Meet Thao and her inspiring story on improving lives

Annually, Thao dedicates a portion of her income to helping those in need, locally and overseas. Here are some highlights of her impact:

• Building a home for an elderly lady. In January 2024, Thao donated funds to help improve an elderly Vietnamese lady's life who had spent her entire life living on a boat. For the first time ever, the lady finally has a roof over her head and a solid shelter on land.

• Paying medication fees for the poor. Thao sponsored a pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City where her best friend works as a pharmacist. For those who can't afford the cost of medication, Thao foots the bill for them to ensure those less fortunate can still get access to medications.

• Being 'Lady of Mercy' to the marginalized people. To commemorate her birthdays and Lunar New Years, Thao sends money to her best friend (pharmacist). The purpose is to identify marginalized people in Ho Chi Minh City, especially single mothers with young children, the elderly and the disabled, and give them a red envelope with money. In addition, Thao's generosity extends to support for orphanages and temples, where elderly people with no financial means or family go to seek shelter.

• Spreading random acts of kindness. Thao also gets her son involved to identify those in need in their GTA community. They donate to food banks through the year, as well as distribute Walmart gift cards to people in need that they identify around the GTA.

• Giving above and beyond to a little boy at McDonald's. During the first week of December 2024, Thao and her son encountered a young boy, his grandmother, and aunt at a McDonald’s in Walmart. The boy wanted a meal that his grandmother couldn’t afford. He wore an oversized, old jacket on a frigid day. Thao and her son stepped in and offered to buy the meals for the entire family. And it did not stop there...They offered the grandmother a Walmart gift card, two large bags of winter clothes and new shoes, along with a brand-new parka for the boy's 12 years old brother. 

What's in it for Thao? 

It boiled down to two aspects for Thao - being a role model for her son and improving lives. Giving is deeply rooted in Thao's DNA and as she puts it, "helping others give me an unparalleled sense of joy, as though it unlocks part of my brain that controls happiness and contentment". 

Thao does have some wisdoms to share ('Giving 101'):

• Small gestures have big impacts.

• Kindness multiplies and paves the path for paying-it-forward.

• Giving is healing.

• Get your kids involved so they learn to develop empathy early.

Thao is a seasoned business leader at a Canadian financial institution. She enjoys cooking varied cuisines, reading and listening to audio books. She also enjoys spending quality time and watching movies together with her 11-year old son, Trystan.

Thao is a philanthropist by nature - she leads by example for her son to learn the virtues of kindness and generosity - and gives back to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) community she lives and in Vietnam where her cultural roots lie.