Dear friends and family,
I am taking all 5 of my kiddos to walk Fountain of Life's Flourish & Thrive 1K this July! The three older ones Judah (age 7), Josiah (age 6), and Zoe (age 5) will be walking alongside me. I'll either be pushing the two younger ones Faith (age 2) and Raphael (age 10 months by that time) in a stroller or pulling them in a wagon. I believe that walking a 1K (.62 miles) with 5 kiddos in two is going to be quite the challenge for both me and the kiddos! I am choosing to do this in honor of both my paternal grandma (Nai Nai) and maternal grandma (Waipuo) and invite you all to support me by donating to Fountain of Life. My goal is to raise $3,000 before July 19th.
As many of you know, I am a Co-Founder and Executive Director of Fountain of Life which was established in June 2022 to provide a welcoming place of belonging for Asian seniors living in Greater Kansas City. During the past 3 years, we've reached more than 250 Asian seniors including those from the local Chinese, Taiwanese, Hmong, Burmese, Korean and Vietnamese communities. The majority of the seniors have been limited English proficient.
As you may know, times are incredibly tough for nonprofit organizations right now. Recent funding cuts have impacted the sector and Fountain of Life has not been unaffected. Our board recently had to make significant budget cuts. I am asking for your help. Your donation will provide flexible funding to Fountain of Life and support its operations and programs.
Many seniors have asked me the question: "You're so young and have so many kids! How do you even have time for this? What made you want to start a senior community center?" (My two youngest ones were actually born after I started Fountain of Life!) I always share with them it was my Nai Nai's life that inspired me to do so. (Nai Nai means paternal grandma in Chinese). My Nai Nai's name was Fengnian Tung. She immigrated from Taiwan at age 59. After immigrating to the United States, she lived with my parents and help take care of me and my two older siblings. As a child, I remember her spending hours upon hours attending various ESL classes and watching "Let's Learn English" shows on Chinese satellite TV. She learned to read English and to speak some basic sentences, but she never achieved oral fluency. She remained limited English proficient for her entire life.
In the summer of 2021, when she was 92, she moved out of parents' home and in with my brother. It was at that time when I became her part-time caregiver. I would visit her 2 to 3x per week at my brother's house. My brother never left her home alone. Even though my brother was amazing about taking her with him to literally everywhere he went (grocery shopping, coffee with friends, even dates with his now wife, church, etc.), she still suffered from isolation and depression. I knew that Nai Nai needed to be in an environment where she could regularly socialize with other seniors who spoke her language. I wished so desperately in my heart that there existed a senior community center for Asians in Kansas City, but one did not exist! They only existed on the East and West Coasts but I knew Nai Nai wasn't going to be moving anywhere! So after nearly a year of thinking about how there really needs to be a local senior community center for Asians, I realized God was calling me to take a step of faith and start one! So I recruited two others (Rebecca Tsang and Cher-Yee Lye) to establish Fountain of Life with me.
(Pictured above: Celebrating Nai Nai's 93rd Birthday in July 2022.)
In August 2022, my Nai Nai officially joined Fountain of Life where she became an active participant! She participated in the Virtual Exercise Group three days a week and tuned into several Healthy Aging Seminars. She also joined the Knitting Community Service Group where she gathered with senior friends to knit baby blankets for families in need. She participated in painting, adult coloring and paper cutting art groups. She joined senior friends for meaningful social activities including watching a matinee movie, taking a field trip to Matt Ross Community Center, and enjoying a Hot Pot Social, Lunar New Year Celebration, Mid-Autumn Festival Lunch, and Shabu Shabu Social. My Nai Nai even helped to fold dozens of Fountain of Life brochures! At age 95, Nai Nai transitioned to Heaven in January 2024. Her legacy lives on at Fountain of Life. Nai Nai's birthday is in July. As I walk this 1K in July, I will reflect upon how Nai Nai's life served as the inspiration for Fountain of Life. Without Nai Nai, Fountain of Life would not exist today and there would still be no senior community center in Kansas City for limited English proficient Asian elders.
My Waipuo lives in Taiwan. (Waipuo means maternal grandma in Chinese). I first met her when I was one year old. My brave mother took my sister, brother and me on my first overseas flight to visit her parents in Taiwan. I don't remember the trip, of course, but my mom tells me I started walking / took my first steps in Taiwan! That means my Waipuo witnessed my first steps. Although Waipuo won't be able to see me walking the Flourish & Thrive 1K this July, I will be walking many steps that day in her honor. Waipuo recently had an ischemic stroke in March 2025. My mom flew to Taiwan to immediately be with her and care for her. My mom and uncles moved Waipuo into a nice nursing home as she now needs 24-hour nursing care. Prior to her stroke, she was still living on her own. Waipuo's health is not doing well at all. The stroke led to half of her brain being damaged. She can no longer communicate, walk, eat, swallow, or do anything by herself. She is being fed through a nasal feeding tube. She has also lost her sense of touch and ability to comprehend. As I walk this 1K in July, I will reflect upon how I took my first walking steps in Taiwan and pray for my Waipuo's health. It is my deepest prayer that Waipuo will be able to experience the highest quality of life possible in her community in the aftermath of her recent stroke. I have fond memories about the times I have been able to spend with Waipuo. My mom took my siblings and me to visit Taiwan again when I was 8 years old. We spent a month living with my Waipuo. When I was 18, I travelled to Taiwan alone and spent 2 weeks living with my Waipuo. Waipuo also came to visit the U.S. a handful of times during my childhood and young adult years. The last time I was able to see Waipuo was in November of 2017 when my firstborn was 3 months old. She came to visit the U.S. and we had Thanksgiving dinner together. She was able to meet and hold Judah! I have not been able to see her since then.
(Pictured above: Waipuo and my uncle visiting from Taiwan in November 2017.)
Although my faith in God inspired me to establish and continues to guide and sustain me as I lead the organization, Fountain of Life is a community-based organization that welcomes seniors of all backgrounds and beliefs. In fact, adults of any age and any racial/ethnic background are welcome at Fountain of Life. Fountain of Life simply targets and designs programming and activities with limited English proficient Asian language speaking seniors in mind because there is such a huge need in the community.
Thank you so much for reading this long appeal letter. Thank you so much for taking the time to understand my heart. I hope you will consider giving a donation to Fountain of Life in my honor.
As I serve and interact with the seniors at Fountain of Life, they truly all remind me of my grandmas and grandpas. My wish is for every single senior that walks through the doors of Fountain of Life to experience the highest quality of life available to them... for them to Flourish & Thrive!
All my sincere gratitude,
Jennifer Alexander
Founder & Executive Director of Fountain of Life
