Our Story
It all began with an unforgettable volunteer experience:
In the summer of Elaine's seventh grade year, she volunteered at Harmony Home Taiwan, a shelter for children with HIV/AIDS positive parents. It was there that Elaine would realize the impact of books on the children, on how brightly their eyes sparkled as they eagerly flipped through the pages, for books were a way for them to escape from reality and live in a world without HIV. Books were a way for the children to create their own world, on their own terms.
In the children of Harmony Home's honor, Elaine created the StoryWish program. Elaine wishes that StoryWish will inspire a lifelong love for reading and writing in both the volunteers and the children and hopes that StoryWish will nourish the children's creativity and give them the skills to be a confident writer. Finally, she hopes that both the volunteers and the children will be able to have fun this summer creating a storybook both will never forget.
But she could not do this alone...
Elaine knew that operating StoryWish will require a lot of time, dedication, and patience. It was a highly ambitious project that would overwhelm a person. So, she reached out to her best friend Felicia for help. Together, they redesigned and rebranded the StoryWish program to become the StoryWish Summer Stories for Life program, open to chronically ill children with an imagination and a dream to write a story.
Felicia and Elaine have known each other for 4 years. They met at a Summer @ Brown session the summer before their sophomore year in high school. Even though they live on the opposite coasts of the United States, ever since that summer session, they have kept in touch almost daily through Facebook Messenger.
Together they have many amazing memories, including having cannolis in Boston, celebrating the fourth of July at Big Bear Lake, exploring the San Diego Zoo together, watching zombie movie Train to Busan on Netflix, and more.
Elaine
Junior at the University of Chicago
She is a dark chocolate enthusiast (the bitterer the better), can entertain herself for hours reading advertisement labels, and cannot get enough of a person's humbleness.
She is currently overwhelmed by the plethora of study options available to her, and hopes college will help her focus her efforts.
Favorite storybook: Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.
Felicia
Senior at Harvard College studying Molecular and Cellular Biology
When she was five years old, she wanted to become a ballerina and a veterinarian. Although she is no longer pursuing either, she still has a deep love for biology: the study of life.
Ever since taking an Honors Biology class focused on cancer in high school and watching the documentary, Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, she has wanted to become a pediatric oncologist.
From her very first storybook to the Harry Potter series to stacks of books from the library, she loves reading books to escape to a magical world. She hopes to share her love of creative writing through StoryWish.
Favorite storybook: Biscuit Finds a Friend by Alyssa Satin Capucilli.