For the 2023-2024 school year, the Associated Student Body [ASB] has approved 29 new clubs. The Accolade’s cub reporters from the beginning journalism class will report on each new group in alphabetical order. For the previous ones that have already been posted, be sure to go to the Feature section.
Sophomore Jaden Lee traces his Christian faith back to his early stages of life of being born into a Christian family.
“I’ve been going to church all my life,” Lee said. “I always had an urge to help when I saw homeless people or heard about [survivors of] natural disasters.”
At the age of 13, the sophomore said he decided to make a personal commitment of faith apart from his parents’ influences.
“That’s when I prayed to God and really felt that something changed in me,” he said. “I then spent several years observing the interactions of my peers around me and decided this was the year to be more proactive about my beliefs.”
One way to do so was to start a club at Sunny Hills that would find opportunities to serve others in need.
Before doing so, Lee said he spent several weeks consulting with friends who had the same religious convictions as he does and praying individually to create a branch of an existing organization called Change to Community [C2C].
By early last October, he presented to ASB his proposal for C2C and got approved to make the group official in late October.
“One of my friends also applied to join a club but got rejected so there was a lot of pressure,” Lee said. “The initial pressure was gone, but I soon realized that there was a lot of work to get done, and there was a new pressure placed on me.”
The club’s acronym originated from the organization’s founder, Do Young Kim, who used the number, “2,” to replace the word, “to.”
Like several established ethnic and cultural groups on campus such as the Chinese or Indian clubs, C2C is not limited to those who profess to be Christians, the president said.
“To join our club, we don’t ask if you are a Christian or not,” Lee said. “If you are Hindu, Muslim or even an atheist, so long as you believe in doing selfless acts and to help those in need, you are welcome.”
Despite its openness to all beliefs, members do need to understand the basis for the clubs’ focus on service to others.
“Our club distinguishes itself by drawing inspiration from biblical principles and our Christian values,” Lee said. “We are dedicated to spreading the perfect love of God through our actions.”
For the club’s first official act of kindness, Lee said he wanted to create an opportunity for members to help those impacted by the Maui fire, which happened earlier last summer.
On Sunday, Sept. 24, from 11 a.m.-6 p.m, C2C, unaffiliated with the club on campus, organized a fundraiser at the Buena Park Civic Center, selling Korean items such as seafood pancakes, tteokkochi – skewered spicy rice cakes and sikhye – sweet rice drinks at the Buena Park Civic Center, he said.
The event raised around $500, and the money was sent digitally four days later on Thursday, Sept. 28, Lee said.
“All of the members were excited for this opportunity,” he said.
Sophomore Katie Leem, who helped handle and serve the orders at the fundraiser, said she first heard about C2C from her after school academy, Blue Ribbon, and agreed with Lee about making C2C’s first act of kindness related to the survivors of the August Maui fires.
“I felt glad that I could help people out but also sad because apart from our fundraiser, there wasn’t much more we could do,” Leem said.
C2C also offers its members the opportunity to earn President’s Volunteer Service Awards – certificates honoring an individual’s hours of service. To earn a gold certificate, one needs to complete 150 hours of community service; to earn a silver one, one needs 100 hours.
“Community service hours can be obtained by attending meetings, participating in fundraisers and volunteering at events organized by the club,” the sophomore said.
Lee encourages students to join and transform their beliefs into action and create a community that stands for positive change and service to others.
“By becoming a part of our club, you contribute to meaningful change, foster a sense of togetherness, and embody the spirit of compassion,” Lee said.
C2C club meets Thursdays at lunch in Room 53. For more information, contact Lee at [email protected].
