Friends of Children with Special Needs, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, was formed in 1996 by ten Chinese-American families to support each other, share ideas, offer a hand for the newly diagnosed, and to educate the community about people with special needs. The ten families’ mission, which becomes FCSN’s mission today, is to build a community of love, hope, and respect for the special need population and this mission continues to dictate FCSN’s every move. Since 1996, FCSN has rapidly increased its membership to over 800 multi-ethnic families. FCSN now provides 44 comprehensive programs for thousands of special need individuals of all ages and their families.