A Decade of Service
Donating Your Talents Makes a Difference
When Chris’ parents first came to the United States, being unable to drive or speak English made it difficult for them to find community. Worried about his parents, Chris found AACI’s Senior Wellness program through a relative’s recommendation. Even though the bus ride to AACI took more than an hour and two bus transfers, his parents have been coming regularly to the AACI Senior Center for 12 years. “Coming to AACI kept my parents busy and healthy,” Chris said.
But when his mother was diagnosed with cancer, she became depressed, and caring for his wife took a toll on Chris’ father. “My parents were the happiest couple, and it turned everything upside down,” Chris recounted. Eventually, his mother began seeing a counselor with AACI’s Behavioral Health program and thanks to the dedicated care of Chris’ family and AACI staff, she is now doing better. Chris also sees the impact the Senior Center has on his father, who has also been struggling with depression and dementia. “When I came to the Senior Center with my parents recently, I saw a lot of miracles,” he said. “I saw people cheering my dad up right in front of me, both the staff and the other seniors. I saw the hope that he could get out of this.”
Chris began to help out at the Senior Center alongside his parents and sometimes brings his children along to volunteer. “Watching how much AACI helped my parents motivated me to volunteer,” he said. Chris left his career in engineering to follow his passion for photography and started his own photography company in 2006. He donated his photography skills to countless Senior Wellness events over the last decade, taking many treasured photos for the seniors. “I want to give back to the community,” Chris said. “This is my way of donating my time to help people. Pictures can mean a lot and tell a story, and I want to tell the stories of the seniors here at AACI.”
“I want to give back to the community. It’s my way of donating my time to help people.”
“Watching how AACI helped my parents motivated me to volunteer.”
Would you like to volunteer?
Visit support.aaci.org/volunteer or contact Katherine Wang at Katherine.Wang@aaci.org or
408-975-2730 ext. 477 for more information.
