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December 2020
Stepping Up for Your Community
Asian American Ambassadors have also been looking for ways to help others.
During this very difficult year, people have been finding ways to help others. It could be something simple like unpacking an elderly neighbor's groceries for her or something unexpected like chartering a plane to fly COVID-19 test specimens to where they can quickly get test results!
Acts of Kindness
Rina Liou was running late for a business appointment and needed supplies to bring with her. She dashed into a local store, picked up the items and went to pay. Only then did she realize she'd forgotten her wallet! She was running out of time, having trouble paying by smartphone and becoming more and more flustered by the second! The lovely cashier, who Rina found out later had only $20 in the bank, looked up at God, and prayed her finances would work out as she paid Rina's $12 bill.
Rina was overwhelmed with gratitude. This clerk, Rita, had never met her before and didn't know Rina would come back to re-pay her, but out of sheer kindness did something wonderful for another human being. Rina made her appointment and came back to re-pay Rita, plus a little extra for her kindness.
Rina then posted their photo and what had happened on the Nextdoor app.
That started the ball rolling and before she knew it, Rita's customers stepped up and did something kind for her! Click on the link to watch what happened next to Rina and Rita.Frontline Heroes
As we begin the winter flu season with the added danger of the third wave of rising COVID-19 infections, healthcare workers are in a risky position as they continue to maintain some semblance of normalcy in caring for patients. Cami Lenett is a dedicated frontline worker, managing a California hematology clinic. Patients have severely compromised immune systems, making them especially vulnerable to COVID and other infections. Cami's staff ensures, through numerous safety protocols, that patients continue receiving timely treatments in a safe environment, while also taking measures to keep themselves safe.
A New Normal
Cookie Joe of Cookie Joe's Dancin' School has had an interesting career. Besides being nationally recognized for her teaching skills, Cookie has trained Olympic hopefuls, taught special needs students and homeless children from Houston's Star of Hope Mission. She is also a well-known choreographer for bodybuilders, at one time being a bodybuilder herself!
Since the pandemic hit, she has made her "new normal" routine work! She Zooms classes from her living room and continues to reach out to her students with snacks & chats and birthday drive-bys with the popular Ms. Cookie doll.
The faith-based school has also been utilized as a blood drive location and looks for ways to help the community. Hopefully, the pandemic will ease and the annual "God Bless Texas Festival" to raise funds for non-profits and individuals in need will continue next year.
Journey to the West
Texas transplant, Virginia Chang Kiraly, has made a good life in California with her husband and sons. Her fire safety concerns for school children in the community led to her wanting to do more. In 2011, Kiraly became a director on the Menlo Park Fire Protection District Board - making her the second female member in its 100+ year history. She went on to become a member of the San Mateo County Harbor Board of Commissioners, becoming the first Asian-American woman to serve on both boards!
As a San Mateo County Harbor Board Commissioner, Kiraly and other members are charged with the construction, maintenance and administration of harbor facilities and the surrounding marine environs. The Board operates two marinas and the South San Francisco ferry terminal, besides handling water rescues, shoreline and marine-life protection and clean-water initiatives along the county’s coasts, among other responsibilities.
The Fire District serves the highest and the lowest income neighborhoods in San Mateo County. Last year, they opened new fire stations and now use drones to help in firefighting, but this year’s combined wildfires and COVID-19 issues have put a heavy burden on resources for all local communities, no matter their age, race, inequality or access to healthcare. Kiraly is also a member of the Fire District’s CERT team and a licensed ham radio operator and encourages others to find ways to improve public safety in all our communities’ neighborhoods.
Virginia recently ran two campaigns at the same time to maintain her positions on both boards and it looks like she succeeded!
Mask Maker
With Soo Leong Liu, it started with picking up a mask-making kit at Joann's Fabrics to sew masks at home to drop off at the store to be donated to others in need. She went on to sew masks for family. Then, a surgical nurse on Nextdoor asked if someone was making masks. Soo connected with her and made masks a little bigger so they could cover N95 masks and help them last longer as N95s were scarce and hospitals were limiting them.
Soo asked if she needed anything else. Yes, surgical caps! Now, Soo is not an accomplished seamstress, but "Where there's a will, there;s a way!" So, Soo made more masks with matching caps from a modified online pattern.
Recently, Soo assembled a team and coordinated a WWII veteran's 94th birthday card drive-by.
