FOUNDERS CIRCLE (SPECIAL MENTION)

The following sponsors are specially mentioned here because they either donated $1000 or more in 2009, have donated consistently to TAF each year for at least 7 years straight, or both.

OCAC 中華民國僑務委員會 贊助

PLATINUM SPONSORS ($500+)

Donations from PLATINUM sponsors are the critical piece that allows TAF to support special projects such as speakers’ honorariums, camper financial aid, and long term planning.

OCAC 中華民國僑務委員會 贊助 Mr. & Mrs. Andrew & Liz Wang Dr. and Mrs. Alex and Elaine Yang *

GOLD SPONSORS ($200-$499)

Donations from GOLD sponsors are the core funds that support TAF conference operations.

Mr. and Mrs. Vince Tsai

Ms Sherry P. Cheng

SILVER SPONSORS (<$200)

Ms Pauline Wu

One Cause

Sponsors denoted with a * have donated 3 or more years straight.

TAF continues to develop proud and effective leaders for our community. But now, we need your financial support! Please make a tax-deductible donation to help support our organization!

Read more about TAF below!

2008 TAF DONORS


FOUNDERS CIRCLE (SPECIAL MENTION)

The following sponsors are specially mentioned here because they either donated $1000 or more in 2008, have donated consistently to TAF each year for at least 7 years straight, or both.

TECO IN CHICAGO / Chinese Culture Center
The Spencer and Bergen Chen Family
Dr. Ho Chie Tsai
Dr. & Mrs. T.Z. & Jean Chen
Drs. Ching-Chong Huang & Shou-Yien Wu
Mr. & Mrs. Charles C. J. Huang
Dr. & Mrs. Matthias Lu
Dr. & Mrs. Fred Zenfa Shen

PLATINUM SPONSORS ($500+)
Donations from PLATINUM sponsors are the critical piece that allows TAF to support special projects such as speakers’ honorariums, camper financial aid, and long term planning.

TECO IN CHICAGO / Chinese Culture Center
Dr. & Mrs. T.Z. & Jean Chen *
The Spencer and Bergen Chen Family

Hello From TAF!

After more than 25+ years, TAF is still going strong and continues to provide life-changing experiences for our many campers. If you came back to TAF, you would see many of the same games, activities and discussions that you once experienced, just with a new set of faces. In 2000, TAF left Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI and our home is now Manchester College in North Manchester, IN. Over the years, the Jr, JH, Youth and College program have evolved with the changing times but one thing hasn't changed at TAF; it is still a place where you can be yourself and where special bonds are created every year.

Perhaps you recall our four rotating themes (Leadership, Interpersonal Skills, Ethics and Values, and Self-Identity) and the safe environment we provide that allows campers to explore their personal strengths and challenges, discuss important "youth" issues and take risks. They also learn about their Taiwanese heritage to better understand themselves and their parents. The result? Campers leave TAF with important life skills and increased confidence preparing them to lead in society at large. Our success is proven year after year, as TAFers continue to remind us of the impact TAF has had on their lives.

2008 Fund Raising Drive

The success of TAF is entirely dependent on our team of dedicated staff members, who as volunteers not only invest their time but pay for their own transportation and conference fees. However, increasing air fares and conference fees make volunteering for TAF increasingly cost-prohibitive. Your donation will help fund a financial aid program to help needy staff and campers cover conference fees. It will also help to cover the costs of bringing top notch conference speakers for our programs. Each year we rely on over $10,000 in donations to help ensure that TAF continues to deliver on its mission of "fostering personal growth and developing servant leaders in the Taiwanese-American community."

Please help support TAF as a Platinum Level (over $500) or Gold Level (over $200) Sponsor. However, a donation in any amount will help TAF continue to carry out our mission. You can donate in two ways: (1) by credit card using our www.DonateToTAF.org website OR (2) by sending a check payable to Taiwanese American Foundation, c/o TAF Treasurer, 1232 North Rd, Belmont, CA 94002. Questions regarding donations can be directed to TAFtreasurer@gmail.com. You will receive a tax-deductible receipt through the mail and your tax-deductible donation will be acknowledged in our conference programs and on the website.

Thank you for continuing to be a part of the TAF family and for your generous donation that will help create the same memorable experiences you once had, for many other youth today.

