FUNDRAISING FRENZY
FUNDRAISING FRENZY
By Gerrye Wong October 28, 2018
Kudos to the ASIAN CHEF’S ASSOCIATION which sponsored the Indonesia Earthquake & Tsunami Benefit recently at San Jose’s beautiful new Province Restaurant in the popular Bay 101 Casino. Over 150 supporters gathered in the torch-lit and warming heater-equipped patio area to sample special delicacies provided by the area’s leading restaurants and their generous chefs.
Photo: Khai Duong, Chris Yeo, Lawrence Chu
Asian Chef’s Association founders Chef Lawrence Chu, Khai Duong and Chris Yeo led the call for everyone to support this relief fund by engaging in the live auction where dining prizes were donated by the generous chefs and restaurants in the group. Derek Uehara flew from Las Vegas to assist in the evening’s arrangements which had eager diners criss-crossing to all of the chef stations for great sampling foods.
Photo: Servers from Le Soleil at Asian Chef’s Association Benefit
Chris Yeo’s staff at The Province were on hand to help people wander over to booths serving up foods from Khai’s Restaurant, Chef Chu’s. PPQ Dungeness Island, New Delhi, Le Soleil, John Le of Three Seasons, and of course, The Province. The ACA is a collective of famed Asian Chefs from the Bay Area dedicated to promoting Asian cuisines, and the standard and professionalism in the culinary industry. That night they were partnering with Give2Asia, a nonprofit dedicated to helping the survivors of the recent disaster, which will work with in-country disaster response organizations to make sure that all of the funds will be used effectively for local needs.
Photo: Asian Chef’s Association Founders Khai Duong and Lawrence Chu welcome gusts, including photographer Frank Jang
Other restaurants in the area and suppliers kept the evening lively and supporters well fed. Additional sponsors there from the culinary and restaurant industry were Sushi Ran, Honig Vineyards, Omakase, Tiger Beers, M.Y. China, Chilipepper, and Standard Party Rentals with wonderful music provided by Amarento Jazz Band. A fun event for great fundraising efforts, which auctioneer Lawrence Chu thanked donors and announced raised over $50,000 for this relief effort. Congratulations on job well done, Asian Chefs Association!
Photo: Guests enjoy foods from Asian Restaurant specialties
FRIENDS OF ON LOK CELEBRATE 30TH ANNIVERSARY
The FRIENDS OF ON LOK gathered the talents of multiple generations of friends and supporters to its 30th Anniversary Generations Fashion Show last week at the Hilton Financial District Hotel. In an action packed show from start to finish, the 300 guests were privileged to witness a bevy of beauties, cute kids, and handsome escorts on stage in a very well choreographed production.
Photo: Friends of On Lok President Darlene Mar welcome Jan Yanehiro, Dion Lim and Gerrye Wong
Effervescent MC was ABC television anchor newswoman Dion Lim who started the program introducing FOL President Darlene Mar and On Lok CEO Grace Li. Both spoke of the work On Lok has done to fill the needs of seniors through its many programs and thanked everyone for being there to support the continuity of its work. There were many hats in the audience to continue the theme of “Flutter” and a group of enthusiastic ladies and one man came on stage adorned with hair ornaments of all shapes and sizes to compete in a contest as judged by Lawrence Wong, Mimi Chin and Jan Yanehiro.
Photo: Youngest model Jasmine Cheng poses in Bridal Fashions Section of Fashion Show
The next hour was chock filled with talent and beauty on stage as models showed off designer fashions from Ling Ling Chinese Dress Design Center, Kim-Ono, Studio on Chestnut and Vanite Couture. Toe tapping vocal of “We Are The World” were performed by Linda Chuan, Flora Hui, Ashlyn Tsui and Terry Lee. Young ladies of the Chung Ngai Dance Group in flowing turquoise/white chiffon gowns were magical in their graceful movements to Chinese music. The company was established in 1966 and has in its many years helped bring dance to young people in its mission to promote Chinese performing arts.
Photo: Heiwa Taiko Dummer veteran Annie Ong led the senior grandma group.
For those who wanted to have wake-up music, on came the Heiwa Taiko Drummers, who have traveled throughout the nation performing over 25 gigs a year, and call themselves the dynamic grandma drummers ages 74-84. Not to be outdone and winning well deserved applause were 9-10 year old ballroom dancers Jaslyn Kwan and Jacob Karasik. They had just garnered first place this year in the San Francisco Open Dancesport Championship and Embassy Ball Dancesport Championships in Los Angeles, and their prowess on the On Lok stage definitely showed us why they were well deserving of top honors anywhere. The ageless Grant Avenue Follies danced their “Chinatown My Chinatown” number to everyone’s delight.
Photo: Old friends Gerrye Wong, Annette Leung, Emily Chin and Mary Ann Wong supported Friends of On Lok 30th Anniversary event.
As Fashion Show moderators Jan Yanehiro and Doris Grover explained so well, it has taken many long volunteer hours for all of their models and performers to prepare this show for On Lok, and with their dialogue, the program flowed as gently as the butterflies, the theme of the afternoon. It was wonderful to see on stage costumes from contemporary to classical modeled by volunteers of all ages.
Photo: Grant Avenue Follies dancers, let by Founder Cynthia Yee,right, add color and music to the Event program.
