In this Issue:
Reports from Yee Fung
Toy Chapters
Next Issue
Welcome to the 28th issue of the Yee Fung Toy Global
Village Voice, an electronic newsletter for the World
Yee community. In this issue we are featuring summer
activities from associations around the world.
Before we thank the many contributors to this issue, I
like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of
the World Yee Website Committee, under whose guidance
the World Yee website and related web pages such as this
newsletter are produced and maintained for the past 7
years. The Committee executives for 2009 – 2012 are:
- Chairman: David Yee of Phoenix , AZ
- Vice Chair: Fred Yee of Seattle , WA
- Vice Chair: Frank Yee of New York , NY
- Treasurer: Martin Yee of Vancouver , BC
The Committee is considering options in enhancing the
World Yee website hosting and improving the contents.
The state of the internet has changed considerably since
1997, when the US Yee Family Convention passed a
resolution to establish a web presence for the Yee
Family Association. Many chapters have already changed
web hosts several times and started making use of
appropriate services such as flickr.com for sharing
photos and facebook.com
for event announcements.
The Committee encourages you to weigh in with your
opinions. Please send email to world.yee@gmail.com.
This issue covers some of the summer activities of the
Yees around the world.
We welcome more Yee chapters to contribute events and
activities reports from their locale.
We thank all those who have made contributions to this
issue, including:
- David M. Yee, Krystin Yee, Edward Yue and John M.
Yee of Phoenix
- Edward Yee, Dick Yee, Ron Yee, Ray Yee and Allan Yee
of Detroit
- Frank Yee, Gong Sum Yee, Winnie Yu, Kennie Yee and
Elaine Yee of New York
- Frank Yu, Richard Yu of Houston
- Fred Yee, James Yee, Danny Yu of Seattle
- Henry Yu, Sherman Yee and Melinda Yee of Sacramento
- Ho Lee Yee, Paula Yee, Peter Yee and Winston Yee of
Boston
- Larry Yee of San Francisco
- Kai Yon Yee of Malaysia
- Kenny Yee and Chao Yu of Southern California
- Martin Yee, Shui Chi Yu, James Yu and Wing Yee of
Vancouver
- Wayne Yee of Ontario, Canada
- Ying Hua Yu and Jerome Yu of Edmonton, Canada
- Jack Charles Yee of Calgary, Canada
- Stephen Yu of Montreal, Canada
- Richard Yue, Johnson Yee of Hong Kong
We look forward to our Eighth year of publication, and
many more years to come!
Jim Yee, Vancouver
Li Na's Houston Connections
Li Na （李娜） became the first player, male or female,
from an Asian country to capture the French Open title,
a Grand Slam tennis tournament, on June 4, 2011. This is
an achievement of epic proportion, particularly for a
country like the People's Republic of China, where
tennis lags behind in such sports as soccer, basketball,
volley ball, ping-pong and even golf.
Her U.S. $1.756 million check is a far-cry from the
measly allowance she received from the Chinese Tennis
Federation when she trained at Newk’s in New Brunsfel
near San Antonio in 1997. Back in those days, China
could barely afford any luxury, as we are so accustomed
to her extravaganza nowadays. Li Na would subsist on
instant noodles during Thanksgiving and Christmas
breaks. Local resident Frank Yu, learning of the plight
of these Chinese juniors, would journey up to Newk’s and
would billet them to his or friend’s homes. The homey
surroundings and turkey dinners were always a relief
from the boredom and homesickness at the tennis camp.
Li Na & Wang Yu in 1997
Of the many juniors staying at Frank's, Wang Yu （王钰）
and Li Zhe （李喆）topped PRC men's ranking in 2006 and 2009
respectively. They all shared one thing in common. They
would have their photos taken in front of a mounted sail
fish. PRC consulate staff: M/M Fang Li, M/M Zhou Ding,
Yu Boren, Chu Kaimin, Chen Guanqiao, Ran Qijun, et al.
also posed in front of this mystic 96" tip-to-tail
wall-mount.
Li Na, you have Houston connections!
For details in Chinese, please click here.
Frank Yu, Houston
Sacramento YFT celebrated Dragon Boat
Festival
We celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival on June 4th.
