Blog Updates

Fu Hong Society (FHS) is a non-profit organization registered in Hong Kong. FHS has over 50 service units serving over 4,000 service users including persons with intellectual disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and those with autism.

Since the establishment in 1977, FHS has been committed to providing pioneering and innovative services to meet the needs of persons with disabilities, enabling them to achieve maximum independence and become fully integrated citizens in the community. FHS has pioneered in developing different services for these individuals, including temporary residential care service, home-based training, hotline service, care and attention home, and extended services in day care centers.

On June 22, 2014, Roxanna Yuen, Project Manager in the CVI Hong Kong office, volunteered to participate in an activity organized by this society. One of the instructors accompanied her with two students for their haircut. After arriving at the center, many students approached her, held her hands, and led her towards the main gate. Two of them were allowed to go to the salon for their haircut. They both sat quietly in the salon without leaving their seats and communicated with the hairdresser using simple words.

After their haircut, two of these students were invited to join in for a nice Dim Sum lunch at a nearby Chinese restaurant. The instructor subsequently brought two additional students to join in. The six of them were able to enjoy Dim Sum lunch together.

After lunch, the instructor asked one of the students to do a portrait drawing of Roxanna. First, he looked at her for quite a while, then started to draw. Roxanna was amazed that he was able to draw quite well. [See photo of the young man drawing and the finished artwork.]

“I was pleased to have had this chance to get to know more about helping individuals with intellectual disabilities and to experience seeing how much they are able to do for themselves when given the opportunity.”
[By Roxanna Yuen]

While the “crazy” Corporate Visions Reno Tahoe Odyssey running team certainly didn’t break any speed records over the course of 178 miles, they certainly broke their fundraising record, raising over $18,000 for local charities!

Being trapped in a van with sweaty, sleep-deprived coworkers for 36 hours may sound like a team-building disaster, but these 12 intrepid souls bonded over shenanigans, cold beverages, chaffing, broken arms, a bullhorn blasting motivational quotes from our CEO, and that sweet runner’s “high.” Congratulations to Conrad, Meredith, Jeff, Mike, Jeannie, Dustin, Fabiana, Matt, Alyssa, Joe, Meghan and Jake for going the distance, and a heartfelt thank you to Corporate Visions for sponsoring the event, and everyone who donated to the cause!
[by Jeannie Frantz]

On May 30-31-2014, Sarah and her husband, Ross, had fun running the Reno Tahoe Odyssey on a competitive team this year, however, Sarah did miss running with the crazy Corporate Visions, Inc. bunch! The rest time between running legs was short, only resting a couple times with a sleeping bag on the ground. The cement of a Wal-Mart parking lot never felt so comfortable!

We won first place in the co-ed division in around 19 hours 55 minutes and 4th team overall out of 246. Yep, we were sore! [by Sarah McMahan]

Lynn Zambrano, Laura Lewers, and Charlotte Kobayashi volunteered on May 8th 2014, for this dinner awards evening, held at Mill Valley Community Center to sell the remaining 39 raffle tickets of the 100 raffle tickets being offered at $100 per.

This evening event highlighted Zero Breast Cancer’s research/educational programs and recognized individuals, organizations and businesses that have helped to understand breast cancer, the healing processes, and the environmental conditions that lead to increased levels of breast cancer in Marin County.
This year, with the additional help of the 3 Corporate Visions, Inc. volunteers, the 39 tickets were sold out before dinner was served- remarkable!

Keynote speaker was Dr. Pamela Munster, MD UCSF Cancer Center and the following are a few of the awards presented:
• Dr. Vida Campbell, MD, of Marin General- developed a Breast MRI program
• Dr. Marla Anderson, MD of Kaiser Permanente San Rafael, CA- for breast cancer care expansion program
• Paul Tasner, PHD and Elena Olivari, MA, founders of a new innovative company called Pulpworks, Inc.- designs sustainable and biodegradable alternatives to toxic plastic packaging.
The three of us, Laura, Lynn and Charlotte, had a great time meeting new professionals all working towards eliminating conditions to prevent the occurrence of breast cancer.

