Founders of Jenny Lin Foundation Founders Honored
Jenny’s parents John & Mei-lian Lin, founders of Jenny Lin Foundation, received the Jefferson Award in the Bay Area.
The murder of Jenny Lin, 14, in her own home in Castro Valley in 1994 had devastated the family and shocked the community. Despite the persistent efforts of the police and the doubled reward of $200,000 for information that would lead to the conviction of the assailant, Jenny’s case to date remains unsolved.
Throughout these years of grief and pain, Jenny's family and the community have worked through her namesake nonprofit to help foster a safer and caring community and to embrace Jenny’s passion for music. By turning a nightmare around into some positive, resourceful and inspirational experience for the public, Jenny’s parents John & Mei-lian Lin, founders of Jenny Lin Foundation, received the Jefferson Award in the Bay Area. View the profile coverage here: https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/jefferson-awards-parents-jenny-lin-keep-memory-alive-helping-castro-valley-community-foundation/
For almost three decades, Jenny Lin Foundation has run youth enrichment programs, seminars, fairs, exhibitions, and workshops to educate the public about safety. The Foundation was also instrumental in the development of the Children's Memorial Grove (located atop Fairmont Ridge) and the bronze statues now displayed at Hayward City Hall and Lake Merritt to honor young violence victims of Alameda County.
As a tribute to Jenny, who was a role model and leader in music and academics, officials of the Alameda County designated the Jenny Lin Teen Room in Castro Valley Library in 2010 to inspire the younger generation to spend time reading and studying, and excel in school, just like Jenny had done. In addition, the Jenny Lin Foundation launched a safety book project where titles on the subject of safety were donated to various branches of the Alameda County Library. Each year in Castro Valley, where Jenny attended school, the Foundation presents scholarship awards to one promising young musician, and one 8th grader with academic & musical achievements. About 30 students in each category have received the accolade since.
Additional scholarships are given out at the Foundation’s summer program, which is offered free of charge to eligible middle school and high school students. The unique program not only allows talented musicians to rehearse and perform together during the summer in a safe and structured setting, but also offers an opportunity for youths to improve their leadership and management skills. In 2022, musicians in Band, Orchestra and Choir met at Creekside Middle School 3 times a week for 4 weeks and performed at a community concert in July at Chabot College Performing Arts Center in Hayward. Close to 200 musicians from 29 schools and 12 cities in the Bay Area joined in the summer fun.
To commemorate Jenny as an accomplished violist, her family and friends have donated a prized viola to the Castro Valley Unified School District to be loaned to a promising violist for a year. At the 25th anniversary of Jenny’s passing in 2019, Jenny Lin Foundation commissioned a piece of music (Richard Meyer’s “From Darkness, Joyful Sounds Are Born”) that features a viola solo. A gift welcomed by musicians for years to come, the orchestra piece would carry with it a safety message whenever it is performed on stage anywhere in the world!
The Jefferson Awards for Public Service, the most prestigious and longest-standing public service awards in the United States, honor “ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition.” When the tragedy had befallen the family 28 years ago, Jenny’s parents chose to set their mind to helping build a safer community so that children would stop falling victim to violence. Through Jenny Lin Foundation, sorrow has opened up a path of service impacting hundreds and thousands of lives. The collection of resources on the Foundation’s website (https://jennylinfoundation.org/jennys-safety-links/) to help educate adults and children on safety is but one such example. John & Mei-lian Lin value the Jefferson Award as an exceptional platform to recount Jenny's legacy, in which they find solace; meanwhile they look forward to bringing the murderer to justice soon and ultimately a sense of closure for all.