In 2025, FCSN now serves hundreds of special needs individuals across the Bay Area. The organization has solidified its reputation of tenacious leadership, stalwart service, and boundless impact to all its reach. But in 2003, FCSN was no more than a gathering of parents who harbored a hopeful vision for their special needs kids. 

2003 was the 7th year since FCSN’s founding, but that year was quite significant. Recognizing the need to gather funding and community attention for their organization’s cause, the FCSN parents penned the idea of a “FCSN Fundraising Gala.” Jason Hwan, co-founder of FCSN and current co-event chair of the Gala, shared his memories of that fateful year: “We had the idea to raise some money to build a center and allow the mainstream society to understand FCSN’s mission.” Mr. Hwan adds, “At the time, all the parents had a dream to establish a more permanent center, so we could have a big home and host all kinds of events to serve special needs gatherings.”

Best of all, Mr. Hwan remembers the event culminating in  great success! “We received a lot of support and decided to do it every year.” And of course, the Fundraising Gala has evolved and thrived just like its mother organization; in 2024 alone, hundreds of guests attended and FCSN’s family has only grown.

But every event comes with its challenges. An undertaking as massive as the Fundraising Gala requires months of advance planning and careful coordination. Mr. Hwan serves as the co-chairman of the event and runs the Gala Committee, joking about his role: “As the co-chair, I really just make sure everyone gets their jobs done!” 

Serving as co-chair, however, necessitates accounting for numerous moving pieces. The Gala Committee reviews and plans the Gala’s theme, fundraising target, event venue, intended audience, outreach and advertisement, and much more. Every year, the Gala launches into planning in July– a three to four month process of hard work and dedication.

One of the most important pieces of the FCSN Fundraising Gala is the yearly theme. It’s a tradition that’s started since the event’s birth. Mr. Hwan recounts, “We had a dream to establish a more permanent center, so we could have a big home and host all kinds of events to serve special needs gatherings.” 

From that idea sprung the name “Build our Dream,” a promise that FCSN, through the years, could continue expanding its vision and touching the lives of more special needs children along the way.

As the years passed, the theme morphed into “Spread our Dream” as FCSN established itself and looked toward expanding a larger family. Today, the theme stands as “Expand our Dream,” which Mr. Hwan notes has been the same for the past few years. It’s a testament to the fact that FCSN has already met its initial vision, but isn’t stopping here–there’s never a limit to how much more the family can grow.

Mr. Hwan adds that along with expanding to include more members, FCSN has recently focused on integrating more groups: “We want to serve more special needs individuals and also want to take care of people with behavioral challenges.” Thus, FCSN has continued to “Expand their Dream” by reaching new heights they never imagined back in 2003.

Mr. Hwan also explains that the FCSN Gala is not only an avenue for the organization’s fundraising, but also sheds light on FCSN’s core pursuits, drawing in more mainstream society to its cause. The Gala brings in strong support from local politicians, legislators, families, officials, and individuals from all aspects of society–a great way to connect everyone in one place and underscore their importance in building the organization’s present and future.

The Gala is hosted annually at a restaurant, featuring various events that include singing, guest speeches, and raffle prizes. All of the donations collected go toward FCSN’s facilities. 

One of the challenges in hosting the event involves selecting a venue. Mr. Hwan notes that the first few years of the Gala were at the Santa Clara Convention Center, a spacious expanse that could house over one thousand guests. However, due to financial and physical logistics, the FCSN Gala Committee moved to the Grand Dynasty Chinese Seafood Restaurant, a venue that has satisfied guests with a delicious and fulfilling experience ever since.

Coordinating a guest list is also important–and just as difficult! Mr. Hwan groups guests into three categories, each with  significant importance to FCSN. The first are FCSN “Friends” – families and individuals who have been with the organization since the very beginning, sharing their love and support along the way. The second are FCSN “Supporters” – a combination of agencies, community legislators, mayors, and individuals with the potential to share FCSN’s message with the wider public. Last but not least are FCSN’s “Donors” – a crucial force behind fundraising and promoting many of FCSN’s operations to this day. 

Aside from grouping guests and assembling lists, Mr. Hwan directs the Gala Committee to also explore avenues to advertise the event to the public. The Committee coordinates extensive emails and messages over social media platforms, drawing from their list of members as organized above. They also host a press conference a couple weeks before the event and broadcast regularly on radio stations like 96.1 KSQQ. FCSN has even appeared on television channels like Channel 26 KTSF, a testament to their wide community reach and enthusiasm in promoting the Fundraising Gala each year.

Mr. Hwan, as co-chair of the Fundraising Committee, oversees all of these logistics and more. However, he also highlights other notable individuals in the Gala’s planning: Jim Chiao and Yee-Yeen Wang, Board Chairs that oversee the Gala’s theme, fundraising target, and cohesive impact; Anna Wang, the Vice President of FCSN with great connections in the community; and Jacqueline Yu, the other co-chair of the event.

This extensive planning and outreach is a process repeated year after year, but Mr. Hwan emphasizes: “The 2024 Gala Event was very meaningful.” With FCSN having opened their latest, largest Osgood Center, there was much to celebrate and be proud of in terms of “Expanding their Dream.” Moreover, Mr. Hwan acknowledges that the 2023 Gala’s fundraising target was quite aggressive, a result of the Osgood Center’s formation, and the 2024 Gala was a fundamental “presentation and recognition for the people who helped us make it happen.” Mr. Hwan, and the rest of FCSN, were truly so grateful to present the Center to FCSN’s guests and the family they’ve been able to build over the years.