These are some of the stories our members have during these trying times. We hope you feel inspired to do something, anything, to better the situation around you. If we all step out to help others, we all step up to a stronger, more resilient world.
March 2018
Dr. Etta Fung, soprano
on the path of a female Asian opera singer
I never dreamed of being an opera singer. I have always liked singing, but it was something that I did for fun. I was not even aware that you can make it your career.
My first degree was in English when I graduated high school. An English degree was deemed something quite "useful" in Hong Kong society; Hong Kong is a former British colony, and if you speak and write well in English it can help advance your career. I enjoyed it immensely, but there was something in me that wanted more. I completed a minor in Music together with my English undergrad, but when I graduated I was sure I would like to give music a try, and become an opera singer.
You could imagine all the questions I was bombarded with once I made this decision, in a very traditional society such as Hong Kong. "Why do you love it so much? What are you going to do when you graduate? How are you going to compete with Caucasian people? This is their thing! A small Asian girl doesn't really look like an opera singer..."
But I did it anyway. Because I was young and I had nothing to lose. And I just loved it. I was lucky enough to get full scholarships for both my undergraduate and masters degrees in voice. I had a teaching assistantship for my doctorate and graduated in 2015.
City girl in Kansas
I moved from Hong Kong to Lawrence, Kansas in the United States in 2009 for my masters degree in Opera at the University of Kansas. I vividly recall stumbling off of the Greyhound bus with my three huge suitcases at a gas station that appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. I turned back and yelled to the driver, "Are you SURE this is the right place?" "Yeah, miss, you have a good day!" And off he drove. My plan was to call a cab to the hotel, and maybe walk to dinner somewhere in downtown. As you can imagine it did not work out well at all in a small town in Kansas. I later got a vintage cruiser bike, which I rode around town for about 4 years to get groceries and get to school in the snow and in the heat.
I studied with Grammy Award winner Joyce Castle, a very tall woman with flaming red hair who has been in the opera business for 40 years. Joyce is an extraordinary human being and artist. I studied with her from 2009 to 2015 when I graduated with my Doctorate. She was my "opera mom". She played a huge part in my life as a singer as well as a person. She often joked about our appearances, as our physicalities are extreme opposites: She is five feet ten with piercing green eyes and flaming red hair, and I am just shy of five feet one with soft features. She invited me to sing the duet "We are women" from Candide with her. She played the part of the Old Lady, a role she won the Grammy for, and I sang Cunegonde, a young girl who is supposed to be blonde. We looked hilarious together.
Being the only Asian girl when I first entered the Vocal Department at the University of Kansas was a very special experience. I admit I was not quite sure of how people were going to act towards me, but I was not really nervous about it either. My colleagues turned out to be so incredibly friendly and receptive, and Kansas suddenly felt like a second home. I sang at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City for a few years. One time I was in the chorus of Puccini's Turandot, which was supposed to have taken place in mythical China. I was the only Asian in the cast. We were all instructed to walk and bow like Chinese people. Needless to say, I had the best bows among my colleagues.
People often ask me if being Asian puts me at a disadvantage at auditions, because they might prefer a Caucasian face. In America, I have not found this to be the case. Type casting (casting the role accordingly to the race of the character) was probably more prominent in the old days, but there is a growing awareness that a good singer is a good singer, regardless of ethnicity. There are, however, certain kinds of stereotypes attached to your race in opera, as in every other industry. For example, Asian opera singers sometimes might be stereotyped as being weaker in acting and languages. While this is not generally true, I do feel that one has to make an extra effort to fight stereotypes in order to convince the panel in an audition. If a singer does outstandingly well, the disadvantages turn into advantages because he or she is instantly more memorable.
I often had trouble with acting before I went to the States. Acting while singing opera is a challenging task, because you are required to do a thousand things at once. You need to remember your lines, watch the conductor, react to your colleagues, listen to the orchestra, all while singing to hundreds and thousands of audience members in a big venue as if it is effortless.
