We were lucky to catch up with Leng Kar Chang recently and have shared our conversation below.
Leng Kar, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
The SKA Academy of Art and Design was created to provide children K-12 the opportunity to explore their artistic talents, promote the value of art in their development, and appreciate all applications of art. After establishing the SKA Academy of Art and Design in 2006, teaching and volunteering in the community made me realize that our students, volunteers, and staff could positively impact others through service. So. the Together We Can Foundation was established and has started numerous service projects that impact local and global communities. Utilizing teams of passionate and committed students, staff, and volunteers through SKA and the around Georgia allowed us to successfully complete projects like the Adopt-A-Road Program and service trips to Nepal and Malaysia. The mission is to uplift and inspire the community, one act of kindness at a time. What is unique about the TWC is that students begin to understand core values such as kindness, compassion, and teamwork while developing leadership skills. Eventually, they have the opportunity to manage service projects of their own through the foundation.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I established the SKA Academy of Art and Design after graduating with a Master of Arts Degree in Interior Design from Savannah College of Art and Design, and diplomas in Interior Design from Malaysia Institute of Art, and the Sabah Institute of Art. Then I worked with various companies as an interior designer until 2006. SKA provides programs such as visual arts, graphic design, animation, and creative writing. We strive to aid students in developing their artistic abilities and prepare them for the future through college preparations and internship opportunities. As for the TWC, the foundation is devoted to spreading care and empathy through ambitious charity programs/projects that can mobilize dozens of volunteers at a time. Locally, we offer free meal kits and projects like Adopt-A-Road. Other accolades achieved through SKA and the TWC include the President’s Lifetime Volunteer Award, finalist in the Gwinnett Chamber’s third annual Moxie Awards in the Influence category, and the IBS Sramanera School of Nepal Certificate of Excellence for outstanding Volunteer Service for Comunity Change and Improvement Efforts.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I was able to build my reputation by recruiting students and helping them improve their skills through the numerous classes provided by SKA. My connection with students and parents over the years that they have been learning allows me to aid them in engaging in service and planning for their future. Students under our tutelage have won awards for different art competitions and in multiple divisions such as traditional, digital, or 3D. Furthermore, we help our high schoolers attain scholarships. Through the TWC, we have hosted service projects that include volunteers, youth, and talented staff. Our accomplishments in the field gained recognition from Gwinnett county and the Federal government, as we are a certifying organization for the Presidential Service Award.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy for growing clientele has been through word of mouth from students and parents. A secondary strategy utilized was advertising on platforms like Facebook and local English and Chinese newspapers. We were able to recruit numerous students and therefore were able to grow the number of volunteers for service projects hosted by the TWC. Volunteers are also those in the community joined by visiting the website, not just parents, students, and teachers.
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