Joseph Chao '21

Over the summer, I worked  for my host organization lu Mien Community Services. I helped with daily office work, filling of community members that came in during walk-in hours, fundraising, working with the youth program, and working with the elderly program. 

One project that I worked on was the annual fireworks booth fundraiser that IMCS puts up every year. I was crucial in the setting up, taking down, and selling of all the products in the booth and worked to keep it running smoothly. I did a lot of the packing up which required a lot of labor. Another project I worked on was being on the brainstorming session for the annual IMCS high school student conference. I kept the minutes of the meeting and facilitated discussion / talked about the climate of high-schoolers. 

The most significant contributions I made to my host organization, I believe, was presence. The office is sort of small and somewhat understaffed- me being there to take up whatever they needed me to do I think made things go a little bit faster. Another significant contribution I made I think was with the senior program- not many younger individuals take the time to speak to the elderly or interact with them at all, so I think I made an impact with the elderly.