In Spring 2013, I made my debut at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City as Peep-bo in the Mikado, a British satire set in a Japanese kingdom. We had to dance during the famous ensemble “Three Little Maids”, and I was always very nervous about it during rehearsals because I had very little dancing background. I didn’t realise one of the important things about dancing is you need to stay on the balls of your feet instead of landing heel first in each step as if you are walking. The director finally said to me, “Etta, I don’t understand, you are the tiniest person in the room, yet you have the steps of an elephant.” And then he stood up, this big midwestern guy, and he demonstrated to me how to dance like a little girl. It was hilarious and amazing to watch. He was so light on his feet. I vowed to myself, if he could dance like that, there was no reason I could not.
Asian girl in Eutin, Germany
I think the role that really helped me feel comfortable in my own body and act my heart out was Gretel in Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera Hansel und Gretel. I am very lucky to have sung the role twice, once in Kansas and once in Germany. Singing in German to a German audience was one of the most daunting experiences I have ever had. The whole cast consisted of Americans, and I was the only non-American among the lead singers. Our on-stage “family” was a very interesting mix of different races: the Father was African American, the Mother was Caucasian, and the mezzo-soprano who sang Hansel was of partial German descent. Because we were working with a German director and conductor, they were extremely demanding of our accents while singing in German. We worked very very hard. To add to the difficult circumstances, our opening night was canceled during a rainstorm, because the theater was outdoors. It was still raining for our second show, but we had to do it because we could not refund anymore tickets. Hansel (Annalize Sussman) and I sang for about three hours in the cold rain in 40-degree weather. We were so cold that we were about to go insane. There was a scene in which we were supposed to throw chips and candies at each other, and Annalize suddenly ripped open a bag of chips and poured the entire bag over my head. I looked back, angry and shocked, and the conductor pointed at us and roared with laughter. The next day we got a wonderful review in the Hamburg newspaper. It is one of my fondest memories.
Several of the Americans in the cast were excited to discover their roots in Europe. Some of them found out that they had German ancestors and bonded with some locals very easily. I felt a little bit out of place. I wish I could have done the same, but I was unlikely to have any remote German ancestry. One night, one of the first settlers in town invited me to his house for dinner and drinks. He took out an old album and told me that it consisted of his dad’s pictures during his trip to China. As I flipped through the pages, I noticed they were very old and that his dad stood in front of a big ship with some Chinese guys, arms around each others’ shoulders. I said, “When was this taken?” He replied,”This was taken during the Boxer’s Uprising.” I was in shock. I studied Chinese History in high school and I always thought that the eight country expedition was all about killing and conquering. But in front of me were those pictures, Chinese and German soldiers drinking together, smiling, having a good time. You look into these people’s eyes and you see humans loving and cherishing each other.
Then my host brought out a very tiny shoe and told me, “My father brought this back from China. It belonged to a woman who bound her feet.” I held the shoe in my hand, and I started to weep. Who would have thought that opera would bring me to this German town where I would be holding one of my country ancestor’s shoes, and feeling history itself in my hand? We are so much more connected to one another than we realize. Years later, I returned to the little town to meet my friends for dinner. The wife of the host who showed me the pictures and the shoe sat next to me. Her husband had passed away the year before, and she was having a very hard time. I leaned over and gave her a hug. I told her how much it meant to me that her husband shared his dad’s beautiful memories with me. She broke down in tears, but it made her very happy.
Girl who wants to fly
I moved back to Hong Kong in the late fall of 2016. I had been away for a long while, and I had a very hard time re-adapting to my home. Moving back to Hong Kong was not something I had planned to do, and when it happened it happened so quickly that I did not really know what to do with myself. Home suddenly seemed such a foreign place after 9 years of being abroad. I was traumatized from packing all my US possessions into several boxes, selling my car and saying goodbye to everybody. I had trouble getting out of bed in the morning. Everything became a huge struggle.
Because my career and connections were mainly based in the States, I had lost touch with the Hong Kong music scene, so I had to start from square one. For my emotional well-being, I started practicing yoga very diligently (I was already a certified yoga teacher in Kansas) and I stumbled upon the aerial arts.
I was not sure about aerial silks at first because I am extremely fearful of heights, but it grew on me quickly. As I looked up to the silks and visualized all the amazing possibilities I could have up there, and all the fear of falling, I was able to release my emotions into something that was an incredible art, and my fears and desperation were replaced with curiosity and excitement. Suddenly, I was overcome with a new yearning to explore my full potential. Singing opera on aerial silks seemed mad, but it has been done. Was it something that I was also able to do?