Sincerely,
Dave Chiou
President (2008-2010)

Today, it costs more than $600 to cover the expenses of a single participant at TAF for one week. Although TAF charges about $500 and makes up the deficit through donations, the fact of the matter is that it is becoming more difficult year after year for families to send their kids to camp given the rising inflationary costs. Our goal is to decrease the cost of TAF to less than $400 per child, and still also provide scholarships to those most in financial need. With a yearly attendance of over 200 participants, TAF needs to raise at least $20,000 per year to make this possible.

"TAFers" of the past and present believe in the effectiveness of our programs and in the magic of this life-transforming experience. But, to make our conference more accessible, we need your assistance. Will you help us? We ask that you consider a donation of $200, but we will be grateful for a donation in any amount.

Your donation is completely tax-deductible, and you will be acknowledged in our conference programs. But most importantly, you will be providing a child the opportunity to discover a stronger sense of pride in their identity and their place in our Taiwanese American community.

Make a contribution by credit card or PayPal by clicking one of the buttons below:

-- OR --

Alternatively, and especially if your company sponsors matching donations, you can send a check or money order payable to Taiwanese American Foundation. Mail to: TAF Treasurer, 1232 North Rd, Belmont, CA 94002. Questions regarding donations can be directed to TAFtreasurer@gmail.com.

With all our "TAF Love," we thank you so much for being part of the TAF family! As you know... once a TAFer, always a TAFer.

TAF promotional video produced by Jason Lee.

When I first came to TAF, I was ten years old: incredibly shy and really quiet. I didn't trust people easily and I rarely talked in anything louder than a whisper. My parents had signed my sister and I up for a summer camp to "get us out of the house". They dropped me off at Oakwood Hall, told me they'd be back Saturday night, then left. Walking alone into the dorm, I felt extremely alone. A girl, who later was my suitemate, came up to me and started talking about inconsequential things. That girl became my first friend at TAF. She showed me that everyone there was really friendly. Still, as the week passed, I stayed withdrawn unless I was with my friends. I didn't try to talk to others, or share stories during small groups until the last few days. Once I did, though, I was surprised that people actually listened as if what I was saying was important or worth thinking over.

I came back from TAF extremely happy that I'd went, but also incredibly disappointed in myself. Why hadn't I opened up sooner? Why had I kept up my walls and not let others in? I told myself that next year, I'll trust others and share from the very first day.

Over the years, I really came to love TAF and what it did for me. Every August, I would arrive home after TAF with tears from TAF blues, missing all the campers, and exhausted from lack of sleep. But I’d be a little more confident, a little more outgoing, a little more knowledgeable.

In the summer of '06, I accidentally made other plans to travel out of the country during the week of TAF. I told all my TAF friends that I wouldn’t be going and sulked for a bit. Then I got over it: I was fine. That year, I stopped communicating with some of the TAFers. I found other things to do with my time rather than reminisce about old TAF memories.

As TAF 2007 approached, my parents sat me down and told me that this TAF would be my last. They hurled reasons at me: it was too expensive; it was a waste of time; it was an excuse to hang out with friends for a week. Leaving TAF for the first time four years ago, I'd imagined I would be devastated when the time came for me to leave TAF for good. For some reason, though, when my parents made that decision for me, I was okay with it. Sure, I would miss being able to see friends from St. Louis, Boston, Chicago, wherever. But I wasn't miserable about it; it was as though I wasn't feeling the "taflove" anymore.

Sunday afternoon came and stepping off the bus to Manchester, I found myself filled with anticipation. I still had low expectations for the week, but I was strangely excited. Getting tackled by hugs the moment I walked into the dorm really made me feel as though I was missed and wanted. The warn welcome I'd received actually made me re-evaluate my thoughts about TAF.

Monday passed by so slowly. By the end of the day, I was really tired, but satisfied. Even though every activity we did felt like it took forever, I truly enjoyed going through the different workshops and activities. I also felt like my small group could really become close to each other and share personal experiences we normally wouldn't say. That possible closeness was a good part of the reason I had decided to come back. So far, TAF was exceeding all the low expectations I had.

That night, I stayed up talking in a friend's room. I listened to them voice their thoughts about TAF. From the way I had reacted to my parents earlier that summer, I thought I would've also been complaining about TAF and how I didn’t like it, but instead I just listened. For some reason, I didn't feel that way anymore.

