In this Issue:

Message from the Editor

Ancestor Hall Renovation Update

• Clay Sculpture of Ancestor Yee Jing
  

Reports from Yee Fung Toy Chapters

• Lai-Sun Yee and John Paczkowski Announced as the 2008 U.S. Department of Homeland Security CHDS Distinguished Alumni Fellows.
• NY YFT 2008 Scholarship Award Ceremony
• Arizona Yee Fung Toy Family Association Member Elected to Republican National Convention
• 2008 Detroit Yee Fung Toy Picnic
• Providing a Helping Hand to the Parents of Drowned SFU Student Huichun Yu
• New York YFT Mid-Autumn Moon Festival celebration
• Hurricane Ike Wreaks Havoc on the Texas Coast
• New England YFT Association August Moon Celebration
• Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited New York City
• New York One Day Shopping Tour
• Vancouver YFT Celebrates 2008 Chongyang Festival
• Police step up patrols in Calgary Chinatown
• New York International Kite Festival 2008
• 2008 Phoenix Veterans Parade
• Boston Association Thanksgiving Luncheon
• Yee Association of Sacramento Thanksgiving Celebration

What is in the Next Issue?

---

Message from the Editor

Welcome to the 17th issue of the Yee Fung Toy Global Village Voice, an electronic newsletter for the World Yee community. In this issue we are featuring stories and images of autumn activities from associations of the Yee Fung Toy around the world, including celebrations of the Mid-autumn Festival, Chung Yang Festival, Thanksgiving and Scholarship awards.

As the year ends, we congratulate the Yee Fung Toy Society of Canada for successfully hosting its 15th Convention in Edmonton, Alberta (see the last issue for details). Because it was held in August, weeks before a global financial crisis brought the world economy to its worst state since the 1930's, delegates were able to focus on the real issues of the Family Association and not get distracted by the gloomy economic news. The same goes for the Beijing Olympics, where 2008-08-08 was indeed a lucky date to start the most successful Games in many ways, again without being affected by an economic downturn.

We gratefully acknowledge all the contributors to the current issue, including:

• David M. Yee, John Tang and Edward Yue of Phoenix
• Edward Yee of Detroit
• Frank Yee and Gong Sum Yee of New York
• Frank Yu of Houston
• Ho Lee Yee, Winston Yee and So Yee of New England
• Martin Yee, James Yu and Wing Yee of Vancouver
• Melinda Yee, and Henry Yee of Sacramento
• Richard Yue, and Johnson Yee of Hong Kong

Happy New Year and the best of the season to all!

Jim Yee, Vancouver

---

NY YFT 2008 Scholarship Award Ceremony

On August 10, 2008, the New York Yee Fong Toy Association held its annual scholarship award ceremony at Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association's auditorium at 62 Mott Street. This year, we had 116 scholarship recipients breaking our previous record of 115. We had 21 elementary school, 30 junior high school, 32 high school and 21 college/university students with 30 credits and a B+ or better overall average for the 2007-2008 school year. In addition, the top 6 highest college/university students with a 3.5 overall average or better and 30 credits qualifies for an award from a special Five Tong Association scholarship program.

This year, we recognized William Yu, Jenny Yee, Alice Yu, Ai Mei Yu and Kevin Yu. We also recognized Mon Yuck Yu and Anita Yee for top honors, each receiving scholarship awards from Five Tong Association and Dit Nam Yu memorial scholarship fund. For this top honor, the top 4 graduating HS senior with a B+ or better average and SAT score of over 1700 would qualify. Annie Yu also received a Five Tong award for having a high average. Justine T. Yu and Belinda Yu were the other 2 students who received awards from Dit Nam Yu scholarship fund. As a final category, there were 4 students who received awards just for attending Chinese school. For the first time this year, award from Ming Lai Yee memorial scholarship went to graduating senior, Benjamin Yu.

Our guest speaker this year was June Jee, director in the Verizon Communications Community Affairs' group. June is also responsible for managing a component of Verizon Foundation's philanthropic programs. She is also the daughter-in-law of our late Advisor Ming Lai. As an active member in the Chinese community, June serves as a member of the Board of Directors at the Museum of Chinese in America, Second Generation Productions, Chinatown Partnership LDC, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and well as many other non profit groups.

The ceremony began with our Women's League President Kennie introducing our award presenters: Grand Elder Peter Yee, Grand Advisor John B.J. Yee, Advisor Andy Yu, Presidents Gong Sum Yee and Kenneth Yee, cousins from Ma Association President, VP and Tse Elder, Inspector Gin Yee, Honorary General Counsel Ms. Lai Sun Yee, Legal Counsel Ms. Mah Suk Wah and guest speaker June Jee. After the opening ceremonies, President Gong welcomed everyone and spoke briefly about this year scholarship. We were also fortunate to have 5th Precinct Commander, Inspector Gin Yee and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Distinguished Fellow, Ms. Lai Sun Yee, who briefly addressed the audience. Lai Sun's new position is a one-year Fellowship Program based in Washington D.C.