I had almost no money left in my account from my move back to Hong Kong. I spent some of the little I had on aerial lessons and dreamed about my aerial moves even when I was asleep. After only a few months, I decided to make a bold move: to put up my very own aerial opera show, with a low budget and 2 months of experience on aerial silks.
I designed the flyer for the show, and started advertising and selling tickets. To my horror, soon after I sold the first few tickets, I realized that I was not sure if I could actually pull off singing opera while performing a series of aerial moves, especially because the venue was only available on two consecutive days, which meant I would be singing two one-hour shows back to back in the air. I was terrified. I practiced and practiced until I hurt my shoulder, and I rested for a week and practiced again. It was getting better really slowly, but I was nowhere close to completing the choreography that my partner gave me. The days of performances were quickly approaching.
One night during my practice I just gave up. I sat on the floor staring at the silks and I thought, there is just no way. I did not understand how it worked, and perhaps I would never get it. I would probably just have to refund all my tickets and apologize to everybody about ever dreaming of being able to do it. At that thought, with a general sense of abandonment, I stood up and decided to give it one last try. Just so I could prove to myself I really could not do it. Then, as if a miracle had happened, I began to be able to sing in difficult poses! Because I gave up fighting and being anxious, my chest stopped being tight, my neck was relaxed, and like magic everything fell into place. I discovered this amazing liberty in my body. I was free, no longer burdened, now I could do whatever I wished.
Sustaining this new discovery, of course, was not easy. There were still times that I was suddenly freaked out when I was high up in the air, and I thought maybe I was going to fall. It was a constant struggle, but not one that I felt I could not conquer. The show ended up being very successful. Not only did the audience think the act was refreshing and creative, but they were also inspired by our performance. To me, being able to sing in the air originally started out as something of a gimmick, but when I started to take it seriously I became so empowered. I realized I enjoyed performing the act so much because I was able to share this empowerment with the audience, and they do not have to know a thing about aerials or opera to feel it. It’s simply about exploring something you think is impossible, or scary, and ending up just owning it.
My learning curve in the creation of aerial opera (now Opera Sull’Aria) reflects the path of my operatic pursuits. People often wonder how this industry works, what it is like to have a career as a professional opera singer. First of all, nothing is certain. You never know what performing gig is coming next, if any at all, and you do everything you can to find work all the time. We are constantly practicing, teaching, singing, networking, putting ourselves out there to get work. I remember getting so tired of constantly reaching out to people. I wondered if I was doing the right thing. One of my coaches told me that a very famous opera singer, Renee Fleming, at the height of her career was up every morning emailing and calling people herself despite the fact that she had an agent. This is one of the most challenging things about being an opera singer: The willingness to generate work for yourself while maintaining your voice and body in good form. I love my work so much because whether I am practicing, performing or teaching, I am able to tap into other people’s inner world, to understand their emotions and their life stories, to get a glimpse into humanity on a daily basis and being able to give back, to influence the way people think and feel. I love my job, my life. I am sure that I made the right choice many years ago, and it can only continue to get better.
July 5, 2017
10 Travel Safety Tips
Soo Leong Liu has been traveling quite a bit the past several years. She shares safety tips acquired from research and actual experience.
The recent terror attacks around the world were so tragic. Locals out and about and tourists experiencing different cultures have been targeted. Our world has evolved through technology to become "smaller", more connected. Events that would have been unheard of 20 years ago are now possible. (Know that we can be susceptible to attacks on our own soil. Safety should be practiced at all times, anywhere.)
If you have concerns about traveling abroad, take in the British mindset - "I am Not Afraid", "We Stand Together", "Keep Calm and Carry On." There will always be dangers in this world, just find your best path to navigate it.
You probably already know the obvious travel tips: Don't wear a lot of bling · put cash in a couple of different places on your body · stay off your cell phone · keep your passport in a safe place · check the State Department website for safety warnings in the country you are visiting, and you can register your travel plans if an emergency happens and they need to contact you · give a personal contact your itinerary and hotel names and numbers (if possible) · take a photo of your passport on your phone, also email a copy to yourself · don't linger in front of the ATM or bank when you withdraw money · look for escape routes as you enter a building or area, should you need to leave quickly · blend in · avoid dark alleys and isolated areas, especially at night · don't over-share information about your current whereabouts on social media · pack a first aid kit.
