Thirty Years: FCSN Celebrates Family Day

Written by: Isaac He, FCSN VOICES Team Lead
Graphics by: Casey Feng, FCSN VOICES Graphic Artist Team Lead

“From the opening performance and background, you can see this year is a little different. FCSN is 30 years old!” With those words, emcee Jason Hwan opened FCSN’s annual Family Day on Saturday, June 6 2026, at the Culture Center of T.E.C.O in Milpitas.

Over the next three hours, families, clients, volunteers, staff, and community leaders came together for an afternoon of speeches, awards, dinner, and performances to celebrate three decades of FCSN’s service while witnessing the transition of leadership to a new generation.

FCSN traces its roots to 1996, when a small group of parents set out to create services their children could not find elsewhere. Thirty years later, the organization operates day programs, after-school classes, vocational training, and recreational activities. In 2025, FCSN was recognized as California’s Nonprofit of the Year. Family Day serves as an opportunity both to honor the organization’s past and to look toward its future.

The afternoon began with a lively Taiko drum performance and lion dance before emcees Jennifer Li and Jason Hwan welcomed the audience. Jason then introduced Co-President CK Lee for the annual report, which also served as a farewell address, as both co-presidents are stepping down from their leadership roles.

Together, Jason and CK reviewed FCSN’s achievements during their tenure. They highlighted a major technology upgrade that digitized operations across nearly every program, as well as a strategic shift beginning in 2018 toward stronger financial stewardship and investment. As CK noted, they had “carefully used every dollar we got from state funding and donations.” The result, they explained, is an organization that is both strong and financially sustainable. Another important transformation involved expanding the population FCSN serves. Before 2018, most programs primarily supported higher-functioning clients. Since then, FCSN has developed programs specifically designed for individuals with higher support needs. Although these services require significantly greater resources, they address a long-standing need expressed by many families.

While stepping down as co-presidents, both leaders will remain involved as board members and parents. Jason concluded his remarks with a lighthearted request: if anyone wished to recognize him and CK, they could simply “buy me and CK a boba tea.” On behalf of the Board of Directors, FCSN presented both leaders with special gifts in appreciation of their years of service.

Next, FCSN Executive Business Director Sylvia Yeh and newly elected President Anna Wang introduced the organization’s 30th Anniversary Video. They described the project as an ambitious effort to compress three decades of history into just three minutes. Rather than creating a traditional highlight reel, the team chose a storytelling approach, combining a scripted narrative with archival footage from different stages of FCSN’s development. The video described FCSN as having been born “like a mustard seed planted in 1996,” capturing the organization’s humble beginnings and remarkable growth.

As the applause subsided, the program transitioned to a parent-sharing session presented by Jing Bian. Jing serves as an advisor to FCSN VOICES, Vice President of the Board, and a board member, while also maintaining a full-time career in corporate finance. In her remarks, Jing reflected on the challenges of balancing multiple roles as a parent, professional, and volunteer. She encouraged families of individuals with special needs to build strong support networks, emphasizing that organizations such as FCSN provide not only valuable guidance and resources but also a caring community that can feel like an extended family during life’s most difficult moments.

The program continued with a presentation from Sufen Wu, mother of Chi Ling, who shared highlights from the Twinkle Project. The initiative reflects a broader shift in how FCSN views and supports the people it serves. “We used to focus on taking care of the kids,” she explained. “Now we ask how they live and what their stories are.” Sufen recounted meeting a young man with special needs named Jeffrey. She initially expected his story to focus on diagnoses, challenges, and future hopes. Instead, she discovered a story centered on resilience and possibility, one built through “the love of people who don’t give up, and families who keep moving forward.” Twelve articles have been published in the Twinkle series to date, and Sufen expressed gratitude to the FCSN VOICES volunteers who helped bring those stories to life.

The event then shifted to awards and recognition. Lilian Lin and Sylvia Yeh presented employee service awards recognizing staff members with 10 and 20 years of service, while Linmei Chiao and Mannching Wang presented the Volunteer Award.

Anna Wang and Limin Hu introduced a distinguished group of guests, including California State Assemblymember Alex Lee, State Senator Aisha Wahab, who nominated FCSN for its Nonprofit of the Year recognition, Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee, and the Vice Mayor of Fremont.

The After-School Program then entertained the audience with a group dance performance before Jim Chiao and Yee-Yeen Wang led the ceremonial cutting of the 30th anniversary cake. Lilian Lin followed by introducing commemorative anniversary merchandise.

Anna Wang shared information about FCSN’s participation in Fremont’s Fourth of July Parade, where approximately 300 members of the FCSN community are expected to march together to the music of “APT” and “Golden.”

Yee-Yeen Wang then announced the newly elected board members: Jing Bian, Jim Chiao, CK Lee, Wei Li, and Jacqueline Yu. The formal program concluded with the inauguration of the 2026-2027 Chairman and President.

At 6:30 p.m., the evening transitioned into dinner and performances as the spotlight turned to FCSN clients. The Dream Achievers closed the performance lineup with “Golden” from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack. They were joined by the audience in a sing-along of “Friends with Dreams,” a song written by Jim Chiao, Johnna Laird, and Anna Wang.

Jennifer Li and Jason Hwan returned to the stage for the raffle drawing and closing remarks. The celebration concluded with music and dancing led by the Dream Achievers.

Family Day is an opportunity to recognize the many people who work behind the scenes to build and sustain the FCSN community. For one special day each year, families who have spent years navigating the challenges of disability advocacy come together to celebrate their children’s achievements and one another’s support.

Thirty years after its founding, FCSN is passing leadership to a generation of individuals who have grown alongside the organization. As new leaders step forward, the future appears brighter than ever. The next thirty years will belong not only to those named on stage, but also to the families, volunteers, staff, and supporters who will continue working together to build an even stronger FCSN.

As Sufen so beautifully expressed: