Hi, my name is Yuchen Yang. This is my 6th year fundraising for Good Grief on the team Semper Fi. I hope with every new year, more and more people come to support us at the 5K!

For those who are new to Good Grief, it is a non-profit organization that helps families deal with the loss of a loved one. It hosts its annual 5K Run or Walk every year in the beginning of June. It's a wonderful event that brings people with grief together with its many activities. 

6 years ago, my father unfortunately passed away from cancer. But a few months later, we started going to the nights of support at Good Grief. Good Grief helped me deal with my grief. It provided me with a safe and comfortable environment for me to express how I felt. It also helped me progress and learn as a person in general.

We started fundraising as a family in 2018. My brother Yuming Yang came up with the name, Semper Fi, which stands for "Have faith" in Latin. Every year, more and more people join our team. From the small team that was only 3 people, we have become a team that has raised tens of thousands of dollars in the past years. We hope to continue our efforts to donate as much as we can, and to continue participating in the 5K run.

Not only do we want our returning members to participate at this event, we also want to make our community more involved with this. As a part of the Summit Troop 67 Boy Scouts, we want them to continue to help us at the 5K. Furthermore, we have plans to get our public middle school (Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School) involved as well. Finally, we have been using social media such as WeChat to spread the word about the fundraiser.

There are many ways to support Good Grief. You can donate or do other things to help out. You can show up during the 5K, or volunteer there. If you are really interested, you could sign up to become a "greeter" at one of the nights of support. You could also undergo the training program and become a facilitator there, like my mom. Lastly, spreading word of Good Grief is probably the most you can do. Around 1 in 7 children lose a sibling or a parent before the age of 25. Millions of people experience grief every year. Not many programs like Good Grief exist, so if you know anyone who has lost a loved one, please inform them of this wonderful program!

I hope to see you at the 5K!

Yuchen Yang