2023 STORIES OF STOKE: MEET ELLEN, ONE OF OUR NEW 2023 HANAI CO-LEADS!

Meet Ellen Hwang, one of our 4 new Hanai co-leads for the 2023 season!

“How did you hear about US4K?”

I started to volunteer in 2017 when working at Reef and fell in love with the organization and the people and continued to volunteer and joined as Board of Director in 2021.

“Why did you choose to become a Hanai lead?”

As much as I feel that this is me giving my time to foster youth, I learned that they also ground me. This is my second-year volunteering and with busy schedule and life it was positive experience for me to pause life and focus on what’s most important thing, our youth, and their future. It’s been amazing to watch foster youth open up every event and share their thoughts and life story.

“What are your goals or hopes for volunteering with Hanai?”

Continue to learn. My goal is to just be able to change one youth’s experience and create memory of lifetime. Each of these outings are designed for connectivity and I hope to connect and share memories with the Hanai team.

“What message/s do you hope to instill in foster youth by the end of the season?”

Never stop trying. There’s purpose and reason for all things in life and try harder when it’s scariest and find your community. Most importantly, I hope that foster youths will find peace and community through our program.