Asian Alliance Returns with Fundraising Event

By Leilani Kulkarni ’22

After Upper School students spent the majority of the year online and disconnected, Upper School clubs have been eager to gather with their fellow members to relish being together for the remainder of the school year. Among these clubs was the Asian Alliance Club, which brought together students of Asian descent to celebrate their heritage and learn about each other’s cultures. 

On Thursday, May 20, the Asian Alliance Club hosted a fundraising event in the Japanese Garden near the playground, where students enjoyed food catered from the SaiMai Thai restaurant in Lincoln Park and reconvened with their friends. Open to all Upper School students (whether they were of Asian descent or not), this event also raised money for an organization called SmileTrain, which the club has also supported in previous years.

SmileTrain is a global organization that works to organize surgeries for millions of children who have cleft lip/palate, a birth defect that affects the lip/roof of the mouth and often causes difficulties with breathing, hearing and speaking. For the past 21 years, SmileTrain has helped support local medical professionals and hospitals and has helped fund more than 1.5 million cleft surgeries for children. 

During this event, Upper school students enjoyed the beautiful weather and setting while having fun with their friends, all while delighting in delicious food and donating to an organization they know will make a difference. As Upper School students return to school full-time after more than a year, clubs will continue to use their creativity to create fun and meaningful events that help bring the Parker community back together after being apart for much too long.

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