Members who were 75 years old or older and in good
membership standing received a lucky red envelope and
got to be in a group photo.
A buffet lunch was served after paying homage to our
ancestors at Noon. The same evening, a dinner banquet
was held at Rice Bowl Restaurant in Sacramento.
Melinda Yee, Sacramento
Southern California YFT Parent's
Day 2011
On June 5th (Sunday) evening, we had a banquet at
Harbor Village Restaurant (111 N Atlantic Blvd.,
Monterey Park) to honor our parents, to show our
appreciations of their love, support and sacrifices. We
had more than 230 people attended. At the banquet, there
were more than 60 scholarships given to those member
children of high academic achievement.
For more photos of this
parent's day and scholarship presentation event, please
click here.
Chao Yu, Southern
California
Rep. Kimberly Yee Named Legislator
of the Year
Rep.
Kimberly Yee receives the 2011 Representative of the
Year Award
on June 24, 2011. Photo by Timon Harper.
Arizona State Representative Kimberly Yee of Phoenix
was honored with the 2011 Representative of the Year
award by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry on
Friday, June 24th at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort. The
event was attended by over 500 individuals from
Arizona’s business, manufacturing and political
community, including Yee’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jack
and Betty Yee of Phoenix.
Upon accepting the award, Representative Kimberly Yee
shared stories with the audience about her family’s
history of business ownership. Representative Yee said
her mother’s family grocery store was one of the first
“mom and pop” grocery stores established in the South
Phoenix area.
Representative Yee then shared about her father’s
family history in business. “My great-great grandfather
first came to this country from China in the early
1900’s. He, like many great Americans, came here to have
a better life, work hard, start a business from scratch,
and live out the American Dream,” Yee said.
Yee continued, “I share these stories about my family,
where I come from, and the important role that owning a
business and running a business played in my family’s
history.”
“That is why it is such a privilege to work with the
Arizona Chamber of Commerce because they stand up for
the very things that make our businesses stronger. They,
like all of us, want to keep the freedoms we have in a
competitive, free-market economy that stands for
personal responsibility in an environment free from
government intrusion,” Yee concluded.
Representative Yee authored two of the Arizona Chamber
of Commerce’s capstone bills during this year’s
legislative session, including H.B. 2423, which
increased public scrutiny over the Attorney General’s
office contingency fee contracts with private attorneys,
and H.B. 2541, a bill that established protections for
employers to take action against employees who are
impaired due to the use of medical marijuana.
Representative Yee was elected last November to
represent Arizona’s Legislative District 10 in North
Phoenix and Glendale. She serves as the Vice Chairman of
the House Education Committee, and is a member of the
Health and Human Services Committee and the Employment
and Regulatory Affairs Committee.
Arizona Chamber of Commerce
New England YFT Summer Outing
This year's annual summer outing was held at Lake
Cochituate's AmVet Post 79 in Natick on Saturday, July
9. The outing was attended by more than 65 member and
their families, including many children and
grandchildren.
The day started out with a huge cookout which included
hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, chicken wings, and
roasted potatos on the grills. Vice President Warren led
the cooking team comprised of Peter, Uncle Duck, Ken,
Susan, and Tom. The cookout food was topped off with
macaroni and potato salads and watermelon, cookies and
ice cream for all.
Many people took in a swim in the nice warm water,
while others played team games that included
three-legged racing, water-in-a-cup race, and
tug-of-war. Small prizes were awarded to the winners.
These games showed off many talents of our members and
their families.
In the end, everyone had a wonderful time, evidenced by
all the joy and laughter shown by all, and the weather
cooperated giving us a beautiful day.
Paula Yee, Boston
Detroit Yee Fung Toy Association
Annual Picnic
The 2011 Detroit Yee Fung Toy Association Annual Picnic
was held on July 24th at Capital Park in Redford,
Michigan.
There were games for all and a presentation of
scholarship money to many well deserved recipients.
To view more photos of this summer picnic event, please
click here.
Photos courtesy of Ron Yee and Cathie Agacinski.
