The Joy Culture Foundation successfully held a fundraising dinner：emphasize social capital and youth development
[California, February 7, 2025] —— The Joy Culture Foundation held a heartwarming and successful fundraising dinner on the evening of February 7, bringing together more than 150 community members to contribute to the growth and development of Chinese youth. That night, a total of $155,000 was raised , which will be used to expand youth courses and ensure that children growing up in the Little Bookworm Library can get more support and learning opportunities after entering adolescence.
Lulu: Social capital determines our opportunities
"The social capital of our Chinese community is actually very low, which means we lack connections, resources, and sufficient opportunities to gain important workplace or academic connections. In contrast, the white community or other non-Asian ethnic groups have a huge network, which gives them an advantage in their studies and career development. "
Lulu, the founder of the foundation , further explained that this is also the significance of the existence of the Joy Culture Foundation:
“We not only provide a library, but also hope that Chinese families can build a real community here, support each other through this platform, and increase each other’s resources and interpersonal networks.”
She also cited the phenomenon of "Asian Penalty" , where many top universities require Asian students to meet higher standards in order to be admitted. This shows the influence of social capital, because when the influence of a group is low, even if they perform well, they may still be treated unfairly in the system.
Social capital: breaking the invisible ceiling
In her speech, Lulu explored the importance of "social capital" to immigrant families: "Chinese families often face language barriers and limited connections, which puts us at a disadvantage in obtaining resources. We need to break the label of "being modest Being humble" and face these challenges." She shared her own experience: "The boss always called her name wrong, and she was even mistaken for another Asian employee by her colleagues. These invisible cultural prejudices are exactly what we need to overcome."
Lulu further pointed out that the role of the foundation is to "build bridges": "We hope to help Chinese families build networks and cultivate the leadership and entrepreneurship of the next generation through libraries and educational programs." She revealed that the foundation has successfully raised US$150,000, exceeding its annual goal, and announced that it will expand youth projects in 2025, adding "entrepreneur" and "leadership programs."
Parsa: Volunteer Experience
That night, young volunteer Wang Bosi Parsa also shared his experience and humorously mentioned his "salary standard":
"It's really fun to be a volunteer here. I saw a small line of words in the right corner of the volunteer advertisement, 500 hours for ＄500, which is about ＄1 per hour on average!" The audience laughed. He also talked about the unforgettable experience of the first time he held the Romance of the Three Kingdoms course. The number of applicants was full at the beginning, but only one person showed up. However, because of that elementary school student, he became more enthusiastic about teaching later. He immediately changed the subject and emphasized the growth that these volunteer experiences brought him:
"All joking aside, I really learned a lot from this. Not only did I help organize the books, I also participated in many activities, which helped me understand Chinese culture better and learned how to organize and coordinate activities. These experiences will definitely be helpful for my future."
The cohesion and cultural pride of the Chinese community
Xiuying Jin, a director of the foundation , talked about the original intention of establishing the Little Bookworm Library and emphasized that it is a place to help the Chinese community build a sense of belonging:
“We originally established this library in Menlo Park because it does not have rich Chinese resources like Cupertino or other communities with a large Chinese population. We hope to create a space where Chinese children can be exposed to their own culture from an early age and cultivate a sense of cultural pride, so that even if they grow up in the United States, they will know where they come from and have a community of their own.”
She added that it’s not just about learning the language, but about letting the children know that the community has their backs at all times.
Mr. Chris Chen, senior partner of New York Life Silicon Valley, one of the sponsors of the day, said that he was very happy that the Joy Culture Foundation provided a place for everyone to gather. His wife also took flower arrangement courses at the foundation. Because the Joy Culture Foundation is a platform for promoting communication, his life has become richer. It also allows many young families to understand and access different resources. New York Life also provides local families with education funds, life insurance and other consultations.
Sandy: Fundraising and the addition of Cantonese courses
Sandy Yu, CEO of the Foundation , emphasized that this year’s focus will be on expanding youth courses for 9 to 12 year olds to ensure that children are not only nurtured by culture and education during their childhood, but also have more opportunities for growth during adolescence.
"We hope to provide more than just reading resources, but more comprehensive support, including youth leadership training, entrepreneurship education, financial literacy, mental health and anti-bullying advocacy, so that Chinese children can confidently face future challenges."
In addition, Sandy also mentioned that the foundation is increasing Cantonese resources to respond to community needs:
" We have recently received many requests from parents, hoping to add Cantonese books and even offer Cantonese courses in the future. We currently have regular Cantonese storytelling time, which shows that our community is growing. We hope to enable more Chinese children from different language backgrounds to find learning resources that suit them. "
Finally, Sandy thanked all participants for their support and emphasized that the Foundation will continue to work hard to make this community the strongest support for Chinese families.
About The Joy Culture Foundation
The Joy Culture Foundation is a non-profit organization that promotes Chinese culture in the United States. The Little Bookworm Library is located in the Menlo Park community in the Silicon Valley of California. In addition to Chinese books, the library also has a parent-child play area, and provides Chinese courses, painting and music talent courses and various cultural heritage activities. It is committed to promoting Chinese education and cultural heritage. Through the library and community activities, it creates a growth environment full of a sense of belonging for children, and through resource sharing and social connections, it enhances the social capital of the Chinese community.
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