Hi!!! I hope everyone’s had a great week. Last night, I went to a very special dinner. The dinner itself was good, but it was the purpose of the dinner that mattered. Remember my Taiwan posts? Well, one of the most touching moments of the trip was dining at CASA, a restaurant run by the charity 啄木鸟 (Woodpecker).

 

As we finished gorging ourselves on the AMAZING food, the founder Mrs. Peng told us the story behind the restaurant:

She was running 啄木鸟, a charity group  in the Hualian area that helps local adolescents from disadvantaged minority families learn life and occupational skills. The group already had a fairly successful second hand shop, but she always wanted a restaurant. She faced many difficulties, including having to use her own child’s college fund to start the restaurant, she, an her loyal staff, succeeded.

 (Mrs. Peng)

One of the dads, Mr. Du, was so touched, he proposed on the spot to invest in a branch of the  restaurant and charity. At first, I was skeptical, after all, factors like rent, competition and bureaucratic structures make running a restaurant in Shanghai very difficult at best; however, dreams do come true.

 (Mr. Du with the founders of CASA)

Mrs. Peng, her husband, eldest son and CASA’s first employee came to Shanghai. Last night’s dinner was to discuss plans for the Shanghai branch!

Everyone gave their opinions and ideas about how to ensure the restaurant succeeds. This is just the beginning, but it is the first step in making a dream into a reality.

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