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Santa Clara Valley Youth Bring Compassion from One Side of the Pacific to Another
By June-Ho Kim and Justin Lam
Wednesday, December 21, 2005 — Just hours after news of the December 2004 earthquake and tsunami that devastated South Asia and East Africa reached the other side of the Pacific, the Red Cross youth of the Santa Clara Valley Chapter took action: they held an online chat. Though on winter break and in different locations, the eleven high school students of the chapter’s Youth Executive Board shared what they had learned and immediately organized a plan to support the victims of the tragedy and the foreseeable tsunami relief effort.
“After the online chat, we all knew what we had to do and worked together through that,” says Youth Executive Board member Lauretta Lu, then the board’s International Services Coordinator.
The plan that sprung together in cyberspace soon became known as Waves of Compassion. In the remainder of their break, Youth Executive Board members designed a look for the campaign, including leaflets describing the Red Cross response and labels to use for donation canisters. They also identified local restaurants and supermarkets from which the campaign could be promoted.
“Basically, the main idea of the campaign was to send one clear, consistent message to the public with the Waves of Compassion theme and also to put youth’s unlimited potential for fundraising at the forefront” says Youth Executive Board Justin Lam, former International Services Coordinator for the Measles Initiative.
Once the chapter’s middle and high school Red Cross clubs returned to school, the Youth Executive Board distributed guides telling officers how to take the Waves of Compassion program to their schools and other locations in the community. Local Red Cross clubs placed collection jars all around their school campuses and at businesses, each with the unique Waves of Compassion label and the Red Cross insignia.
The Santa Clara Valley chapter also partnered with Westfield Shopping Centers in order to raise awareness of the disaster. Each weekend in January, youth volunteers staffed booths next to donation towers and distributed information about the tsunami and the Red Cross.
Overall the campaign energized the members of the board, the chapter, and the local community. “It was really amazing to me how only a few teenagers could pull together, accomplish so much, and do so much good, because it’s not every day you see that,” says Lu. “I think publicity was the key,” says Diem Hoang, former Red Cross club president at Westmont High School. “We made video promos promoting the program. We also had a lot of flyers and asked for teacher's participation.”
The Waves of Compassion campaign was a true testament to the leadership and fundraising ability of youth volunteers. “Youth are clearly passionate and capable,” says June-Ho Kim, former Co-Chair of the board. “By giving them responsibility in addition to their skill with modern technology and innovation, youth can lead the effort to aid those who are desperately in need.”
Note: Because of the generosity of its supporters, the American Red Cross believes it has the funds to allow it to fulfill long-term plans to assist tsunami survivors. Please read the Tsunami Recovery Program One-Year Report for details regarding the American Red Cross response and the transition from emergency relief to long-term recovery work.
You can help the victims of countless crises around the world each year, crises like the Myanmar Cyclone and China Earthquake, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation by either contacting 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish), or mailing your donation with the designation to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013 or to your local American Red Cross chapter. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.
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