Brandon Nguyen
North Hollywood Chapter
California, USA
"At first, I joined mostly on a whim...
however, realizing the huge difference
one person could make, I found myself
going to meetings for the next few years."
Read the rest of Brandon's answers.
Richard Liang is from Fremont, California. He actively participates in the arts program at his school, playing cello in his school’s orchestra and percussion in the jazz band. This summer, Richard is laying the foundations for a VAMS Chapter at Mission San Jose High School. He likes that VAMS not only serves the community, but also encourages student leadership. He hopes to "learn a lot from VAMS, including communication, writing, and leadership skills."
Assisted Living
Halloween Event at Aegis Assisted Living
- Where: Aegis Assisted Living - 10801 Lindley Ave., Granada Hills, CA 91344
- When: Sunday, October 29, 2006
Aegis Assisted Living is a place for elders to live and have fun. At this first VAMS event, North Hollywood chapter members performed music, sang, and danced for the Aegis residents. Afterwards, they passed out home-made cards and cookies, and chatted with the elders. The Aegis directors were pleased with the event and invited VAMS to visit again.
Valentine's Event at Providence St. Elizabeth Care Center
- Where: Providence St. Elizabeth Care Center - 10425 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601
- When: Friday, February 23, 2007
On a rainy Friday afternoon, VAMS visited Providence St. Elizabeth Care Center, a nursing home for elders. The presentation comprised of several love songs accompanied by classical and jazz music. For the finale, VAMS singers sang "Happy Birthday" to Phebe, a senior who was turning 97 years old. Phebe later thanked the VAMS members. "God bless you and your families", she incessantly repeated. VAMS members also presented a giant card (drawn by VAMS volunteer Grace Chen) and passed out hand-made cards, cookies, strawberry cake, boxed Sweethearts candy, and hot chocolate. The care center director was also pleased with the event. He noted, "It's a change from the usual playing card games and watching television."
Valentine's Day Event at Golden Acres Senior Center
- Where: Golden Acres Senior Center - 12041 Strathern Street North Hollywood, CA 91605
- When: Monday, February 18, 2008
On February 18, 2008, VAMS volunteers hosted their lovely Valentine’s Event at Golden Acres Senior Center. The disabled senior participants enjoyed a musical performance of love songs and more, performed by the members. Treats such as cupcakes and cookies were also handed out and enjoyed. Seniors with birthdays in the month of February were given special recognition and wishes for their special occasions. After more music and dancing, the VAMS volunteers chatted, ate lunch, and played cards and Bingo games with the seniors. The three winning seniors were awarded with baskets full of prizes, from chess sets to pictures frames to old-time videos. However, every one was still considered a winner as every participating senior citizen received gifts of flower pens and bookmarks.
Ian Clarke received a full ride to Indiana University, where he studies music composition. He has also been selected as a Berklee College of Music presenting film score composer, and earned recognition from the Beverly Hills Literary Society and the Kauai Peace Project. In high school, Ian studied the piano, flute, piccolo, guitar, and Indonesian gamelan. He used his expertise to reach out to the community through VAMS. What does this musician have to tell us about music? "One of the most important things to understand about creating music is that, regardless of how much music theory you know, or how much technical ability you possess, your music will be hollow and uninteresting if you lack emotional integrity."