There are other ways we can lessen the chance of being targeted while traveling. I'd like to share ten more that I think are pretty important:
#1 Research destinations to see if there have been safety issues and any tips for that particular area. Read articles, reviews and blogs to get a feel of what to expect and places to avoid. (Before we left, I watched YouTube videos of pickpocket/distraction scams in Europe that really helped.)
#2 Walk on the sidewalk AGAINST traffic. Maybe you were taught to walk with the flow of traffic and it may seem strange to see traffic coming at you, but this way, you have a chance of seeing a traffic issue if it comes toward you and have a better chance to escape.
#3 Be aware of your surroundings. Scan areas as you move about snapping photos and enjoying the sights. Know who may be following you too closely. Is anyone acting suspiciously? We were walking down a less traveled Barcelona side street in broad daylight when a criminal tried to trip my husband to steal his pouch. Screaming had him quickly leaving, with a partner across the street, without his target.
#4 Try to avoid the main tourist streets. We often walked a busy street or two off the main streets. Not only can you still arrive at your destination, you will see different local sights. We also noticed that prices for meals and souvenirs were less expensive.
#5 Walk confidently and at a good pace. Criminals look for tourists who are not sure of their surroundings, maybe looking confused and hesitant.
#6 Save google maps of sights you want to see on your google account before you go. You will be able to pull it up and get directions and explore points of interest in the area without an internet connection. It was a great help on an 11 week European trip!
#7 If you wear a crossbody purse or pouch, move it to the front. I have a small zippered one and usually have a hand resting on the top as we travel about. DO NOT loop it over the back of your chair when you sit down, unless it(s a solid chair back you can wedge your small purse against as you are sitting. I often kept my crossbody on or rested it on my lap.
#8 Get an app that protects your information while using open wifis. Sometimes you may have to use cafe or hotel wifis that are not secure. At first, we used the TunnelBear app to protect us, but had issues and they didn(t respond to calls for help. We recently used PureVPN in Puerto Rico, Portugal, Spain, France and Greece and were quite happy with its performance.
#9 Investing in belt pouches or clothes with secret compartments is a good idea. If you(re handy with sewing, you can velcro at least one of your front pants pockets shut. It(s harder to get sticky fingers past noisy velcro. I also extended the length of the pocket with extra fabric as some pants pockets are pretty shallow. Men, putting your wallet in the back pocket is risky. It(s best in the front pants pocket, after you(ve stashed some bills elsewhere on your person.
#10 Always carry a fully charged portable charger. Sometimes we don(t realize how much we(ve used our phones or other devices during the day. You may need a charged phone if you have to dial your host country(s equivalent of 911. Oh, yes, bonus tip - Keep a list of the equivalent 911 emergency numbers of each country on your itinerary.
The Miss Chinatown Houston Scholarship Pageant 2016
Left to right: Sharon Liu - Miss Talent; Sue-Lynn Law - Second Princess; Karen Lynn Yang - Miss Chinatown Houston 2016; Irena Wan - First Princess - Miss Chinese New Year 2017
Photo credit: Alvin Gee PhotographyIt was the first time to hold the Miss Chinatown Houston Scholarship Pageant at the beautiful Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria hotel. For the 47th year, young Chinese women were vying for the opportunity to proudly represent Houston in the Miss Chinatown USA national pageant. Portraits of the lovely contestants were on display, with family and friends taking photographs beside them. Hors d(oeuvres were circulating and the noise volume went up as more and more attendees gathered in the lobby before the doors opened for the dinner preceding the pageant. Co-chairs, Betty Gee and Linda Wu, welcomed guests as Pageant Director (and Asian American Ambassador) Tammy Su and Co-Director, Kitty So, kept tabs on the contestants behind the scenes. Francine Di, Alisa Eng, Francine Cheng, Rina Liou and several other Asian American Ambassadors helped make up Tammy(s hard-working team.
Betty Gee, Linda Wu, Tammy Su and Kitty So deserve a HUGE thank you for giving our community the very best showcase for Houston(s most talented, intelligent and lovely young women of Chinese descent to compete for cash scholarships and a chance to proudly represent the City of Houston at the Miss Chinatown USA Pageant in San Francisco! The national pageant has been held during the Lunar New Year festivities every year since 1958 and is a wonderful experience. There is the pageant and Coronation Ball, dinners, meet & greets and an exciting evening ride on a float in the Chinese New Year parade. The winner spends the year of her reign promoting the American Chinese community and Chinese culture and heritage by traveling around the United States and Asia.
