BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Nina Ha may not be a household name, but for those in the Bakersfield community who know her, she gives back in a way that leaves an impression on every child she meets.
Ha calls herself just another mother in Bakersfield — but her story is anything but ordinary.
"I started volunteering at my kid's schools — reading to them — and one day, for some reason, I don't know why, I dressed up as Wonder Woman and surprised the class and they loved it so much," Ha said.
What started as a small effort to engage children with reading grew into something Ha never expected.
"People started inviting me to read at their schools during Celebrity Reader Day or Read Across America or Career Day so I've just been doing it ever since," Ha said.
Ha moved to Bakersfield to start a family more than three decades ago. Wanting to find a community, she joined the Bakersfield Chinese Women's Club — a group she says has been running for over 75 years.
"One of our biggest fundraisers is the Christmas dinners that we do every year. We try to raise thousands of dollars for high school kids who are so hard-working," Ha said.
Outside of fundraising, Ha says the community has stepped up multiple times, with restaurants like China Bistro donating thousands of dollars in profit to benefit their fundraisers and student tuition.
"That desire to really invest in kids and to promote literacy aligns with what we do at the club. We raise money so that so that hard-working high school students can go to college and they know that they have this fund that could help them and that we believe in them. It just gives them hope for the future," Ha said.
When I asked Ha why she continuously gives back to others, she credits her mom, who raised her by the principle: "If you can help someone and make their lives easier, then you've done your job."
Ha says that while she does what she can to serve her community, she urges residents to take a closer look at the other women who make Bakersfield what it is today.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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