Next, June addressed this year's scholarship recipients on the importance of education, community and civic participation. June began by saying "Every day, we experience things either directly or indirectly that can impact our lives and shape who we are today." She describes a typical immigrant story. Emigrating from Hong Kong at the age of 6, language and being Chinese were barriers for her at school. As a second grader, name calling, teasing and harassment were not easily understood. But being pushed down the stairs was a turning point and she decided to confront them. The courage to speak up help put an end to the harassment. Knowing the language, the ability to communicate with each other can only be through education and the key to end racial prejudice. June continued to share how activism in college helped shape who she is today. Civic participation through peaceful protest helped her fellow student body get Asian American studies to be included in the college offering. Realizing "life is what you make-it-to-be", June is committed to serving the Asian community. She pointed out we can only effect change through volunteerism, giving back to the community and participation in the democratic process of voting. In closing, "education will empower you to not only provide for yourself but for others" and "stay true to yourself".

After the presentation of awards to all our winners, Kennie conducted a short interview in Cantonese with Mon Yuck and Annie Yu. It is encouraging to hear these students are well rounded individuals. They are not only smart academically but also participate in extra curricular activities and are asset to the community. Also encouraging is the fact that more recipients took the time to join our traditional ancestral service held earlier at our family association¡¦s hall. Commitment and involvement are important ideals our children need to embrace.

Congratulations to all our scholarship recipients and their parents for a job well done and continued success. Thanks again to Kennie, her Women¡¦s League and all those that made this event a success.

For more pictures, click here.

---

2008 Detroit Yee Fung Toy Picnic

The Detroit picnic was held on Sunday, August 24th at Capital Park in Redford, Michigan.

Attendees enjoyed a lunch buffet of fried chicken, pizza, corn, chinese noodle and rice dishes, chinese pastries, watermelon, and Rice Krispie treats.

Yen Ock brought his notebook computer and talked to those who were interested about the Yee villages in China and showed them where their ancestors had lived.

There were games and prizes the young at heart and at the end of the day scholarship awards were distributed to 56 of our young scholars.

Photos courtesy of Ron Yee and Cathie Agacinski. For more Detroit YFT 2008 picnic pictures, click here.

 

---

Providing a Helping Hand to the Parents of Drowned SFU Student Huichun Yu

On Saturday morning (September 6, 2008) I went with Yee Fung Toy Society of Canada Chairman Kan Yu and Yee Fung Toy Society of Vancouver Board Director Martin Yee to the Vancouver International Airport to meet three strangers from China. It all started three weeks ago, on a hot Saturday afternoon (August 16). According to mainstream media reports:

"Police say a 29-year-old Chinese exchange student was on a hiking trip in Manning Park with six or seven fellow students when he decided to cool off on Saturday at about 2 p.m.

Searchers found his body about 20 minutes later.

Bystanders performed CPR for about 90 minutes on the third-year science student but he could not be revived. He was airlifted to the Royal Columbian Hospital where he was pronounced dead hours later."

There were no names or other details in the initial reports. The student was Huichun Yu. He was from Jiangxi Province and on his third year at SFU completing his PhD degree in Chemistry. His fellow students started a fundraising campaign to enable his parents to travel to Canada for his final arrangements, and got the attention of the Chinese media, which published his name in Chinese. When we found out his surname was Yu, he was no longer just an unfortunate exchange student from China who drowned. He was one of us. His family must need help badly. We held an impromptu meeting of interested Board and Committee members on September 2, and raised close to $1,000. We had made contact earlier with PRC Overseas Chinese Affairs Office's Vice-Consul Mr. Li Yuliang, and now we also contacted the student that Vice-Consul Li gave us a contact for. We were told Huichuns' family will be arriving on September 4. Later Vice-Consul Li confirmed the family was due to arrive on September 6 at 11 AM.

