How Hard Strikes Can Build Resilience

Samantha Haylee Moreno (Sam), is a freshman at UC Berkeley and a recent recipient of the D’Andre D. Lampkin Foundation Social Good Scholarship.

In 2021, Sam successfully founded “Thundar, Lightning & Peace” (ThundarLP), a 501(c)(3) organization that builds upon Sam’s desire to share her personal experiences. During a year of excruciating pain at age 13, the Paws with Love program at Kaiser brought “Goldendoodles” dogs to comfort patients, helping to bring relief to Sam. She later received her own Goldendoodle, whom she named “THUNDAR” (misspelled purposely). The word LIGHTNING represents the unexpected harsh strikes in Sam’s life, which molded her to be courageous and resilient. Ultimately, the word PEACE describes the place she is in now, and she hopes to bring comfort and peace to deserving military veterans through her work.

Join us as we learn about Sam’s journey and how the “hard strikes” in her life have built resilience in her and a renewed spirit of community engagement. Bring a friend or coworker, too! Attendance is free and an opportunity for us to promote and highlight our programs, initiatives, and volunteer opportunities.