Going alphabetically, the models and entertainers included Michelle Chang, Emily Chin, Mimi Chin, Pat Chin, Linda Chuan, Ruby Fong, Sue Go, Jacqueline Grover, Jasmine Cheung, Marisa DeGuman, Casey Him, Flora Hui, Austin and Vanita Louie, Lingling Linda Lai, Brianna Lui, Marleen Luke, Selena Lu, Pat Nishimoto, Asela Pang, Guno Sutiono, Kamee Tong, Julia Tung, Maggie Wong, Terry Lee, Avis Wong See-Tho, Cynthia Yee, Ella Young, Ashlyn Tsui, Lawrence Wong, Mark Wong, Stephanie Wong and Cecilia Wu.
Photo: South Bay guests join in the fundraising event by On Lok, which has brought services down to San Jose area. Standing: Mary Ann Wong, Agnes Lam and Granddaughter, Gerrye Wong; Seated: Sylvia Eng, Carol Fong
As easily seen, this successful fundraiser was the culmination of community spirit from many supporters of the Friends of On Lok who believe in generously giving of their time to help advance On Lok’s programs through their charitable contributions and fundraising efforts.
I was personally happy to see old acquaintances and good friends Agnes and Paul Lam, Annette Leung, Roberta Wong, Jennie Louie and the OptiMs Club, Grace Lee, Bea Wong, Mae Woo, Bill and Darlene Lock, Carol Fong, Mary Ann Wong, Sylvia Eng and Irene Riley,
Photo: Karen Hom, left, showed her boutique store, Studio on Chestnut, fashions at Friends of On Lok fashion show
So to them all, I salute you for presenting a great program showcasing the talents of so many of our Chinese American friends and neighbors. Knowing your help will benefit On Lok’s Montgomery Dementia Center is your just reward.
BONE BASH CAME TO SAN FRANCISCO – MASQUERADING FOR A GOOD CAUSE
Donning venetian masks, over 400 party goers joined in the fun for fundraising at the Northern California Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation’s inaugural BONE BASH 2018 – AN EVENING IN DISGUISE last Saturday in San Francisco’s Palace Hotel. Event Chairwoman Sharon Seto planned the evening to be an elegant evening reminiscent of centuries-old masquerade balls, and indeed it was! Besides the elegant cocktail reception where people wandered happily trying to guess who was behind all of the elegant masks on the scene, there was a silent and live auction where friends could pony up and show off their true support of the mission of this event.
As Sharon continued, “Our event is a themed community-driven fundraiser that celebrates and honors those who have given generously of their time, energy and resources to promote information, advocacy and scientific discovery for arthritis – the nation’s leading cause of disability impacting over 50 million adults in the United States. Proceeds from this inaugural event will make an impact locally by not only helping support the over two million and adult children living with arthritis in Northern California but also funding necessary research to fight for a sure.” More power to all those who followed Seto’s lead and had a great time knowing it was all for a wonderful worthy health cause as they continued the festive evening with a Casino Mystique with games and dancing.
CHINESE DANCE CAME TO SAN JOSE
A packed audience in the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts enjoyed a superb performance by the Sichuan Province Song and Dance Theatre Company due to the hard work of the US Chinese Dance Association, Huaxing Arts Group San Francisco. As President Xiaopei Gelb explained on stage, The US Chinese Dance Association is a non-profit organization, founded in 2014, with the mission to showcase and promote the splendid Chinese culture by presenting high quality performing and fine arts projects. They strive to act as a bridge to connect artists from US and China by providing an exchange and educational platform for its members in addition to helping record the history of the development of Chinese dance in the US.
Photo: Performers at the US Dance Association show, The Family, wave jubilantly to audience at finale.
Headquartered in Pleasanton, CA, this group has brought over three dance troupes to be presented in the Bay Area in its short history. For its San Jose performance in October, it presented an important and acclaimed Chinese dance production named THE FAMILY which was performed by the prestigious Schuan Province Song and Dance Theatre. The performance mesmerized the audience with the artistic fluidity of the ballet dancers to tell the famous children’s fable, The Family. The dance production is based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Chinese author Ba Jin, once considered to be one of the most important and widely read Chinese writers of the 20th Century.
Photo: Young dancers from Bay Area dance schools performed at event.
The story tells of two brothers from the Gao Family and their struggles with the oppressive feudal autocracy of their patriarchal family. In 2015 when it first was developed by the Sichuan Dance Company, it won the Wenhua Award, the highest Chinese performing arts award in art and dance.
The principal dancers brought to the US for this performance are considered among the best dancers in China. As I said before, their performance was magical as shown by the talented footwork, fluidity of motion, amazing simple scenery effects with the use opf movie chairs, and expressions of sadness and frustration through their characterizations.
To open the evening’s program, the audience was delighted to be entertained by young dancers from local dance studios. Showing off their knowledge of Chinese folk and contemporary dance were students from Fremont’s Lisa Dance, San Jose’s Able2Shine, Milpitas’ Zhiping Shi Dance, Pleasanton’s Xiaopei Chinese Dance, and Sunnyvale’s New Century Dance School . The evening was a total delight in seeing young American Born Chinese showing their talent and love for Chinese dance, and in succession, seeing Chinese artists show off their professional dance art as developed in China itself. Thank you, US Chinese Dance Association for bringing Chinese dance to the American scene, and creating opportunities for Chinese dance performances to local schools, senior centers and to the community as a whole. For more about the group and its future performance schedule: www.uschinadance.org