The next major event for Zero Breast Cancer is the 12th annual 6 mile Dipsea Hike for Zero Breast Cancer in Mill Valley, Saturday, September 13, 2014, starting at 8:00 am.
For more information on Zero Breast Cancer events, go to www.zerobreastcancer.org [by Charlotte Kobayashi]

It’s been a fun bike to school week. Sarah McMahan has been meeting in the mornings at the local bike shop Village Ski Loft to help chaperone kids to school safely. One day, Sarah was helping a little girl Amy who showed up with an old beat up bike where the chain kept falling off. Everything looked bent on the bike and she didn’t even own a helmet. Yet, she was so happy to be there and continued to smile even though she was falling far behind the main group of kids having to stop and fix her bike.

Later that day Sarah’s friend from the Village Ski Loft was asking how the kids were doing, and told him the story about Amy. It just so happed that they had a girl’s bike donated to them and were looking for good home for it. After a few calls to the school and Amy’s parents, Sarah and the Village Ski Loft team met up this morning and presented the new bike to Amy. And thanks to a donation from Claire Corsillo, Amy has a brand new helmet too!

“My heart was filled with so much joy seeing Amy smile and ride to school today near the front of the pack!” By Sarah McMahan.

Fabulous team work spearheaded by Sarah – thank you to Claire Corsillo for pitching in, and the Village Ski Loft for bringing such joy to a girl named Amy. [see photo of Village Ski Loft staff and Amy]

Sarah McMahan reminds us that this week is “Bike to School Week”! She is helping out at one of the meeting places to make sure the group gets to school safely.

There were almost 30 kids today! Check out the photo of some who arrived early — patiently waiting for others to arrive.
[by Saran McMahan in Incline Village]

On April 26th, the New Mexico Horse Rescue at Walkin N Circles Ranch hosted their annual Hug-A-Horse Day. The event is held as a fund raiser for the rescue as well as an opportunity for the public to visit the ranch and meet the horses that are available for rescue. The day included pony rides, ranch tours, and horse training demonstrations.

There were six training demonstrations throughout the day. Two of the largest draws even in the high winds were Mike and Kathryn Sikorski. Mike Sikorski showed how handle and ride a young horse, he did his demonstration on Canella, the mustang he started for WNCR in 2013 and who subsequently has been adopted. Kathryn Sikorski demonstrated how to train a horse to navigate obstacles and then use those obstacles to give the horse a job. She did her demonstration on Elektra, her 9 year old New Mexico State Champion Quarter Horse.

To learn more about The New Mexico Horse Rescue at Walkin N Circles Ranch you can visit their website at www.wncr.org. If you are interested in helping a local horse rescue you can find a registered one by contacting your state livestock board or you can contact the American Horse Council. http://www.horsecouncil.org/ .
[by Kathryn Sikorski]

On April 20th, the Elks Lodge in San Rafael, California sponsored an Easter lunch/brunch for 160 people – families and children, with fun-filled activities plus an Easter egg hunt.
To prepare for this large gathering, on Saturday, April 19th, Charlotte Kobayashi partnered with Stewart Munson, an Elks’ officer, to set up round tables, chairs, and place settings for 160 attendees. [See photo of large ballroom.]

The Easter event is a one of the many activities sponsored by the 2,200 Elks Lodges located throughout the United States.
Charity and charitable activities are one of the major functions of this organization. Their motto: “Elks Care and Elks Share” is the driving force for this California-Hawaii Association located in the heart of San Rafael, California at C and Mission Streets. The facilities include a large, beautiful mansion, outdoor swimming pool, plus a beautiful outdoor grassy area for performances, weddings, and parties.

A few examples of their community activities include:
• Aiding disabled children since 1950 i.e. the blind and physically disabled
• Scholarships for college bound students
• Support for families in need
• Activities for recovering youth/teens

Anyone wanting to volunteer can contact their local Elks office to find out ways to volunteer near your work and home locations. Go to: www.elks.org for more information. [By Charlotte Kobayashi- Larkspur]