Written by Suong Chang
Translated by H.B. Qin
Edited by Ariel Tsai
The 4th Annual LA Veterans Resource Expo was held on March 21, 2025, at the Pomona Fairplex. Many veterans, in-service military personnel, and their families attended the event. Nearly 100 companies and organizations also attended to provide services and resources that could help improve the veterans’ quality of life. Tzu Chi volunteers from the Inland region set up a booth at the Expo, bringing eco-friendly blankets, bamboo banks, and promotional materials to connect with the veterans and their families.
Providing Assistance to Veterans
Convened by Los Angeles County Supervisor of the 1st District Hilda L. Solis, the Expo was open to organizations and the public and aimed to provide resources and services to military personnel and their families. It attracted nearly 100 exhibitors and more than 500 attendees.
Fairplex, a non-profit organization with 500 acres of land in Pomona, CA, is a County of Los Angeles partner. They provide the venue for the Los Angeles County Expo and around 500 other events throughout the year.
In her speech at the opening ceremony, Supervisor Solis said: “This Expo was created specifically for veterans, giving veterans and their families free access to resources that could help them transition to civilian life, including job opportunities, health care, and educational programs.”
Volunteers from Tzu Chi USA Headquarters’ Inland area, led by Suong Chang, set up a booth at the Expo. They brought Tzu Chi’s eco-friendly scarves, masks, T-shirts, hats, jackets, Jing Si rice snacks, and promotional material, and interacted with the veterans.
“Inland volunteers were invited to participate in the Veterans Resource Expo. It’s very meaningful,” Suong Chang said. “We hope to help the veterans improve their physical or spiritual lives.”
I’m very glad we could meet members of the United States Army, Navy, and Air Force. We had good interactions with them, and left a good impression.
A group of young and energetic high school graduates who were about to enter the Air Force Academy attended the Expo with bright smiles. Suong Chang told them the story of Tzu Chi’s bamboo bank. The graduates appreciated the bamboo bank’s spirit and the concept of doing a good deed every day to help others.
At the event, Tzu Chi volunteers interacted with the military personnel with Tzu Chi’s humanistic etiquette. The volunteers bowed and respectfully presented eco-friendly scarves, promotional material, bamboo banks, and T-shirts to five naval officers. Suong Chang told them, “Thank you for defending our country and allowing us to live a peaceful life. We appreciate your service. We would like to give you a special gift today and express our deepest respect and gratitude.”
After her remark, Suong Chang bowed deeply and presented them with the gifts. A female officer who was moved to tears said, with heartfelt emotion, “I have never seen any organization present gifts in this way. It touched my heart.” Afterwards, the officers also gave the volunteers Navy T-shirts.
The volunteers also discussed Tzu Chi’s eco-friendly scarves with the attendees and told them that the scarves were made from recycled plastic bottles. Everyone thought it was incredible and admired the scarves.
A Veteran Couple’s Tzu Chi Connection
The volunteers encountered an elderly couple at the Tzu Chi booth: Vangie Campos, a Navy veteran, and her husband, Richard Campos, an Air Force veteran. The volunteers were surprised and asked: “How did the Air Force meet the Navy?” Richard answered humorously: “I was flying low, and I saw a beautiful Navy officer, so I grabbed her and put her on my plane.”
As the conversation went on, the volunteers found that the couple’s granddaughter is a piano teacher who lives in Altadena. Her house was damaged in the Los Angeles wildfires. Although the house was not burned down, many of their belongings were damaged and unusable.
The volunteers showed the Campos photos of Tzu Chi’s wildfire relief efforts and reassured them: “If your granddaughter hasn’t received help from Tzu Chi, she can contact us. We will do our best to help her.” The couple was very moved.
“Thank you for the gift,” Vangie said. “They are unable to go into their house, and they had a five-month-old baby when the fires hit. It’s been a long process, but now with the help of all types of organizations like your organization, we appreciate everything that everyone has done for them. They are not really able to get back on their feet, but they’re feeling a little bit more confident, and they are able to go back to work.”
Anyway, we want to thank you very much!
Richard Campos talked about his connection with Tzu Chi: “I was here at the Expo three or four years ago. It was near the end of the day, a couple of guys told me that your organization was providing free eyeglasses, and I couldn’t believe it. So I thought I’d check out the trailer in the back, and yes, your organization was providing free eyeglasses. And I think I was the very last one to get there, and I waited about half an hour, and yes, your organization came through and they gave me a nice pair of glasses. Now I can easily watch TV from my bed”.
Thank you so much, your organization is super!
Heartwarming Moments
There were many heartwarming moments at the Expo. After carefully reading Tzu Chi’s promotional material distributed by the volunteers and listening to their detailed account of Tzu Chi’s Los Angeles wildfires relief effort, a veteran was deeply moved and took the initiative to make a donation towards helping survivors of the Los Angeles wildfires.
Another veteran who has worked at the exhibition center since his discharge more than 20 years ago stood by the entrance to monitor traffic and ensure the safety of the attendees entering and exiting the center, rain or shine. The volunteers presented him with an eco-friendly scarf as a token of their respect: “You work hard here all year, especially in winter, when it must be very cold. We hope this scarf can keep you warm!” The security officer said cheerfully, “I’ll definitely use it in the winter”.
When I wear this scarf, I will remember it as a wonderful gift from the Tzu Chi volunteers who wear blue shirts and white pants.
An Officer’s Eye-Opening Experience
Petty Officer Catherine Panado has served in the U.S. Navy for almost ten years. Before the Expo, she didn’t know about Tzu Chi. She said: “I came today to this event here in Pomona to further share the opportunities that the Navy has to offer to our veterans to have a chance to come back in and serve some more. Prior to coming here today, I was not aware of this foundation. They are amazing, the work that they’re doing, so selfless. I never thought foundations like that really existed. I wasn’t very familiar with them, but just the simple fact that they were able to help people, 4600 people that lost their homes, and they were able to assist them right away, it’s not a lot of foundations that do that nowadays. And to see that there are still caring people out there who volunteer their own time to help these people is amazing. I’m glad that I got to meet them and share stories with them, and tell us about their foundation. And they’re not only helping people in the States. They’re helping people internationally, so definitely it’s something that is very eye-opening for me.”
It's nice to meet nice people who can ground us and remind us that when stuff happens, like disasters, like the fires, it's nice to always have someone who will be there for you.
Maria McKinney, a U.S. Air Force veteran, is one of the organizers of the Expo. She said: “We are partnering today with many organizations, including the Tzu Chi Foundation. The resources provided for our veterans today will give them employment eligibility and many other things that will help them through their journey to transition from active duty to non-active duty. We hope that LA County can keep doing these events.”