We came with an envelope containing 1,000 Canadian dollars, which Vice-Consul Li suggested would be most useful for the family who has never traveled outside of China. We were the first ones at the airport. Later Vice-Consul Li, two students, and Shirley Leung, Director of Community Development and Liaison from SUCCESS and her husband joined us. Vice-Consul held up a sign with Huichun's name. The three of them (father, mother, and mother's brother) came out at 11:30, each carrying only a small bag and no checked in luggage. Once we introduced ourselves, Mrs. Yu cannot stop crying, grief spilling out of her as she tried to tell us more about her son. Huichun was a brilliant student. He was due to complete his degree and had invited his family to attend his graduation. His parents never dreamed they would travel to Canada to attend his funeral. Earlier Shirley had told us the family is from rural areas and had to borrow heavily to send their son to university, with the expectation Huichun would graduate and pay back the debts. They had no money to travel, and their trip to Vancouver was made possible by a donation of 180,000 Asian Airmiles from a former SUCCESS Board member (plus over $2,000 in taxes paid by SUCCESS itself). A trust fund has been set up by the SFU students to help raise money for the Family of Huichun Yu. The students¡¦ campaign has raised $7,000 so far, and they will also look after their board and lodging.

We presented the $1,000 to Mr. Yu, and promised we will be raising more money that we will give them before they leave Canada. Kitty Mar (Kitty's Beauty Studio) also sent a cheque for $1,000 that Vice-Consul Li presented. Of course no amount of money will bring back their son, but we hope that they will not burdened with financial worries on top of their unspeakable grief.

On Sunday, September 7th, Shirley Leung of SUCCESS accompanied the family on a visit to the accident site in Manning Park, at their request.

In the mean time, our Tse and Mah cousins have also been fundraising on their own to help Huichun Yu's family after this tragic accident. Many thanks to our cousins for their generous support!

September 8th, Monday, our Tse and Mah cousins presented their donations to Huichun Yu's family at their Society Hall.

September 10th, Wednesday, Shirley Leung of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. told me there will be a press conference at the SUCCESS Board Room 314, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Social Service Centre, at 10:30am on Thursday, September 11th. The SFU student friends and the family of Huichun Yu will be present to announce their funeral service plans (Friday 10:00 at Glenhaven) and they will thank the donors for their generous support.

September 11th, Thursday, Press Conference at SUCCESS: Media reps from Omni News (formerly Channel M), AM1320, AM1470, and Ming Pao were present.

The media conference was covered by Channel M (now Omni News) on Thursday's Cantonese and Mandarin newscast at 9 PM and 8 PM.

The key message at the press conference from the Yee Fung Toy Society is that Huichun Yu is a member of our extended Yee (Yu, or Yue) Family, and we appeal to our members in Vancouver to donate to the Huichun's parents who have arrived from China. Huichun's parents have poured all their resources including selling their home and borrowing heavily, to support their son's education in China and in Canada, with the expectation that Huichun would graduate and help to repay all debts as well as support his parents in their retirement years. We hope that our small donations will help not only with the immediate expenses while Huichun's family is in Canada, but will also help them with paying off debts and make their life a little easier upon their return to China.

"Without the generous donation from Care Society, Chinese Consulate General in Vancouver, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. and the Chinese community, we won't be able to bid our last farewell to our son", said Huichun Yu's parents. The YU family appreciated the Chinese media and community for their great support.

After the reporters left the room we presented $3000 to the parents.

September 12th, Friday, funeral service was held at Glenhaven Memorial Chapel on 1835 E Hastings St.

After the funeral service at Glenhaven (handled entirely by the SFU students) and attended by Lawrence Der (President of Tse Clansman Association of Vancouver), Gary, Kan, Kai Hong and me and cremation at the Vancouver Crematorium, we went to the Flower Garden Restaurant for a late lunch (Shirley invited only the family, friends, and the YFT - Kan, Kai Hong, and me, about 18 in total).

September 14th, Sunday, family members of Huichun Yu, two SFU students, SUCCESS's Shirley Leung and her husband, visited us at the Society Hall around 2pm.

We had a friendly chat together. We all stood for a three minutes of silence before the meeting, paying respect to Huichun. Chairman Kan Yu gave a wonderful speech, comforting the parents. The parents was very grateful, bowed and thanked everyone. Later, we presented the Huichun Yu parents with more donations collected from our fundraising, after a photo session, we all had some pastries and tea together.

We learned from the parents that they will be heading home on Wednesday, September 17th. We wished them all the best and have a safe journey home!

---

New York YFT Mid-Autumn Moon Festival celebration

The New York Yee Fong Toy Association held its annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival celebration on September 7, 2008. Traditionally, this holiday falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar moon. This year, on the Western calendar, it was on September 14. Many referred to this day as a harvest festival day. It is a time for some relaxation, family get-togethers and a time to give thanks for a good harvest. It is also a time to eat Moon Cakes.

