Help victims of child abuse become survivors.

Hi! My name is Gigi Truong and thank you for taking the time to take a peek at my fundraising page!

All the funds you help me raise will go towards CALICO! They go towards a $500 admission donation that solidifies my part in CALICO's team at the Oakland Running Festival, where I'll be running a 5k.

What is CALICO? CALICO is an organization of professionals including mental health providers, doctors, prosecutors, child welfare workers, and police officers, dedicated to giving abused children their voice. This year, over 600-700 abused children will come to CALICO's offices in need of services to help place them on the road to health, safety and recovery.

To give you a little more detail about myself, I'm a current high school sophomore at Stanford Online High School. My favorite subject is science (specifically biology; physics is just a glorified math class). My interests and hobbies lean more towards the arts. If I want to relax I usually do some artwork (digital art, polymer clay, music) or work on a Post Apocalyptic Dystopian Story I’ve been writing for a while. The point is, one could say I'm relatively "normal" (maybe not completely normal, i'm quite nerdy!).

I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for CALICO and its services.

I was sexually abused by my biological father. I remember the complete chaos after my little sister, who'd also been through the same abuse, spoke up. I remember staying at the police station until 1 in the morning. I remember the visit from child protective services the next day. As you can imagine, I was having trouble figuring out what was going on inside my head. The chaos the adults were causing wasn't exactly helping my young mind cope with everything going on.

Then I went to CALICO. I still remember the games and books in the waiting room. I remember the green walls. I remember warm smile of Katherine, the kind woman who interviewed me. CALICO created a safe environment where I was able to tell my story without feeling like I was in the wrong. It helped make a terrifying process less frightening.

CALICO's impact lasted through the long years of the criminal case. After my interview, I was taken to the gift room, where I was allowed to choose a blanket, a book, and a stuffed animal. I brought my dolphin onto the stand to testify with me. She reminded me that I wasn't alone in my fight for justice.

According to the American Society for the Positive Care of Children, over 7.1 MILLION children suffer from abuse. Of those children, 74.9% are neglected, 18.3% are physically abused, 8.6% are sexually abused, and 7.1% are psychologically abused.

To give you an idea of the terrible severity of this issue, it's estimated that in the United States alone, four children will die because of the abuse they've been forced to endure. Studies by the Crimes Against Children Research Center state that 1 in 5 girls and 1 out of 20 boys are sexually abused.

These numbers are too high. 7.1 MILLION. We aren't talking about 7 thousand, 7 hundred, 7 dozen, or even seven kids. We're talking about 7.1 million.

7.1 million children have some part of their innocence ripped away from them before they've been given the opporunity to spread their wings and enjoy life. No child deserves to have their innocence stolen from them.

Some people think the only way to help victims of child abuse are to make huge, grand gestures. This isnt' the case. The first thing we must do as a society is acknowledge that child abuse is an epidemic. The first thing we must do is acknowledge the issue. We can't turn a blind eye.

By visiting this donation page and reading through my message is taking a step into the right direction. So for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Some say "numbers make the world go 'round." Personally, I think this stands true. The magic number here is $1000. $1000 is the money CALICO needs to provide its services to one child and their family. If someone had to put a price tag on happiness, I'd imagine $1000 would be on the lower end of the spectrum. That's how amazing of an organization CALICO is. $1000 gives a kid who's been through hell and back the chance for them to spread their wings and soar through life. $1000 gives a kid like me a chance to laugh, to be happy, to live.

A small donation can go a long way.

Thank you so much!