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Our Story
The story of Klemensen Charities begins with its founder, Khoa Nguyen, as a 12-year-old boy growing up in Vietnam. At that age, Khoa watched a documentary much like Africa’s Child: Niger Desert Journey. It followed a boy his age living in a remote African village, helping his family repair their modest home made of cow dung and straw. When the boy turned 14, he would embark on a dangerous camel caravan across the desert, a coming-of-age journey that meant risking his life for what his tribe considered manhood.
What struck Khoa most was not the danger, but the “treasures” the boy and his companions brought back: notebooks, paper, cooking oil, ordinary supplies that Khoa himself had always taken for granted. That moment planted something in him: a deep, unshakable desire to one day help children and families in places like that.
Life carried him in unexpected directions. After immigrating to America with his family, Khoa eventually joined the U.S. Marine Corps, a path he often describes as accidental. But fate had a way of bringing him full circle. His unit was deployed for a yearlong mission to the Horn of Africa. While his primary duty was base security, he occasionally joined Civil Affairs teams visiting remote villages.
On one of those trips, everything connected. Standing in the very landscapes he had once only seen on a screen, Khoa felt an overwhelming sense of purpose. Delivering supplies to schools, engaging with children, and surveying community needs, he realized it was no coincidence. He was living out the dream of his 12-year-old self. That moment became the seed of what would later grow into Klemensen Charities.
When Khoa returned from deployment, he settled in Glendale, California. Yet after experiencing the profound joy of service, adjusting to “normal life” proved difficult. While interning at a financial investment firm in Irvine and building a startup in the music industry, he still felt something was missing.
So along with a close friend, Khoa started a service club at Glendale Community College. The mission was simple: to ease the burdens of struggling families and bring light into their days. The need was close to home in his own high school, more than 40% of students had qualified for free meals, and many of their families lived in poverty. These were not statistics to Khoa; they were his friends and classmates.
The club began humbly with a two-person booth, offering free activities like tennis, art, dance, and piano lessons to families in need. The response was overwhelming. Within six months, the club had grown to 400 members, and within two years, it had expanded across seven local high schools with nearly 2,000 members. Volunteers scouted neighborhoods to identify needs, while officers organized projects to meet them. Year after year, the group became one of the most active service organizations in the region.
But with rapid success came growing pains. For a volunteer service club with no funding, no formal structure, and no paid staff, the growth became increasingly difficult to sustain. At the time, Khoa was still a college student, balancing academics with his role as a startup founder, yet without consistent income. Leading such a large, fast-growing movement with limited resources became a constant struggle.
The turning point came when Khoa moved to Utah to continue his studies. Many of the veteran members who had carried the vision were also leaving home for college. It was clear the movement needed time to reorganize and regroup before it could take its next step forward.
Even as the vision remained alive, Khoa knew passion alone would not be enough. Over the next several years, he worked to refine the system and confront the deeper challenges of volunteer-driven work. Many young volunteers wanted to serve full time, but they also needed to support themselves, pursue higher education, and build their own futures. With no budget to hire staff and with Khoa himself unpaid the organization often had to watch its most talented people move on.
High turnover made it difficult to sustain projects. The impact on those served was undeniable: children battling depression, loneliness, or neglect often found joy, confidence, and belonging through the programs. For some, it was the one thing that brightened their day. Yet when key volunteers left, projects lost momentum. New volunteers brought different talents and interests, but not always the same passion or commitment.
The challenge was even more acute overseas. During visits to orphanages, Khoa noticed the heartbreak of inconsistency. These children, already struggling with abandonment, needed stability. Instead, the constant rotation of volunteers risked adding to the problem rather than solving it.
The lesson became clear: to truly create lasting change, the work needed to be concrete, sustainable, and long term.
Where we are today
100% Donation Model
Every dollar donated goes directly to the people served: no salaries, no overhead, no hidden costs. The operating budget is sustained by Klemensen Global Strategies and its companies, alongside personal contributions from members.
