Team 1 — The Compassion Series

Crystle sitting on a gray couch in a bright living room with large windows, wearing a light blue blouse, black pants, and black high heels, with a pink laptop on the couch beside her.

The Compassion Series is a multi-generational labor of love. We believe that every person has a name and a story worth knowing—and that children who learn to see others through the eyes of dignity today will be the leaders who heal our communities tomorrow.

Crystle Wong Vitari

The Author

Crystle is a native San Franciscan whose dedication to the vulnerable spans grassroots volunteerism to regional executive governance. She served for eight years on the Board of Directors for Lutheran Social Services of Northern California (LSSNorCal)—part of a vital national network that collectively touches the lives of 1 in every 5 Americans nationwide—and currently continues her work on their Emeritus Board.

Deeply invested in youth empowerment, community restoration, and family care, Crystle has served with The Princess Project to promote self-confidence in young women, and proudly supports Old Skool Cafe, a faith-forward youth violence prevention program in San Francisco. You might find her volunteering at local food pantries or serving alongside her local church, Heirs Church, and Mobilize Love to deliver mobile resources and hope to under-resourced neighborhoods.

“I wrote this book series because when we were feeding our unhoused neighbors during the pandemic, I realized how many people just wanted to be seen. A simple smile or a greeting by name offers the human dignity that so many seek. I want to help parents steward their children for the Kingdom of God, bringing more of Heaven down to Earth.”

Arne with his dad in 2017.

Arne JinAn Wong

The Creative Art Director

Arne JinAn (Arne) Wong is an Emmy- and Clio Award-winning animator, director, and fine artist with over 40 years of experience shaping the landscape of commercial animation.

Self-taught from the age of 18, Arne refined his craft through elite apprenticeships under iconic industry legends, including Disney Veteran John Freeman (Lady & the Tramp), Warner Bros. Animator Corny Cole (Looney Tunes), and UPA Animator Duane Crowther (Yellow Submarine). Throughout his decorated career, Arne has brought some of the world's most recognizable characters to life. He served as the EFX Matte Supervisor on Walt Disney Studios’ original Tron and as an Animation Director and Concept Developer for Nickelodeon Cartoons on CatDog and Dora the Explorer. He also co-produced the very first digital animated feature film in China alongside legendary artist Jean "Moebius" Giraud.

For The Compassion Series, Arne rejected modern digital shortcuts, choosing instead to hand-sketch every character and scene on paper to preserve an authentic emotional depth.

“After forty years in commercial animation, this series is the most personal work of my life. Hand-sketching is the only way I know how to capture the genuine soul of a character. I wanted the pages to radiate the warmth, kindness, and dignity that these stories demand.”

The Inspiration: John Benson Wong (1916–2021)

Every story in The Compassion Series is rooted in the life of a real person—and the kind-eyed "Grandpa" featured in our debut book is modeled directly after a true American veteran: Crystle’s grandfather and Arne’s father, John Benson Wong aka Jong Hing Wong.

In 1928, at just 12 years old, Benson immigrated to the United States from China under the grueling "Paper Son" system, enduring the anxiety and isolation of the Angel Island Immigration Station. Years later, he stepped forward to serve his country in World War II as a private in the U.S. Army.

Stationed in Germany, Benson carried a typewriter instead of a rifle. He spent his deployment in field hospitals, sitting bedside with severely wounded teenage soldiers to type out the final letters they wished to send home to their mothers. When the war ended, he used his own military commissary supplies to feed devastated, starving German civilian families who had been left with nothing.

Benson lived to be 105 years old (shy one month of 106), leaving behind a legacy of resilience, sacrifice, perseverance, entrepreneurship, and radical empathy. His historic military artifacts, photographs, and life story are permanently preserved and honored today in exhibitions at the USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum in Alameda, California, and through the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation (AIISF).

He taught our family that even in the midst of humanity's darkest trials, compassion is the greatest force we possess.