated and proceeds from this event went towards providing scholarships for students who cannot afford schooling in Vietnam. 

Sahaya International is a US 501(c)3 organization that helps relieve poverty in rural Vietnam by providing adequate homes and scholarships for impoverished families, specifically in the province of Kien Giang, that is located in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam. In 2013, Sahaya International in collaboration with Transparent Fish Fund has reached a milestone of a total of 65 homes built for struggling families. 

March 8-9, 2014, Los Altos, CA - Chao Foundation sponsored a charity art show to fundraise for Hongyan's high surgery fees. TFish was able to fundraise enough for Hongyan's surgery through donations and buying of paintings. He Yuanming has been an artist for over 35 years. His works were collected and exhibited numerous times around the world in countries such as China, the US, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The Hong Kong Ritz-Carlton Hotel has collected He Laoshi’s three works titled “Galloping,” “Morning Breeze,” and “Eight Horses.” The works of art have been enlarged to become a mural on the ceiling of the lobby and were named “Horse Galloping Across the Sky.”

Aside from being an exceptional artist, He Yuanming is also a very caring person, especially for the poor families in rural China. He Laoshi’s exhibit in the Bay area coincidentally occurs around the same time as our foundation’s Little Red Scarf project approaches its milestone of helping our 1000th child receive heart surgery in rural Gansu province, which was a goal we had set six years ago. After He Laoshi heard about this, he immediately decided to donate eight of his paintings to help these children.  On behalf of these children and our foundation, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for his kindness. We also thank our volunteers and donors who generously gave their time and resources to make this art show a success.

We would like to acknowledge our Volunteers for all their help:
Jack & Ying Ying Wang
Jei Shuan Chen & Su Chen Wu
Annie Cheng
PC
June Wang
Daniel Nguyen
EV Interns (Allison Zhang, Allison Sun, Katie Lan, Ricky Shin, and Kaitlyn Cheung)

Donors
He Yuanming
Huang Family
Wei-Jin Dai
Henry & Lisa Chang
Kris Wang
Charlie Bui

Click here to see full donor list...