When she and her friends launched their plan, they had no idea about the boy who died.
Natalie Rodriguez, 16, had no idea about the tragic trip to Yosemite or the foundation established in the boy’s name. But today, she is proud to be connected with the memory of the boy, whose name was Dragon Kim.
When it started, all she wanted to do was help some kids who were different than her.
“My parents brought me up telling me to help others,” said Rodriguez, a junior tennis player at Orange Lutheran High School. “They wanted me to realize what I have. They told me that tennis is more than just a sport.”
Tennis is the way she and her friends connected with each other and with special needs kids across Orange County. Rodriguez, Andy Loughran (16 years old, Servite High School) and Jacob Eusebio (16, Orange Lutheran) founded “Serving Advantage,” a program to teach tennis, camaraderie and fitness to disadvantaged children.
They have scheduled two upcoming camps, the first on Feb. 7 and the second on Feb. 21. Both will be held at Veteran’s Park in Tustin.
Inspiration
Natalie Rodriguez, who lives in Anaheim Hills, was inspired to start the program as part of her quest for the Gold Award in Girl Scouts in 2019.
She called her friend Jacob Eusebio, who has a 14-year-old brother, Evan, who is autistic. What if they could give tennis lessons and eventually play doubles with children like Evan?
An idea was born.
“It was hard to bond with Evan,” Eusebio said. “I couldn’t play video games. I couldn’t play ball at the park.”
But, on Sunday afternoons, he began taking his brother to hit tennis balls at the Anaheim Tennis Center.
“Hopefully, one day he can play a full match,” Eusebio said. Every Saturday night, Evan is so excited for his Sunday out with his brother, he gets his clothes, tennis racket and shoes ready.
Another friend, Andy Loughran got involved. Rodriguez, Eusebio and Loughran all play tennis for their high school teams. Last summer, they had their first Serving Advantage camp. They had 16 volunteer coaches and eight special needs campers.
Wendi Eusebio, the mother of Jacob and Evan, said she watched, emotionally, from the sidelines.
“All the parents were blown away,” Wendi said. “It makes me cry just to think about it.”
Supporting others
In August of 2015, Dragon Kim and Justin Lee, teenagers who were longtime friends, were on a camping trip in Yosemite. Kim, 15, was a freshman musician at the Orange County School of the Arts. He had been involved in a program to give instruments to children who couldn’t afford them.
Kim and Lee were sleeping in a tent when a giant branch fell on them, killing them both.
Kim’s parents, Grace and Daniel, organized the Dragon Kim Foundation in his honor. On the foundation website, they posted:
“They say grief is love with nowhere to go. Our love for Dragon needed somewhere to land. We established The Dragon Kim Foundation in Dragon’s honor to carry on his love of life, to make it possible for other young people to pursue their passions, and to help give others access to a bright future …”
“Dragon was our shining star – bright, warm, generous, and always beaming. He cared deeply not only for family but for his friends and for those around him. He had a talent for teaching young kids. We believe that this is some of the work he would have pursued, and that the best way to keep his spirit alive is through supporting the achievements of others …
“Dragon, we love you so much. Thank you for bringing laughter, love, and music to our lives. You are our precious son, and you will live on in our hearts and in the work of the Dragon Kim Foundation.”
How would you help?
Rodriquez heard about the Dragon Kim Foundation and its motto.
“They said, ‘If money wasn’t an issue, how would you help the world?’”
It just so happens, Rodriguez and her friends had already started helping the world. They applied for a Dragon Kim grant.
And they got it. They were awarded $5,000.
“Natalie and her team have worked tirelessly to create a safe outdoor space for these students to workshop in person with additional precautions and building relationships with the families of their participants,” said Arie Lugo, the foundation’s fellowship program manager. “It’s truly extraordinary. The mission of Serving Advantage is beautiful and challenging. They cannot boast big numbers because of the demographic they serve, but they have changed the lives of the most vulnerable children in OC and their families forever.”
They all plan to go to college (no decisions yet), so they have now made their goal to create a non-profit business that will be sustainable after they are gone.
“They work so hard,” Wendi Eusebio said. “They built this non-profit which is now a thriving business. This is the next generation.”
As word got out about Serving Advantage, the donations began to roll in.
They got 20 new rackets from the South County Tennis Shop. They got 10 rackets and lots of tennis balls from Game Changer in New York. They got mentoring help from Love Serving Autism in Florida. Creative Solutions for Hope offered an introduction to autism course for their volunteers.
They have now reached about 20 special needs children. They’re having regular Zoom calls so the students feel connected to the staff.
“We play a lot of Minecraft,” Rodriguez said.
And they make a lot of friends.
Source: Orange County Register
Be First to Comment