Every month, the Social Diversity for Children Foundation aims to recognize meaningful and amazing contributions by our community members. For September 2021, we are proud to announce Dawn Shum as SDC’s Person of the Month. Dawn is truly an exemplary member as she is not only passionate about supporting youth, but also willing to create change to emphasize acceptance of differences, which is why she joined SDC. While she has only joined recently, Dawn has done extraordinary work such as organizing programs and hiring volunteers.
Dawn is a Hong Kong immigrant who came to Vancouver to pursue overseas education; recently, she graduated from the University of British Columbia. Currently, as she loves helping youth, she is planning to apply for the education program at UBC, and eventually become an elementary teacher. She truly wants to explore her passions; in fact, she hopes to inspire students to support their communities!
Dawn’s SDC journey began in January 2021 as a volunteer for one of our programs. She steadily transitioned into a program instructor and then a program coordinator in late May of 2021. As a program instructor, Dawn has been extremely impactful. During her exciting journey, she had the opportunity to teach and meet new interesting people constantly. Her fondest memories consist of working closely with her team members during gala season; including shooting an entire video that was presented at the gala. It featured some of her fellow program participants and she was overjoyed by all their hard work and dedication.
Dawn's dedication to work is shown through her countless initiatives she has been a part of. She is currently a program instructor for four programs in total and feels satisfied when she sees the program participants’ faces light up. This award is presented to people who are truly dedicated to empowering youth with disabilities, and Dawn’s hardwork and planning for the upcoming fall programs clearly display her passion. One of her biggest achievements is successfully launching programs in a smooth and organized manner.
With a variety of programs running and upcoming, it is without a doubt that it is a stressful job. Despite feeling overwhelmed sometimes, Dawn adores working with her team members and appreciates when they assist her. Dawn believes all of her experiences with SDC have been extremely rewarding; being able to create programs for children while being surrounded by other hardworking people. She remembers that she always has her team members to back her up, showcasing the bonds she has with them. We thank Dawn for all her contributions and years of experience and we look forward to seeing more of her work!
