What Service Actually Taught Me

Ok, this is my first blog ever. Let me share what I learned from service.

We started Kids Care Too in 2019.

I was 9.

And honestly… I wasn’t thinking about “helping the community” or anything big like that.

I just wanted to draw.

I remember sitting there decorating brown lunch bags—adding little doodles, colors, and messages. That was my job. That was all I cared about.

My brother was the one who was more eager to do more. We were both involved in service, but we weren’t really allowed to lead anything. At some point, it just turned into:

Why don’t we start something of our own?

So we did.

At First, It Felt Small

In the beginning, it didn’t feel like anything big.

We packed food. We dropped things off. We helped where we could.

I didn’t think about impact. I didn’t think about “making a difference.”

I just showed up.

Then I Started Noticing More

As I got older, things felt different.

At the Beacon, I started paying attention, not just to what we were giving, but to the people.

The way someone would smile and say thank you. The way some people just wanted to talk.

It made me realize we weren’t just handing out food.

We were having moments with people, real ones.

Even if they were short.

Music Made Me Understand It

I’ve been playing violin for about 11 years.

For a long time, it was just practice, practice, practice. Trying to get things right.

But when we started playing at nursing homes, something changed.

There’s no stage. No audience sitting quietly waiting to judge you.

Just people living their lives.

I remember playing and seeing someone close their eyes or someone softly humming along. Sometimes no one says anything—but you can feel it.

That was the first time I understood that music isn’t just something you perform.

It can comfort people. It can bring back memories. It can make someone feel less alone.

That felt different from anything else I had done.

I’m Still Figuring Things Out

I don’t have everything planned.

I like science. I like art. I like building things and making things with my hands.

Sometimes I imagine bringing fun science activities into classrooms that don’t have a lot of resources—just so kids can experience it in a real, hands-on way.

But I don’t know exactly what that looks like yet.

And I think that’s okay.

Service Isn’t What I Thought

When I was younger, I thought service meant helping people.

Now I think it’s more about understanding people.

Not trying to fix everything. Not trying to do something huge.

Just showing up.

Sometimes that matters more than anything else.

Why I Still Do It

People might think we do this for college.

But that’s not really it.

I still do it because it changed how I see things.

It made the world feel less far away. More real. More connected.

If You’re Thinking About Starting

You don’t need a big reason.

You don’t need a perfect plan.

I started by decorating a brown paper bag.

That was it.

Just start somewhere.

Kids Care Too: It doesn’t have to be big. It just has to be real.

Khanh (ends with the "h," not the "g," like my brother's name)

Service didn’t just change what we do—it changed how we see the world.

(Delivering collection to the Beacon)