Sustainable, High-Impact Focus
Rather than short-term fixes, Klemensen Charities prioritizes long-term, scalable initiatives that create measurable impact. Smaller teams, sharper focus, and carefully chosen projects ensure resources go where they matter most.
Global Reach, Local Action
The organization partners with local groups to address needs at home, while also working abroad through hands-on involvement and enduring relationships with communities in developing countries.
Entrepreneurial, Volunteer-Driven Leadership
Led by social entrepreneurs, professionals, and dedicated students, Klemensen Charities is powered by committed volunteers who bring expertise, creativity, and passion; building impact without reliance on paid staff.
STAY INFORMED - STAY INSPIRED
Explore the latest stories of impact from around the world and see what our team is building right now. From families rising out of poverty to communities gaining new opportunities, these are the updates that remind us why the work matters. Click below to dive into the news, learn more, and be part of the change.
Klemensen Charities still operates on the same principle as its original pilot program: 100% of donations are reserved exclusively for the people we serve. There are no employees, no salaries, and no ongoing major expenses. Every dollar entrusted to the organization is directed toward impact. Most of the operating budget is self-funded by Klemensen Global Strategies and its companies, along with the personal contributions of our members, a reflection of the deep personal commitment behind the mission.
The current volunteer team is small but deeply dedicated, a circle of social entrepreneurs, a retired banker, a renowned economics professor, a photographer, and a handful of college students. While modest in size, the team is united by vision and open to welcoming more willing hearts and hands.
With experience has come clarity. Rather than chasing every opportunity, Klemensen Charities focuses on higher-impact, long-term initiatives. A smaller team means greater focus; greater focus means resources can be directed where they create measurable, scalable change.
The organization serves locally by partnering with community groups to meet needs close to home, while continuing to serve globally through travel, direct involvement, and lasting relationships with the people they support abroad.
The dream of a 12-year-old boy has grown into a living mission, one that remains faithful to its roots, while always looking forward to a future of deeper, broader impact.
With Your Help, We are Making The World a Better Place
Today, you have the chance to be part of that story. Your generosity can transform lives, whether by making a one-time gift, becoming a monthly sponsor, or joining our team of volunteers and social entrepreneurs. Every dollar, every hour, every effort counts. Together, we can lift families out of poverty, create opportunities, and build a brighter future for communities at home and abroad.
Will you take the next step with us?
A Letter from the President
Dear Friends,
In my lifetime, I have seen both the heights of prosperity and the depths of human struggle. But never in recent history has the world faced a challenge quite like the aftermath of COVID-19. The pandemic did more than disrupt our daily lives, it shook the foundations of the global economy. While some nations are slowly recovering, millions of families in developing countries have slipped back into extreme poverty. For many, the small progress they once made has been erased.
I know this not just from statistics, but from experience. Years ago, as a young missionary in Peru, I saw poverty face-to-face for the very first time. That moment changed me forever. Since then, whether in my career in investment banking, as a father of three adopted children from Peru, or in service through community initiatives here in Utah, one truth has always been clear: when people are given opportunity, even in the smallest measure, they rise.
Today, through Klemensen Charities, we have the chance to provide that opportunity again, at a time when it is more critical than ever. Every microloan, every resource, every act of generosity has the power to restore dignity, rebuild livelihoods, and reignite hope in families who feel forgotten.
I believe deeply that the Lord has placed us here for this moment. We are not spectators to global suffering, we are called to act. And while we may not be able to solve every problem, together we can tip the scale for families who are hanging on by a thread.
I invite you to join us. Whether through a one-time donation, sponsoring monthly, or volunteering your time and talents, your contribution will have a lasting impact. Together, we can rebuild what was lost and create a future of hope and possibility for those who need it most.
With gratitude and determination,
Alan Thomson
Alan Thomson
President, Klemensen Charities