Stand Behind with Ellie Wang; Support Her & Nonprofit Helping Animals!

Hello FCST families!

My name is Ellie Wang, I have been a FCST swimmer for nearly 9 years now, and I am currently a 9^th grader in Pre-Senior 3. I am reaching out today to tell you about my nonprofit and ask for your support.

My sister, Michelle, and I began helping out during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic by distributing supplies such as masks, gloves, rubbing alcohol, soap, and more, to hospitals, shelters, nursing homes, and other places in need in the Houston area. Out of this, we formed our nonprofit, Stand Behind, with a mission to combat the shortage of supplies and distribute these critical items to frontline workers, who were risking their own safety to help others. Since then, in one year, we have expanded to 5 cities, 1 other country, partnered with 3 organizations, and worked with Representative Pete Olson to further our outreach and impact, in total donating more than 10,000 in PPE and supplies to 20+ places in need.

Now, since there is no longer a shortage of supplies, and people are getting vaccinated, we are officially pivoting from COVID-19 relief to animal welfare in June 2021. This is a topic I have been passionate about since I was little, and I have two dogs who have shown me how amazing animals are and that they deserve to have a voice. Working on this nonprofit is a dream come true, and I truly want to get dogs and cats adopted out of shelters, raise awareness about animal rights, and build a community of animal enthusiasts like me. We plan to partner with shelters and feature their animals, host events like meet n’ greets, invite speakers, and more!

So, if you love animals and want to support our work, there are a lot of ways you can help out and get involved:

1. Visit our website! www.standbehind.org
2. Donate (also on our website)
3. Subscribe to our newsletter (also on our website!)
4. Follow our social media (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, all @standbehindnonprofit)
5. Get engaged! Be on the lookout for some fun things coming up!
6. Tell friends and family about Stand Behind, show them this letter
7. If you are a pet foster/adopt parent, join our network!
8. If you are looking to volunteer in our organization, you should become an Ambassador, we would love to have you! Students and adults are both welcome! (Link to a short and sweet application: https://forms.gle/ct1yFcxErwxaHXTC9)
9. Email or dm us questions and ideas, anything and everything is welcome!

FCST is and has been a huge part of my life and our swim community has given me so much. I appreciate all my teammates and coaches who encouraged me every step of the way, I definitely wouldn’t have the guts to go after this dream without all of your support, so thank you!

Sincerely,

Ellie Wang