For many, many years Linda and Betty have spent months planning the pageant, diligently working behind the scenes. Betty became involved with the pageant when her daughter, Tammy Su, competed for the title and won! Linda(s mother, Jane Gee, successfully chaired the event for decades before handing the reins over to Linda.
During Jane(s tenure, Cookie Joe of Cookie Joe(s Dancin( School, a former Miss Chinatown Houston and current Asian American Ambassador, did a fabulous job instructing young women, many who had never competed in any such competition, to project stage presence and self-assurance with every step, to be poised during the question and answer segment, and to let their inner beauty match their outer beauty.
Years later, Tammy and Kitty came on as Pageant Co-Directors to do the same for contestants - coaching, encouraging and instilling a confidence to sail through three segments of judging - swimsuit, poise & personality, and talent. It(s amazing to see how polished and smooth the pageant is each year. Tammy, a mother of three young children, takes time out of her very busy schedule to commit months to this event. Kitty flies into town many weekends each year to work with the girls. It is no small feat to have three out of the last five national winners come from Houston!
Veteran pageant MCs, KHOU-TV(s Lily Jang and KIAH-TV(s John Newinn, were charming hosts, trading jokes and keeping the audience entertained. Lily was stunning in an aqua gown and John wore a cool baroque style brocade long jacket.
When the judges were introduced, everyone could but only be impressed by the caliber and variety of professions. From a sitting judge to a television newscaster to an opera singer, the five judges were well-established in their respective fields. To name drop, there were Judge Theresa Chang, Harris County Civil Court at Law and KRIV Fox 26 Morning News Anchor Rita Garcia. Another impressive judge was the lovely coloratura soprano, Etta Fung. The award-winning Hong Kong born singer performs internationally and looks for ways to enhance her craft.
We(re sure the judging was difficult as all the talented contestants moved gracefully through the program. A local dance troupe kept the audience involved between segments. Pageant winners from the previous 40 years made an appearance on stage. The co-hosts exchanged more lively repartee.
The judging was phenomenal - Karen Yang was crowned Miss Chinatown Houston 2016!
UPDATE:
Karen Yang went on to be crowned Miss Chinatown USA 2017 last February in the Palace of Arts, San Francisco! That makes it four out of the last six years that a Miss Chinatown Houston became Miss Chinatown USA, proof that the Houston pageant is an excellent training ground to hone skills and confidence to compete and win in San Francisco.
Photo credit: Alvin Gee Photography
August 22, 2013
Congrats to Miss Chinatown Houston 2013, Karen Li!
Karen Li is the new Miss Chinatown Houston! She did a fine job, as our new titleholder is quite accomplished and lovely to boot! Karen will be a wonderful representative for our city in next year’s national competition. The pageant also recognized a dazzling visitor - the reigning Miss Chinatown USA, Leah Li! Her presence at our event added quite a bit of glamour and glitz. Read more.
April 11, 2013
AAA Member Updates
This is the Year of the Snake. To some, snakes are not so desirable. Try looking at it this way. Every year the snake sheds its old skin and goes off with its newly revealed body. May we all shed our old, unwanted habits and start the new year with a fresh, bright outlook!
Below is what some of our members have been doing in the community and goals they hope to achieve this year.
Shirley Kwan has served on the Texas Diversity Council for the past three years. This March, she chaired the Women in Leadership Symposium. In addition, Ms. Kwan is an active board member of the Asian Chamber of Commerce.
Francine Di is passionate about music. She continues to perform locally with a group specializing in traditional Chinese music with instruments that date back thousands of years. On the other end of the spectrum, Francine recently joined a new Asian fusion band! In March, she placed third in "Voice of the Southern," a singing competition sponsored by Southern Daily news, and sang in a benefit at the Chinese Civic Center for the Sichuan earthquake victims. In April, she was named among 24 recipients of the Houston Arts Alliance individual artist grant. She also finds time to sit on the Rice University Community of Asian Alumni board. Not to forget the past, one of Francine’s new year’s resolutions is to redirect some energy to old friends who mean a great deal!
