Dragon Kim Foundation Announces 2024 Dragon Challenge Finalists From California
by: Dan Pittman
Published: September 9, 2024
L-R: Dragon Kim Co-founder and CEO Daniel Kim, Abraham Lopez, Lorenzo Ibarra, and Gerardo Caravez of My Mom's Wishlist; Brandon Chang of GalaxSea Explorers; Ashima Sharma and Vedant Dayal of Heart-to-Art; Sofia Isabella Villacorta, Ava Villacorta, and Caitlyn Morales of Mālama; and Fellowship Program Director Amber Serafin.
IRVINE...The Dragon Kim Foundation, an Orange County-based nonprofit - http://dragonkimfoundation.org - whose mission is to inspire our youth to impact their communities while discovering and pursuing their passions, has announced the four Fellowship finalists from California for the 2024 Dragon Challenge competition.
The public event will be held at the Margaret A. Webb Theatre on the campus of the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, California on Saturday, September 14, with a reception beginning at 5:00 PM, followed by the Challenge beginning at 7:00 PM. The event’s presenting sponsor is COX.
To reserve seats at the Challenge, visit https://bit.ly/2024-dragon-challenge
To learn more about sponsorship levels for the Challenge, contact Dragon Kim Foundation Co-founder and Board Chair Daniel Kim at development@dragonkimfoundation.org
This year marks the ninth anniversary of the Foundation, whose Fellowship program empowers high school students of all demographics and social backgrounds to go out into the world and make a difference in the lives of others, especially those who are disadvantaged.
Annually, the Fellowship program awards community service grants of up to $5,000 to the teams that enables them to create and manage a service project that will impact their community. The winners of the Dragon Challenge will receive another $5,000 to continue their project.
The four finalists were recently chosen from 46 Fellowship projects run by high school students this summer in California. Two more finalists were selected from among 11 projects in the Arizona and Nevada group. Together, all of the projects directly impacted 16,274 individuals and indirectly impacted 1,143,433. More than 715 volunteers were empowered to contribute to the Fellows’ vision and cause.
The California projects and their teams selected to compete in the Challenge are:
Heart-to-Art – An expressive arts project developed by Irvine residents Ashima Sharma and Vedant Dayal, both 16 and students at the Orange County School of the Arts that included a two-week summer camp established in partnership with CHOC’s After Cancer Treatment Survivorship Program that exposed ambulatory cancer patients and survivors to integrated art therapy in six art forms, with proceeds benefiting CHOC’s social workers.
GalaxSea Explorers – A science-focused project developed by Brandon Chang, 16, of West Ranch High School that offered space exploration opportunities, raising educational awareness about Earth's problems and promoted aerospace engineering and astronomy fields
Mālama – A performance-based project created by Ava Villacorta, 14, of Fairmont Preparatory Academy, Caitlyn Morales, 15, of Orange County School of the Arts, and Sofia Isabella Villacorta, 16, of Walnut High School that combined Hawaiian hula with concern for elderly loneliness and depression by hosting Polynesian arts performances in care facilities, promoting joy and community.
My Mom’s Wishlist – A heartfelt project created by Valley High School students Abraham Lopez, 16, Gerardo Caravez,17, and Lorenzo Ibarra, 17, that created a resource center for Hispanic/Latina single mothers in Santa Ana which offered education, assistance, and support through governmental education programs, food supply, and therapy while also fostering community connections.
Last year, Creative Labs, a project by Foothill High School students Carson Ly and Robert Padilla gave students in under-resourced communities access to Stem, specifically chemistry and engineering, during weeklong workshops held at Boys & Girls Clubs, Jamboree Housing, and The Mix Academy. They were awarded an additional $5,000 to continue their work.
For more information and to apply for the 2025 Dragon Fellowship, visit http://dragonkimfoundation.org or call (949) 229 –1396.
To reserve seats at the Challenge, visit https://bit.ly/2024-dragon-challenge
The Fellowship was founded in honor of the late Dragon Kim, a talented young musician, athlete, and scholar who wanted to help others, and has become a seedbed for the next generation of creative thinkers and entrepreneurs who want to make a difference in their communities. Photo:DragonKimFoundation