ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — The sisters wanted to do something for the high school across the street, a small gesture for community, and a nod to the educators who teach them each day.

Camila and Sarah Balanta could see the run-down area at Orange County Educational Arts Academy on their way to school at the Orange County School of the Arts. Last spring, they decided to do something about it as Camila was ending her freshman year and Sarah was preparing to graduate.

But they needed help, applying to the Dragon Kim foundation for enough money to purchase materials and a bit of organizational help.

“Theirs was the only project that really focused on the teachers,” said Grace Tsai, executive director and co-founder of the Dragon Kim Foundation. “I think the thing that’s really lovely about the fellowship is we allow the students to come to us with what they’re really passionate about.”

Camila and Sarah were among about 350 applicants to the foundations’ fellowship program, earning a spot along with a total of 35 projects.

“We don’t have a lot of siblings that come to us and say I want to work with my sister or my brother,” Tsai said.

But for Camila and Sarah, it was more than just about working with each other. They rallied their friends and other students from the community to help, working weekdays to finish the project during the summer. 

Sarah, who is now a freshman at the University of Southern California, said it was a way to collaborate with her classmates, many of whom have dispersed to different colleges and universities as classes begin. 

“It was very emotional for me and very personal to me,” Sarah said. “For a lot of people, it was the last time we saw each other before we ran off to college.”

June 27 they measured, and took inventory of what materials they would need, broke ground July 7 and finished up July 8.

“The school will maintain it and work the garden and make it look pretty and make sure the plants get what they need,” Camila said.

They planted flowers and vegetables like cilantro and cucumbers, all the fixings for a good salsa.

The girls used some of their $5,000 from Dragon Kim for another project at Heroes Elementary School, furnishing the tech lounge with cubicles, a couch and a printer.

It was their way of thanking the teachers, with one principal offering her thanks.

“They want to do these projects, but they’re super, hyper focused on other things they need to provide for the students,” Sarah said.