Somehow, within the 24 or so hours I had been back at TAF—back on Manchester campus, back in the Union's JH room and Oakwood's comforting halls, back amongst my Taiwanese American friends—something had changed. I realized that I missed TAF...a lot more than I thought I could. I missed the hugs. I missed the openness and individuality of all the campers and staffers. I missed just being in this friendly, safe environment. After skipping TAF '06, I had convinced myself that I didn't need TAF. I'd pretended I was completely okay with the fact that these were the last 7 days I would ever spend with TAF. But I'm not okay with it. I don’t want this to be my last year. I don't want to leave this wonderful, beautiful place forever. I hope that I'll be able to convince my parents that TAF has changed my life positively and inspired me to become a better person. And maybe that will persuade them to allow me to come back.

Leaving TAF Sunday afternoon was incredibly difficult. Hugging my best friends goodbye, I started to cry. I was pretty surprised, since I wasn't a very emotional person and I absolutely never cried in public. However being back at TAF for the first time in years had broken down all the barriers I had inside. It's funny, crying in the real world, back at school, was seen as a weakness, a flaw. Yet, for some reason, when I was at TAF, surrounded by friends, it was all right. So in a way, TAF taught me that it’s okay to cry.

I genuinely love TAF. So often, I hear this said by campers and I wonder what that “taflove” really is. Why does TAF leaves such an impact on our hearts? Some people love TAF because of the open and trusting atmosphere. Others love TAF because they’re free to act how they want without people already having formed opinions of them. I love TAF because every person that goes is different from everyone else, but we all have one thing in common: our heritage. That characteristic is what allows us to really connect with other campers and form lasting bonds which make TAF special. When I’m at TAF, hugging my friends or having small group discussions, I feel as though I matter, as though I belong.

I want to go back year after year. Even though I know that it isn't possible and sometime in the near future, I will have to stop. But I want to experience that week of fun, laughs, tears, and lessons over and over again. I want to receive the hugs from TAFers, the kisses from friends, and the piggyback rides from everybody else every year. I miss each and every person at TAF because all of them bring something different and special to TAF. I wish I'll always remember the memories I get from TAF. I wish that I'll stay in touch with my friends forever because I love them all so much. I really wish that I won't be forgotten as just another camper; that I contributed something unique to TAF; that I was able to make someone else's TAF experience just a little bit better. Someone once told me that "Home is where the heart is." TAF is my home away from home. TAF is where I've met some of the greatest people in my life. TAF is where my fellow TAFers have not just become my closest friends; they've become my second family.

Joyce Jih, 14, Junior High program, 4 years at TAF

"So, what do people actually DO at TAF?" ... The Dreaded Question...

After 9 years of weeklong summer excursions, whenever the Question is asked, the best I can do is mumble a measly, "I dunno." Weak.

But my seemingly indifferent, passionless answer is an easier alternative to putting into words the laughter shared, the lessons learned, and the lifelong friendships forged in one week together. Just like someone who has never been to Taiwan cannot describe the mixed scent of stinky tofu, bahtzang, and bubble tea in a bustling Night Market scene, someone who has never experienced TAF cannot understand how playing silly games with strangers in the beginning of the week can lead to tearful, personal discussions with close friends four nights later.

Attending TAF was the single most important development of my childhood. In all the confusion of my adolescence, it was comforting, and by comforting I mean immensely relieving and very surprising, to stumble across a group of down-to-earth (and hilarious) people who identified with the problems I faced everyday in life; Who not only helped me accept my identity as a Taiwanese American, but made me proud of the personal qualities that make me an individual.

The friends I've made through TAF, although as kids we only met for one week out of every fifty-two, are some of my most valued supporters and life-advisors. The amazing people of TAF have given me the self-confidence to reach for my goals and to take risks as a leader without compromising my morals. Becoming a more charismatic, loving, and ethical person has never been more important to me, as I now realize the impact I can make as a Taiwanese American.

It sounds cliche, I know, and just about every TAFer will say the same, but coming to TAF can really change a life in ways that cannot be described in words, and cannot be felt by those who have never been.

Melody Peng, 19, College program, 9 years at TAF

I remember those great games we played at TAF.

I remember when those great games brought me in to a hole of desire to play them once more. The foosball banging back and forth. The pool balls clashing. The noisy air hockey table. Even the songs we sang and danced to.

I remember those group games we played at TAF like stella, butt shuffle, hand games, scream, ride the pony, other great games.

But most of all I remember the sound of laughter at TAF. The kids cheering and laughing. Wow do I wish I could play those games just one more time.

But the real key to happiness is friends. You can never ever ever live without friends.

Kevin Huang, 10, Junior program, 3 years at TAF