October 1, 2025 — Elite Preparatory Academy (EPA).
Senior writer and Editor-in-Chief: Boge Xiao
With thanks to Mrs. Doris and Aiqiao Xu for photos, and to EPA’s Community Ambassador Club and Newspaper Club for participation.
Every community has two kinds of homes: the ones built with bricks, and the ones built with kindness. On that golden afternoon, we stepped into both.
At 3:20 p.m., the air was clear and bright, the kind of early-October calm that makes everything, even silence, glow. Our Community Ambassador Club began EPA’s first on-site visit to The SMILE Organization, ready not only to visit, but to share an hour of connection and care. This was a step beyond the classroom, into a space where service meant listening, learning, and being present.
We entered the first house from the lower floor. The steps led us into a spacious art room, where sunlight fell across two figures quietly painting. One is the staff member, and the other is a resident named Robert. Their focus was complete, brushes moving with unspoken joy. When Robert smiled as he lifted his painting of a golden bee, its wings and body outlined in gold. Around him, our classmates smiled and leaned closer to appreciate. At that moment, service was effortless, like a shared breath between people who had just met yet somehow already understood one another.
As we moved upstairs, the house opened into the warmth of daily life. The living room opened like the heart of the home, a cozy and complete kitchen, and a dining table that seemed permanently surrounded by laughter. On the second floor, five residents welcomed us into their rooms. We moved through the hallway and stepped into one of the resident Arthurs’ rooms. Posters and medals hung beside family photos, and the shelves overflowed with small tokens of everyday pride. It wasn’t polished, but it was deeply personal.
Residents introduced each keepsake with care, as if offering pieces of their own story, showing us their favorite collections and stories, while EPA students listened closely, asking questions, offering smiles, and sometimes, just sharing a moment of laughter. What stood out was not the space itself, but the care that filled it. The same kind of care brought our volunteers here in the first place.
After the tour of the first house, we stepped back into the crisp sunshine and began the short walk to the second house. The road between the two homes was quiet except for leaves underfoot. Some residents walked ahead, chatting freely; others strolled or jogged to catch up, enjoying the breeze.
The second house, donated by Jack and Jacé Botti in 2023, carried the same warmth with a sense of renewal. Inside, residents greeted us with bright smiles and again opened their rooms: shelves lined with vintage fans and model cars, walls filled with film posters and colorful collections.
In the dining area, Victor and I had the chance to interview briefly with Harrison and Dan, who shared their hobbies and hopes. The conversation was light yet meaningful, offering a glimpse into the everyday rhythm of a place built on trust and companionship.
Before leaving, we met once again with Ms. Susan, whose calm leadership and kindness have shaped SMILE into more than an organization; it is truly a family. As we walked back along the same tree-lined path, the late-afternoon sun stretched long across the road. The two houses stood quietly under its glow: one older, one newer, yet together forming a single heartbeat of community. What began as a visit felt, by then, like a homecoming. And for EPA students, that hour was a reminder that service isn’t measured by tasks completed, but by how fully we choose to be there for one another.