Edward Yee, Detroit
Houston Yee 2011
Scholarship/Picnic/Fun Day At Brazos Bend State Park
Incredible Pizza with all you can eat and fair ground
rides and games, rocking and rolling family
entertainment had been Houston Yee Fung Toy Association
(YFT) favorite choice for our summer activity. Then,
bowling, followed by barbeque at Papa’s, wasn’t much far
behind. These venues are indoor and air-conditioned.
They provide fun and enjoyment for the young and a
convenient place for the elders to reminisce episodes of
yore. What about the college students and young adults?
Their life-style and taste have yet been catered to or
accommodated at these functions. They, nonetheless,
hopefully will one day be filling in as officers of the
Houston Chapter. It is to this ends that YFT Board
decided to venture an outing to Brazos Bend State Park
on August 6, 2011.
Brazos Bend State Park is a 4,897-acre site along the
Brazos River in Needville. It is a haven for a diverse
mix of native wildlife and plants covering an equally
diverse range of ecosystems. Highlights of the Park's
numerous inhabitants include over 300 species of
resident and visiting migratory birds and mammals like
white-tailed deer, nine-banded armadillos, foxes,
raccoons, and North American river otters. The most
noteworthy and popular residents of the park are the
relatively large population of American alligators.
The Banquet Hall (capacity 150) with ceiling fans,
air-conditioning, kitchen facilities, a barbecue pit,
tables and chairs, and a restroom was rented as our
headquarters with catered BBQ for lunch.
Roger Yu is credited with coordinating all aspects of
this activity: mail out, renting Banquet Hall, arranging
BBQ catering and purchasing accessories. He was ably
assisted by wife Elaine and brother Alan, sons and
friends for tables and chairs set ups early that
morning. By 10 am, in cycling jargon a la Tour de
France, the peloton was all ready to tackle the Elm
Lake-Spillway-40-Acre Lake round trip expedition. Other
guests soon arrived and entertained themselves either
inside the Banquet Hall or took leisurely strolls around
the campsite.
The alligator
always has the right-of-wayAlan led the way with a super mountain bike equipped
with GPS while elder statesman Frank tagged along as the
tail-end-Charlie. A 13-foot alligator blocked our way
along the Spillway trail and we wisely yielded right of
way to this resident attraction.
The observation tower served as the midway point for
water stop. The scenery atop commanded a panoramic view
of this Park, where we took a picture to reflect a sense
of accomplishment for posterity.
88-year old “Uncle
Lewis” and wife Roberta never missed a Yee picnic
David Chung offered grace to thank the Lord for
bringing us together in this wonder and natural
surroundings and he was promptly rewarded for being the
raffle winner for 2 nights and 3 days at a Galveston
condo, generously donated by Dorothy Yee. Despite the
stretch of 100 degrees weather in the concrete jungle in
Houston, Brazos Bend offered a relief of slightly lower
temperatures in wilderness surroundings. Almost 60
people attended this function.
As always, Vickie Ong did a diligent and thorough job
in screening out the scholarship applications. The 2011
Yee scholarship winners are (l to r): Elizabeth Yee,
Kevin Yee, Theresa Yee, Peter Yu, Christopher Yee (not
pictured) and Hilary Woo (not present).
The clean-up, disassembling of folding tables, stacking
of chairs, disposing of trash and mopping of the dining
hall were done in a flash by all volunteers, young and
old. We restored the Banquet hall the same way we found
it that morning. I am sure the park rangers will
remember Yee Fung Toy Association of Houston.
I have been the President of this Houston Chapter for
more than 15 years. I am glad that we made the right
decision to venture into a unique place to hold our
summer outing, where we can all enjoy and serve
together. I am particularly proud of the spirit and
willingness of these younger Yee generations. We are in
good hands!
Frank Yu, Houston
Now that summer is over,
it is Back to School for most students. The next issue
of the Yee Fung Toy Global Village Voice will be
published in mid December, featuring reports of
scholarship awards and celebrations of the Moon (mid
Autumn) festivals at Yee Fung Toy associations around
the world. Please submit your articles to the Editor via
email (editor @ yeefungtoy.org) or postal mail (The
Editor, 226 East Georgia Street, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
V6A 1Z7) by November 15.
