In December of 2025, the Center for Civic Engagement and the Student Council (StuCo) Finance Committee selected five Lick-Wilmerding High School student projects to each receive $1,500 on behalf of the Head, Heart and Hands (HHH) fund. The fund supported initiatives focused on the environment, education and other issues. Just three months later, in March, five more student recipients were selected. Through the projects that received the fund, LWHS students have expressed their passions while engaging in thoughtful community service.
The Center had previously funded student initiatives under the Student Proposal Form, but the HHH fund primarily focuses on PPP initiatives. “The HHH Fund was launched this year with the support of a generous family that donated to the school. They have a deep commitment to public purpose and want to support students who are driven to make change in their communities.” Christine Godinez Jackson, the Director of The Center for Civic Engagement, said.
Following the fund’s launch, the StuCo Finance Committee was formed. StuCo Treasurer, Frank Ouyang ’28, surveyed the StuCo group chat, seeking members to help him establish the group. To this ask, Lyla Shapiro ’28, Noah Ahn ’27, Funmilayo Terry-Koon ’29 and Ouyang formed the StuCo Finance Committee, which oversees the applications for the fund.
First, the four students evaluate the applications by themselves, using a rubric with several categories tailored to practicality, passion, the required video pitches and a description of how students plan to allocate funds.
This process, for those who oversee the applications—like Terry-Koon—is uplifting. “I think it’s really inspirational that they’ve taken a topic that they’re interested in, like reading, and then combined it with a social issue, like access to books,” she said, referencing City Bookworms, which received the grant in Fall 2025.
There4Care
Run by Rana Lui-Kwan ’28, Parker Washington ’28, Harper Brown ’28 and Imane Moosa ’28, There4Care is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the dignity and well-being of Alzheimer’s patients and their caretakers. Lui-Kwan, the founder of the organization, noticed how her family members were impacted when her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Through the HHH fund, which they received in Spring 2026, There 4 Care hopes to create kits for caretakers of individuals with Alzheimer’s. “I saw the impact the condition had on my grandmother, the patient, and my grandfather, the caretaker,” Lui-Kwan said.
Their project—since receiving funding—has supported many Alzheimer’s patients throughout the Bay Area through the HHH fund. “We really want to provide caretakers with luxurious items they will genuinely appreciate,” Lui-Kwan said. “However, luxury items come at a luxury price. The HHH fund provides us with necessary funding to purchase the items for our project.”
photo courtesy of Rana Lui-Kwan
Lui-Kwan hopes that the long-term impact of her project will be substantial. “This project will hopefully expand beyond our small cohort of people. The ultimate goal for this nonprofit is to continue to provide support and love to Alzheimer’s patients and their caretakers.”
Students work with Alzheimer’s patients during an Adopt-a-Grandparent event, where volunteers engage in activities like dancing, singing and drawing with patients.
There4Care frequently visits Alzheimer’s homes where they conduct Adopt-A-Grandparent events. “During these events, it is truly heartwarming to see patients smile and laugh when they interact with volunteers. It is beautiful to watch a relationship blossom between a young person and an elder with Alzheimer’s,” Lui-Kwan said.
Check out There4Care’s website (https://there4care.org), where there are volunteer and leadership opportunities available. For more information, contact wearethere4care@gmail.com.
Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems
Led by Raj Sarbib ’27, Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems (BRUVS) hopes to design and build durable BRUVS, which are used to monitor and protect marine life. Sarbib’s independent project, which received a grant in Spring 2026, is in collaboration with MarAlliance, an international non-profit research-based organization.
“I was inspired by my time in Belize conducting fieldwork with MarAlliance, and I wanted to find a way to contribute to marine conservation research and the local fisher communities through engineering and craft,” Sarbib said.
photo courtesy of Raj Sarbib
The HHH fund has enabled the ability to turn Sarbib’s ideas into something tangible. “[The HHH fund] supports materials, construction, and transportation costs so I can prototype 2-3 corrosion-resistant BRUVS in our metal shop,” Sarbib said.
Looking ahead, Sarbib hopes to impact the field in big ways. “I hope the long-term impact is both scientific and educational…BRUVS can help researchers collect valuable information that helps guide policy to protect our ecosystems,” he said.
Visit MarAlliance’s website to learn more about marine conservation opportunities.
Global Learning and Outreach for Bridging Education
Founded by Adil Kanal ’28 and Alyssa Ong ’28, Global Learning & Outreach for Bridging Education (GLOBE) hopes to surface geography to uninformed but curious communities who do not yet have access to geographical education. This work is done through a process that involves reaching out to local schools seeking to connect with teachers.
Ong’s organization creates informational reels of each country, for both national and international viewers. “Seeing people watch, respond, and learn something new from something we created has been really motivating.” Ong said, reflecting on heartwarming experiences.
Without the fund, GLOBE would not have been able to incorporate hands-on projects at local schools. “The funding will help us develop workshops and reach schools and communities,” Ong said.
photo courtesy of Alyssa Ong
Looking through a future-focused lens, Ong voiced a desire for students to learn about different areas in the world. “We want students to feel more curious about different countries, cultures, and people. Hopefully, this builds more empathy and open-mindedness, to inspire students to care more about the world.”
Follow @globeforgrowth on Instagram to learn more about geography. For other opportunities, look out for invitations to volunteering opportunities.
Ocean Ave Pocket Parks
Student council Enviormental Co-Chairs Sachin Datar ’27 and Riya Rawal ’27, and board members Mira Korngold ’27, Naomi Coffman ’27 and Lucy Jameson ’27 received a grant from the HHH fund in Fall of 2025 to help develop Ocean Avenue Pocket Parks.
Rawal noted her prior experiences with Bay Area organizations with similar goals. “Since the Portola Greenway was involved with our middle school and our elementary school, it’s been something important to us for a long time…Bringing that energy to our space has been really nice.”
Datar shared curiosities of why PPP events at LWHS often don’t include areas around the campus. “I feel like Lick spends so much effort and time on PPP projects outside of our direct community…Lick is a very privileged institution in an area that’s not the most privileged and not the most wealthy,” Datar said.
Looking ahead, Datar and Rawal shared thoughts on how they plan to use the HHH fund. “The fund will help us in many ways…We’re going to buy trimmers, shovels, all the things that we need to create a lasting impact on this space,” Datar said.
Recalling the April 30 PPP Day, Datar was impressed by volunteers’ impact. “We got 16 bags of compost or something…We cleaned up all these invasive weeds, and it was so satisfying afterwards,” he said. For students looking to get involved, Datar and Rawal encourage those interested to reach out by emailing either of them.
City Bookworms
City Bookworms, a project that received the HHH fund in Fall 2025—run by Camila Joaquim ’28 and Frankie Lemieux ’28—strives to use books as a gateway to explore San Francisco and deepen Joaquim and Lemieux’s love for reading.
“The HHH fund has helped us fund community projects such as the City Bookworms Carnival,” Lemieux said. The City Bookworms Carnival, which took place in April, provided sophomores with PPP hours and had volunteers play carnival games with elementary and middle schoolers.
photo courtesy of Frankie Lemieux
Lemieux recalled a memorable moment during volunteering. “One memory that the HHH fund has given me was when I saw the excitement on a kindergartener’s face as he came up with the line ‘hocus pocus, when I read I focus’ and put it in his poem,” Lemieux said. To get involved with the organization, Joaquim and Lemieux urge those interested to sign up for their email list!
In a world where creating projects—particularly as student leaders—is difficult due to the costs, the HHH fund has thoughtfully equipped LWHS students with the tools to enact change in the communities around them.
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