Cami Lenett, RN, MS, CNS, is in the process of building a nonprofit organization in San Francisco. The proposed Kokua Lodge, www.kokualodge.org, is all about survival and recovery. The lodge hopes to become home away from home for patients and their caregivers during and after treatment for blood cancers (leukemias, lymphomas and myelomas) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF Medical Center). Coping with a challenging, intensive recuperation period in unfamiliar surroundings can hinder the process. As patients must stay nearby for 3–6 months after treatment, an affordable, calm oasis of support and renewal would be welcome help on the road to recovery.
During Christmas, Suzanne Gee directed a small nativity skit for the children of a local apartment complex. She also enjoyed singing songs and playing bingo with the elderly at a local nursing home. When not working, Ms. Gee keeps busy with teaching high school Sunday School and directing youth activities at Asian American Baptist Church.
Sherri Liu’s piano students will be sharing what they are learning and performing at several senior residential centers this year.
Soo Leong Liu joined Mental Health America, Fort Bend County chapter, https://mhafbc.org/, to help shine a light on the many levels of local resources one can go to with mental health issues. The group prints a yearly booklet to be given to area schools, hospitals and to other professionals to share with those needing such services. The events in the news involving people with extreme mental issues were unusual situations. It does not mean that people with mental health problems can’t get help and live relatively normal lives. MHA advocates for improved care and accessibility for mental health services, gathers information on available resources and hopes to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health issues with education. Soo was recognized as Volunteer of the Year for 2012.
Many people don’t realize the work that is required to produce a school curriculum that will challenge, yet nurture and develop a child’s mind. Director of Curriculum and Instructional Support Alisa Eng continues to direct the curriculum at Annunciation Orthodox School to help produce well-rounded, upstanding citizens of society. Core areas of study, along with Greek language, culture and heritage and faith-based classes, are just some of what a student can learn.
When she’s not taking care of her sweet young grandchildren, Alyssa and Kennedy, Cynthia Lee Chang and her husband, Charles, have been very busy! Besides running two Spotlight Karaoke locations (plus a karaoke supply store!), they started a philanthropy to help others. Each Christmas, they host 20 children from a local shelter. Last year, they hosted a fundraiser for an employee who passed away and made sure the former marine was given a full military honor service. Giving someone a new lease on life can be such a blessing. An older woman was in danger of losing her house. The Changs gave her a job and loaned her a car. And now that she is battling breast cancer, they continue to give her support and encouragement.
Each Saturday, for the past two years, Janet Goh-Wiener has volunteered at the Texas Children’s Hospital. Among several other volunteer duties, Janet, as a member of the Circle of Sound, plays the singing crystal bowl once a month at Menil Park.
Last April, Charles Foster was instrumental in initiating the building and dedication of the $48.5 million new home of the Asia Society Texas Center, http://asiasociety.org/texas. Designed by internationally acclaimed architect, Yoshio Taniguchi, the center highlights Asian art, culture and business and policy programs. It has excellent family programs that are free and open to the public. Foster is the incoming Chair of Interfaith Ministries, https://www.imgh.org/, and has been working on a $10 million new home for Interfaith Ministries. Charles became involved with Interfaith Ministries because of their refugee resettlement program and through Meals on Wheels, which provides thousands of Houston seniors a hot meal each day that they would otherwise not receive. Further, they help provide a forum for interfaith dialogues to lessen tensions between the people of different religious faiths in our community.
Francine Cheng has been quite busy with residency duties at the University of Texas Medical Branch. She is involved with several children's organizations and continues to do community work through the UTMB Pediatrics Department.
Virginia Chang Kiraly was inspired to create Ring The Bell Fund last year after discovering that schools in her community, including her children’s school, had fire alarms that were not monitored and connected to any kind of first responder, such as a fire department or fire district. When she was elected to the Menlo Park Fire Protection Board in 2011, one of her priorities was to help connect school fire alarms to a first responder and bring awareness to this issue, since most parents assume that school fire alarms are actually connected. Formed in 2012, Ring The Bell Fund’s mission is to advocate, educate, and raise funds for school fire alarms to be connected to first responders and for automatic sprinklers to be installed in schools. Official launch of Ring The Bell Fund will be Thursday, May 2, 2013, at the Facebook Headquarters in Menlo Park, California.
These are just some of the projects of our members. Please consider finding your passion in a community project or program. If everyone takes a little time from their busy days to brighten someone else’s day, it will encourage others to pass it on!
