By Sola Long and Tammy Long (Class of 2021)
Photography: Rachel Blythe (Class of 2022)

No one has ever become poor by giving.
– Anne Frank

https://www.biography.com/activist/anne-frank (Quote #13)

Giving will always result in overall happiness; those who give live a fulfilling life. This is the lesson we learn continuously at DVGS and bring into practice. On a lucid Saturday afternoon, the Caring Kitchen fundraiser crew—Audrey Chan, Annabelle Shen, Sola Long and Tammy Long (sophomores)—were putting together a second mission in the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. Feeling guilty due to inability of completing monthly fundraisers, the crew put in an abundance of hours in preparation for this event.

Once the crew finished contemplating on different fundraiser ideas, they agreed on making origami roses. From origami paper of vibrant colors, elegant roses were brought into existence; subsequently the leafs and stems were attached. With blundering attempts at first, the efficiency gradually sped up, some sophomores helped in the mass production of flower folding and assembling. On Saturday, the crew made the traditional complimentary Chai Tea in addition to the roses. Soon after setting up the station around 1 pm, many supportive visitors came by. They were interested in the Caring Kitchen program and questions were raised about how the program runs and where the donations go to, all of which the crew answered with eager attitudes and with faces beaming with joy.

After three hours of promoting and waving to cars, the crew walked back to the dormitory with lighter footsteps and hearts beating with the days’ accomplishments. In conclusion, the Caring Kitchen fundraiser crew was thrilled to have received significant amount of support, the total of both fundraisers (on May 25 and on February 14) summed up to around seven hundred dollars.

With one motto embraced in our minds – we fundraise because we care and will  use whatever skills we have to make it happen.