CLARITY
Noun
The quality of being clear and pure.
Shanghai American School’s (SAS) very own service club CLARITY aims to raise awareness for children with mental and physical disabilities through teaching English to local Chinese students. The founder and president of CLARITY, Renee Liu (’19), initially “wanted to expose the people of our community to the joy and contentment of charity.” With a bright smile, she continues, “we’re able to brighten up a kid’s day by offering our companionship, and our small efforts all count towards a larger cause.”
CLARITY is proudly sponsored by local non-profit government organizations, such as Puzhi Charity and Ed-ability. Through collaborating with the Special Olympics Committee and Fuji Film, CLARITY events help the general public see the world from a disabled child's perspective. Additionally, CLARITY hosts and performs in puppet shows for local elementary students with scripts adapted from Broadway and Disney. Why does CLARITY choose such an interesting way to advocate and spread awareness? The puppet show is a “really fun way to not only bring our club members together but is also a form of entertainment for the local community, all while supporting a great cause,” Renee explains. She believes the puppet show is a team effort where all the members are actively participating whether that is a role, controlling the music, or the background. "It sends a message that as a whole, we're able to make a difference, while individually, that may be more challenging," Renee says.
When asked to describe CLARITY using three adjectives, dedicated, companionship and engaged came up. CLARITY members are actively engaged with the orphans that they are striving to help. As a result, CLARITY members are more even more motivated to contribute to CLARITY’s cause. Renee adds that from all of the interactions they had with the children, "we know exactly who we’re helping and can see the impact that CLARITY has on the kids. We know their stories, their situations. By being a small part in the journey to change their life really means something to us". Coming into this, however, Renee does admit to having "[her] own predispositions or prejudices as to how children with disabilities would act”. However, after spending time with them, Renee quickly began to realize that “like any other kid, they’re innocent and kind-hearted because despite their harsh conditions, they remain happy and pure" just as the club name of CLARITY suggests.
Although CLARITY is definitely not the only service club around SAS, it is definitely a club that tackles fundraising in a unique way. "We’re constantly looking for different methods to fundraise, and I think you can see that by watching our puppet shows or classes," Renee says. As of future plans, CLARITY wants “to keep working with these organizations to build on their foundation and to plan more events. This includes community outreach programs, visiting more rehabilitation homes for orphans awaiting or recovering from surgery, and maybe even planning trips to see the kids we’re helping". The driving force behind the hard work from the members is that they “know that [they] can make a real impact". Preserving the clarity and the happiness of these disabled orphans is definitely on the agenda for this devoted service club. For any of you interested in joining the club, CLARITY hosts weekly Thursday lunch meetings in H110, Ms. Zhu’s room. While you're at it, give their Instagram @clarity_sas a follow to learn more!
Noun
The quality of being clear and pure.
Shanghai American School’s (SAS) very own service club CLARITY aims to raise awareness for children with mental and physical disabilities through teaching English to local Chinese students. The founder and president of CLARITY, Renee Liu (’19), initially “wanted to expose the people of our community to the joy and contentment of charity.” With a bright smile, she continues, “we’re able to brighten up a kid’s day by offering our companionship, and our small efforts all count towards a larger cause.”
 |
| (Courtesy of CLARITY) |
CLARITY is proudly sponsored by local non-profit government organizations, such as Puzhi Charity and Ed-ability. Through collaborating with the Special Olympics Committee and Fuji Film, CLARITY events help the general public see the world from a disabled child's perspective. Additionally, CLARITY hosts and performs in puppet shows for local elementary students with scripts adapted from Broadway and Disney. Why does CLARITY choose such an interesting way to advocate and spread awareness? The puppet show is a “really fun way to not only bring our club members together but is also a form of entertainment for the local community, all while supporting a great cause,” Renee explains. She believes the puppet show is a team effort where all the members are actively participating whether that is a role, controlling the music, or the background. "It sends a message that as a whole, we're able to make a difference, while individually, that may be more challenging," Renee says.
 |
| (Courtesy of CLARITY) |
When asked to describe CLARITY using three adjectives, dedicated, companionship and engaged came up. CLARITY members are actively engaged with the orphans that they are striving to help. As a result, CLARITY members are more even more motivated to contribute to CLARITY’s cause. Renee adds that from all of the interactions they had with the children, "we know exactly who we’re helping and can see the impact that CLARITY has on the kids. We know their stories, their situations. By being a small part in the journey to change their life really means something to us". Coming into this, however, Renee does admit to having "[her] own predispositions or prejudices as to how children with disabilities would act”. However, after spending time with them, Renee quickly began to realize that “like any other kid, they’re innocent and kind-hearted because despite their harsh conditions, they remain happy and pure" just as the club name of CLARITY suggests.
 |
| (Courtesy of CLARITY) |
Although CLARITY is definitely not the only service club around SAS, it is definitely a club that tackles fundraising in a unique way. "We’re constantly looking for different methods to fundraise, and I think you can see that by watching our puppet shows or classes," Renee says. As of future plans, CLARITY wants “to keep working with these organizations to build on their foundation and to plan more events. This includes community outreach programs, visiting more rehabilitation homes for orphans awaiting or recovering from surgery, and maybe even planning trips to see the kids we’re helping". The driving force behind the hard work from the members is that they “know that [they] can make a real impact". Preserving the clarity and the happiness of these disabled orphans is definitely on the agenda for this devoted service club. For any of you interested in joining the club, CLARITY hosts weekly Thursday lunch meetings in H110, Ms. Zhu’s room. While you're at it, give their Instagram @clarity_sas a follow to learn more!
