Written By: Lindsay Li, FCSN Voices Youth Reporter
Graphics By: Kristinia Guo, FCSN Voices Senior Graphic Artist

Between supervising Family Gatherings, attending FCSN Voices meetups, and overseeing other efforts to help out the special needs community, adult volunteer Wei-Jen Hsia has become a vital part of FCSN’s volunteering team. Since joining in 2008, she has become a dedicated adult volunteer for numerous programs, most notably FCSN’s newsletter, FCSN Voices, and the semesterly Family Gatherings.

Wei-Jen has been a member of FCSN for around fifteen years now. She first learned about FCSN while searching for a volunteering opportunity for her son. Her friend, the mother of a special needs individual, encouraged Wei-Jen and her son to check out the organization, and she decided to start helping out as an adult volunteer. “That was my first step, my real motivation,” Wei-Jen said. “I think this is a very good organization for a very good cause.”

Wei-Jen (right) volunteering at one of the South Bay Center’s Family Gatherings.

Early on in her volunteering journey, Wei-Jen learned about the special needs community and how their families support them, witnessing just how much effort parents put into nurturing their children’s growth. “After two hours [of a volunteering session], I’m exhausted already. But parents have to take care of their kids every day,” she said. “I really admire them. I see how much they do for their kids.” 

Mainly involved in FCSN Voices and South Bay Family Gatherings, Wei-Jen has shown her dedication and persistence in supporting these programs. In 2016, she assisted as a coordinator for the revival of FCSN’s newsletter publication, called FCSN Dream Builders at the time. She has been a member of the team ever since, contacting various people on behalf of reporters with the wide range of people she has met. 

Wei-Jen is also active with helping at South Bay Family Gatherings, which has aided her in better understanding special needs individuals. “When I first joined the Family Gathering, I was like, ‘I don’t know how to communicate with special needs [individuals],” she said. “But after you get more familiar with them, you start to learn each person’s temperament, and you understand how each one of them is different. Everyone is different, but they’re also so generous.”

With her fifteen years of experiences also came various challenges. Wei-Jen recalls her process of adjusting to the unique behavior that each special needs child can display. “One challenge at the beginning is sometimes, if they get agitated or they have a bad day, sometimes they’re too strong for me to handle. Those are the types of things I found that I didn’t know how to handle,” Wei-Jen said. However, over time, she has found ways to adapt to the students’ needs and resolve the situation quickly. “I learned that I have to be more observant because their mood could be different on that day. Those are the things I’ve learned over the [years] to be better at.”

Since her initial introduction to FCSN, Wei-Jen has made countless new friends and thoroughly enjoyed her volunteering experience. “When you volunteer to help other people, you also make yourself very happy. It gives you satisfaction,” she said. She encourages other parents to volunteer with their children too, as she has done together with her son. “I hope they can encourage their children to not be just a one-semester, but a long-term volunteer,” she concluded.