Written by: Fiona Yang, FCSN Voices Editor
Graphics by: Sanaa Raje, FCSN Voices Graphic Artist

From 5-8 p.m. on November 2, FCSN hosted its annual fundraising gala at the Grand Dynasty Chinese Seafood Restaurant in San Jose. Upon entering, attendees were greeted by the bustling atmosphere with families and friends, joyful reunions, and excitement for the night’s festivities, which included the dinner, musical performances, FCSN co-chair speeches, sponsor and VIP introductions, and more. Continuing with last year’s theme, “Expand Our Dream”, the gala aimed to maintain and expand support for families and children with special needs. “FCSN has been long-standing, and we still feel like there are so many families, especially in the Bay Area, who are in need … The reason why we said ‘dreams’ is that a lot of the time, when we try to do something, it always feels impossible to achieve. But … a dream is a dream, and we always make dreams realised,” Gala event co-chair and FCSN Vice President Wei Li said.

At 5:00 p.m., the dinner kicked off, and attendees and families mingled with each other, laughing and chatting cheerfully. Thirty minutes later, event co-chairs Wei Li and Jason Hwan took the stage, welcoming everyone to the night’s events and their fundraising goal of $500,000. Following the two, Chi Ling Wu gave a beautiful musical performance. 

One of the highlights of the event was the appearances of the major sponsors and VIP’s. Among the sponsors were former Fremont Mayor Lily Mei, Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan, Fremont City Council Member Yang Shao, and Cupertino Mayor Liang Chao. Memorably, the event chairs introduced Senator Aisha Wahab, who applauded parents and families of FCSN for supporting children with special needs and emphasised the importance of inclusion. “We celebrate the families, volunteers … Everyone deserves dignity, deserves to belong, [and to know] that we have friends all over the Bay Area,” Senator Aisha Wahab said.

Another short music break continued the lighthearted and joyous environment. The award-winning Dream Achievers Band played “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, and attendees were encouraged to sing along. An FCSN-produced video with lyrics played on the screen as the band performed, especially as the song’s meaning paralleled FCSN’s opening doors and opportunities for children with special needs to achieve their dreams. After the heartwarming music, Jennifer Li and Sally Wu gave a brief speech in recognition of the artists who won the FCSN 30th anniversary t-shirt design contest, spotlighting the winners’ designs and awarding them.

For the future, the organisation hopes to garner even more support, reaching out to additional families and individuals who empathise with its mission or find the assistance they need. “In the longer term, we really are hoping that we can not only support more people but also be a central hub, connecting with many agencies or volunteer support groups for special needs to make this community stronger,” Gala Event co-chair and FCSN co-president Jason Hwan said. 

Overall, the event brought together many FCSN families and friends, interlacing the community together as months of efforts bore fruit during the fundraiser. “To be honest, I think [FCSN] is an opportunity to do good. I’ve gone around FCSN itself and seen how many people it helps. FCSN, among a lot of other non-profits, is a really mission-driven and really efficient organisation… They’re doing it because they want to make a difference. These are the kinds of people I want to help … and I want to help them do more,” Attendee Yhuim Ong said.