Bosilika, 17, USA

Basic need(s):

Education, Health

Project:

The BASH

Bosilika's family, former Vietnamese royalty, fled to the United States after the fall of Saigon and became successful diner owners. Their struggle, mixed with their old-world values and new-world savvy, is deeply-rooted in Bosilika. Bosilika and her family hold charity, personal-drive, and perseverance in the highest regard, so it is no surprise that Bosilika heard her calling in philanthropy and found herself attending fundraisers. At one particularly lively event, Bosilika realized the power of "fun" in the interest of philanthropy, and so The BASH was born. The BASH is an annual fundraiser benefitting teenagers at Los Angeles Children's Hospitals. Having noticed a disproportionate number of charities for children over teens, Bosilika created The BASH in the interest of closing the gap. Its goal: To make ill teenagers' time spent in isolation or on dialysis as enjoyable as possible by providing technological relief outlets and modernizing patient areas. Currently, proceeds of the three-chaptered California-based BASH committee go to the Los Angeles Children's Hospital, the Children's Hospital of Orange County, and the University of California San Francisco Benoiff Children's Hospital. The BASH is light-hearted in nature and is directed at teens, to simultaneously raise awareness of their hospitalized peers and inspire involvement. To date, proceeds from The BASH have positively affected over 1,200 teen patients and their families, with an estimated 3,500 benefitting this coming year. Bosilika credits her grandmother as the source of her inspiration, "a living reminder that while luck won't always be on your side; inner strength will always prevail."