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."
Our Work
Services: Whom We Benefit
VAMS simultaneously benefits both the underprivileged communities it reaches out to and its youth volunteers.
Each VAMS chapter regularly prepares and hosts events at various community centers, including hospitals, foster care centers, and convalescence homes. These student-organized events incorporate music, creative arts, and performing arts.
Our dynamic and diverse teenage volunteers recognize the healing power of art and its ability to uplift. Assisting those who are often forgotten in society, VAMS members organize events that include:
- Orchestral performances
- Choral selections
- Musical skits
- Dancing
- Karaoke
- Arts and craft activities
- Drawing and painting
- Card making
- Cookie decorating
- Story-telling
…and much more!
VAMS volunteers also seek to educate the broader community about the disorders and disabilities their outreach groups suffer from, thus increasing awareness about and support for these serious conditions.
VAMS volunteers don’t just serve others. They also benefit from their involvement in VAMS. While serving their schools and communities, VAMS members:
- Experience team building and personal development
- Broaden their societal views
- Develop event organization and management skills
- Encounter performance opportunities
- Witness the power of art and community service
- Build lasting friendships
…and much more!
VAMS youth are provided with unique leadership, service, and learning experiences through its high school program, Youth Leadership Seminar, scholarship program, VAMS Fund, and internship program.
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."
