Who We Are

The Jenny Lin Foundation

The Jenny Lin Foundation was incorporated in 1994 after the tragic and brutal murder of Jenny Lin, a talented and well-loved 14 year-old girl. As a charitable organization, the foundation’s mission is to promote child safety and youth music education. The foundation sponsors many music and safety events which benefit the East Bay communities, including the free youth music camp and concert, scholarships for young musicians, safety awareness education, and more.

 Board of Directors 

There are 8 members in the Board of Directors of the Jenny Lin Foundation.  Click here to see their positions and affiliations.

Jenny’s Murder

Child murders, kidnappings and stranger abductions are on the rise among violent crimes in America today. While thousands of children disappeared in the U.S. each year, many children were murdered or abducted. These murders are among the most difficult crimes to solve and the most traumatic for the families and communities affected. There are still many unsolved cases in the State of California.

On May 27, 1994, Jenny Lin, a talented and innocent 8th grade student, was stabbed to death in her own home in Castro Valley, California. There have been no apparent reasons for its motive, and the killer is still at large. This kind of crime could happen in any home.

Community Response

Friends in the Bay Area community, together with some corporations, have been actively participating in the effort of solving this case and supporting the Foundation as a whole. They render services in various Foundation activities as well as donating funds to the Foundation.

In response to the senseless crime, the parents, friends of Jenny, and community leaders joined force and created a charitable organization in Jenny’s name to develop the strongest possible community response to solve this murder case as a short term goal, and to promote personal safety of all children through charitable and educational programs as a long term mission.

Our Mission and Purpose

Through the search for Jenny Lin’s killer and other programs to prevent harm to children, the Jenny Lin Foundation intends to:

• Lessen the burdens of government by helping law enforcement agencies solve crimes affecting children, including Jenny’s murder.
• Educate individuals and the public on effective measures to be taken to protect children and families from harm, through oral, written, and electronic communications.
• Develop measures to help relieve the widespread distress and neighborhood tensions that occur in a community when a child is abducted or harmed.
• Act as a model for rapid community response when a child is harmed and the perpetrator is unknown or still at large, developing educational training materials for use by other communities.
• Develop methods and techniques of obtaining quick access to advanced forms of communications and information technology, to aid in the search for perpetrators of crimes against children and witnesses.
• Render financial and other forms of assistance to families and communities affected when a child is harmed, and establish memorial funds as an appropriate community response to the loss of a child.
• Advocate, within the limits appropriate for charitable organizations, changes in public policy to prevent harm to children and to solve crimes against children, such as postal privileges and other access to government resources.
• Help to deter crimes related to the disappearance or harming of children.

Assistance and Public Awareness

The Jenny Lin Foundation has provided direct/indirect assistance to the case investigation, maintaining public awareness of Jenny’s murder and community safety, and establishing educational and charitable programs in memory of Jenny Lin.

On direct/indirect assistance to the case investigation

• Offering reward fund up to $100,000 for information leading toward murderer conviction
• Obtaining the services of an expert sketch artist to draw pictures of suspects or subjects of interest, private investigators, and legal consultants
• Printing and distributing reward and wanted flyers

On maintaining public awareness of Jenny’s murder and community safety

It is hoped that people who have knowledge of Jenny’s murderer will come forward with such crucial information as a result of the continuing efforts in public and media attention. The apprehension of the murderer is crucial for the return of the community safety and peacefulness. In addition, the Foundation sponsors safety fairs and workshops on a regular basis to raise the awareness of community and child safety.

Major activities associated with this mission include:

• Flyer printing and distribution
• Organizing Annual Defensive Living Fairs
• Organizing safety workshops
• Maintaining contact with elected officials and police
• Participating in major crime fighting rallies and gatherings
• Maintaining contact with media
• Receiving lead information regarding the case
• Involvement in community safety discussions
• Assistance in the investigation of Jenny Lin murder case
• Publishing newsletters to focus on Jenny Lin murder investigation and child safety
• Sponsoring research activities to improve techniques in criminal investigation

On educational and charitable programs for a safe and caring community

Many activities or events mentioned above have reflected the purposes of education and charity, such as hosting meetings for public officials and teenage students, annual Jenny Lin Youth Concert in Castro Valley, dedication of Jenny Lin viola, etc. As a non-profit organization, the Foundation will continue to inspire the public and students with the following activities:

• Scholarship awards for students with outstanding achievements in both academic and musical areas
• Special music scholarships for talented, promising young musicians
• Seminars or classes regarding community safety and violent crime issues
• Assistance to victims of violent crimes against children
• Permanent structure in a public place to promote peace, equality and friendship, and to serve as a constant reminder of community safety.

The Jenny Lin Foundation is a non-profit tax exempt organization.  We are also a member of  Local Independent Charities of America.