Porte Impact Fellow: Leaving a Legacy in the Downtown Eastside

Evangeline is the current President of GoGivers (2023-2024). In her time at GoGivers, she has led the organization to provide over 30.5K care packages to Vancouver’s Downtown EastSide.

She oversees engagement, revenue stream, executive team operations, initiatives, and corporate sponsorship relations. Most memorably, she hosted over 110 youth at the Light Up Chinatown 2023 event to distribute packages and engage impactfully with their communities. 

We interviewed the founder of GoGivers - Jasmine Ren, Class of 2022 - in a previous article. Since her time, GoGivers has grown more than triple in size. We’re curious to hear about GoGivers nowadays. How has the organization grown since you’ve been involved?

When I first took on the role of President in 2023, GoGivers was in a rough patch. Many team members skipped meetings and organization updates were sparse. I knew the original GoGivers team had a super strong team bond, but it felt like the organization had lost part of that culture along the way. We became too focused on distributing the most packages and forgot the why behind the mission.

I was determined to change this throughout my presidency. First, I focused on rebuilding our community spirit. I introduced quarterly bonding events. We had potlucks, game nights, a secret Santa gift exchange, and even an escape room adventure in December. I slowly saw the team becoming a close-knit community where everyone felt valued and connected. Our why was our mutual desire to make a difference, together.

Asking quirky icebreaker questions – although seemingly insignificant – really helped spark more interesting conversations which motivated every member to work harder. 

Team morale really transformed GoGivers. We’ve raised our funds by 54.92%, increased youth involvement by 140%, and improved package distribution by 71.5%. We’re really well known in the Vancouver community. Our Instagram posts organically attract 30-40 volunteers per event alone. I’m really proud of the growth we’ve seen in the last year, and it's especially shown how rebuilding team dynamics can create so much change throughout the organization. 

Nowadays, everyone is a leader of some sort. What attributes/skills do you think students need to stand out among the crowd?

I’d say two main things: being a go-getter and demonstrating your curiosity. I’ve carved my path by chasing what I want to achieve with unwavering determination. I dive into challenges headfirst and I’m not afraid to push my personal limits to reach my goals. This is something that the teachers at my school often point out and in an organization context, can help push the team forwards! 

I’m always asking questions in class, reaching out to teachers or classmates to learn about their personal stories, or speaking with experts in different fields. Small things go a long way, such as writing a thoughtful card after speaking with someone at an event, or chatting with school staff. 

I’ve found that genuine interest helps me stand out more than any rehearsed compliment could and that it helps underscore my reliability and commitment.

You just passed down your role to the next co-presidents of GoGivers - Melvin & Terry. As you move on to university this fall, what are your hopes for GoGivers moving forwards? 

As it stands, GoGivers is established in Vancouver and can run on its own - but I would love to start a Toronto chapter. I see the expansion more than just a geographic one. I want to transform GoGivers into a thriving community hub where we can address even more aspects of food insecurity. Another next step is to officially file as a charity as it’ll elevate our credibility and broaden our reach. I’m super excited to see how Melvin & Terry will take on the role and grow GoGivers! 

Most importantly though, no matter where we expand, I hope GoGivers will always be something that people will always look forward to - a nurturing, happy environment of students coming together to make a great impact! 

Before you is a line of GoGivers “alumni” and leaders. How has having mentors affected your personal and professional growth? 

Having a legacy of GoGivers alumni who are my mentors has been so helpful. Seeing Matthew - my first mentor and part of GoGiver’s founding team - operate within the organization provided a blueprint for my own goals.

Being connected to my current Porte mentors built off on that. I was invited to be a Porte Impact Fellow in 2023. I attended student events, was connected with volunteer opportunities, and received mentorship. I saw how hard my mentors worked with me and created an inclusive culture in their company – and that also inspired me to implement similar elements in GoGivers and make team bonding a core focus. 

My mentors have definitely shown me through example how to become a more effective and inspired leader. As I go to university next year, I’m inspired to become a mentor and give back.