Michelle Vi Pepping
Founder/President
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
Born in an Indonesian refugee camp, Michelle Vi Pepping’s humble beginnings have inspired her lifelong passion of giving back to the community. Before founding Operation of Humanity, Michelle regularly recruited volunteers and coordinated events to support various causes in the community. She is an especially zealous advocate for vulnerable children who suffer from abuse, neglect, exploitation, and/or bullying; Michelle hopes Operation of Humanity will help create awareness to promote child safety, health, and welfare.
Michelle grew up in New Jersey and now resides in the Dallas area with her husband, Lucas. Her other passion is cooking, which she nurtures every day at a local Cajun restaurant that she and Lucas own. Michelle studied business and child psychology at the University of Texas at Dallas.
kim hoang
Co-Founder/Secretary
Kim began her mission to save the world 15 years ago, volunteering and working in the nonprofit sphere. In her personal and professional time, she has worked with a variety of organizations to assist and see through events that bring help and awareness to the needs of our community. During this time, she spent many years collaborating with community partners to end homelessness in Houston and address their issues and needs in order to provide a dignified living.
Her biggest passions are ending human trafficking, particularly sex trafficking, and bringing awareness and understanding of mental illness. This is a global problem that affects all ages, genders, ethnicities, but she believes the key components for change are centered on the nurturing and empowerment of our youth. That we need to create stepping stones for the future and to do that is to offer support, guidance and compassion.
“Every child should be offered an education and guidance. No child should have to worry about if and when their next meal will be.” When they are supported with these basic needs they learn how to accept challenges and tackle adversities. They are able to affect change in society and share their compassion with those around them.
We live in a beautifully diverse world, and we must learn and show others how to embrace both the unique and familiar. It is important to lend a hand to our neighbors, friends and strangers alike. The distress and hardships sometimes are unseen, and we need to be considerate and proactive, whether apparent or not. One selfless act can inspire many more. “The means may provide many obstacles now, but I believe that there are enough of us out there that want to do well and to help others and are looking for the opportunity to do so.”
khai to
Co-Founder/Treasurer
Khai was born in the Philippines and grew up in Arkansas before calling Dallas his home. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family and traveling while gaining culinary experiences.
Khai is very passionate about addressing the problems of food insecurity in the United States and abroad. In a society that has so much abundance, especially in a metroplex as rich and diverse as Dallas/Fort Worth “food security should be available to people of all ages, races, or backgrounds; it is not a luxury and meant to be just for the wealthy.”
Additionally, Khai is also interested in affordable, organic farming in local, urban communities. Outside of these passions, Khai is very enthusiastic about financial technology, the power of data to solve real world problems, and the potential of blockchain technology to change the world. He believes that we can solve hunger issues one step at a time, building in our own backyard, educating and offering the means to grow a healthy, sustainable foundation.