For us, about fifty members along with some of our Ma and Tse cousins gathered for the luncheon and Moon Cake sampling. President Gong spoke briefly and welcomed everyone. Our Women¡¦s League President Kennie then introduced ·¨²Q±Ó, a renowned yang-qin (¬vµ^) player. Yang-qin is often called the "Chinese Piano" and is used as a solo instrument or as an accompaniment ensemble instrument. Although yangqin is very popular in China, it did not originate in China. Music is produced on this trapezoidal soundboard by hitting the strings with key hammers. Unlike a piano which has one hammer per string, yangqin uses two "hand held" wooden or bamboo hammers to hit the strings. I was amazed at the dynamic range of sound this instrument can produce. Also amazing was so many members were willing to sing along as ·¨²Q±Ó played her yangqin.

For those who could not attend, I want to say "sorry for missing out on the fun." Unlike past years, events, such as these, have been enlightening. Thanks to Kennie. Not only do we eat and talk, we can have some fun and be entertained. Hope to see more folks next time.

---

Hurricane Ike Wreaks Havoc on the Texas Coast

Houston, fourth-largest U.S. city, averages a major hurricane direct hit every 20 years or so. Hurricane Ike, an enormous storm the size of Texas, made landfall on Galveston early on Saturday, September 13, 2008.

Houston, about 50 miles north, was severely affected by the 110 mph ferocious winds and heavy rainfalls. Storm surge caused flooding in the many low lying areas. At least 1.5 million people (over 90%) were without electricity in the Houston area.

Frank Yu, Chairman of the Houston Yee Fung Toy Association, made a lively report to account for the aftermath, cleanup and recovery process. His house was luckily spared of any major damages because it happened to be on the "clean" side of the storm. He succinctly described how he prepared for hurricane survival.

This interesting report also provides valuable experience intended for newcomers to the Houston metropolitan areas.

---

New England YFT Association August Moon Celebration

Sunday, September 19, 2008, our Association celebrated this year's August Moon Festival with a day of food and activities. It rained rather heavily during the morning and there was fear that it would keep many members away. However, we Yee's are a hardy group and no rain was going to dampen our festive celebration as tens of people was in attendance at the Association hall.

The celebration commence at 12 noon with a display of various flavors of moon cakes, roast pork, chicken, as well as many delicious take out dishes from a local restaurant. Our grand elder, advisors, and officers lead the opening of the festivity by honoring our great ancestor. Then everyone grab a plate and enjoyed the fine selection of food and general socializing. Truly one happy family gathering event. At mid afternoon, the chairs and table were move aside to make room for some line dancing and the performing the Tai Chi Kung-Fu Fan Form by our members. The activities ended at about 5pm and thus, another August Moon Festival celebration come to a very joyous conclusion.

---

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited New York City

On the morning of September 23, 2008, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in New York for a high-level UN meeting for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the general debate of the 63rd UN General Assembly.

Premier Wen Jiabao visited New York City and met with the Chinese community leaders later on the same day.

President Gong Sum Yee of Yee Fong Toy Association of New York (6th from right side, on the second row of photo), was invited to attend the welcome ceremony of the meeting¡C

---

New York One Day Shopping Tour

Thanks to New York YFT!

On Saturday, September 27, 2008, a group of 36 members of the Yee Fung Toy Association of New England took a bus to go to New York City for the annual one day shopping tour. We received warm welcome from members of YFT in New York.

Upon our arrival, presidents Gong Sum Yee and Kenneth Yee and other New York members brought us to a restaurant for lunch, we expressed our happiness at seeing each other again. The association building was open for us to rest. At 5pm, We carried our fully filled bags to go back to Boston. Young President Gong Sum Yee helped us to carry bags and brought us to the bus station.

The photos in this report were supplied by New York YFT English secretary Frank Yee. We want to say Thanks to all the New York members.

---

New York International Kite Festival 2008

On October 18, 2008 I had an opportunity to attend the New York International Kite Festival at Jacob Riis Park in Rockaway Beach, NY. When my niece Jackie Yu reminded me of the date, I did not think much of this event. I know better now. I found out Sing Tao Daily was the organizer and that there were over fifteen sponsors.

Also, I knew that when June Jee of Verizon and David Louie of David J. Louie, Inc gets involved, this event must have great public interest.

Throughout the day, thousands of people braved the chilly and windy day to come out to see this kite show. For those who do not know, Rockaway Beach faces the Atlantic Ocean. But that did not stop the young or old, beginners or professionals from flying their kites. It was quite amazing to see all the different colorful arrays of kite and the techniques each had.

I had a chance to speak to some of the professionals and learned that show kites can cost $5000. A far cry from the paper kites that I used as a kid that got stuck on trees or crashed to the ground.

It was refreshing to see so many young people learning and flying their kites. Also refreshing was so many families came out to spend time with their children.

Since 2004, Sing Tao Daily has been organizing this event. We should all thank them and their sponsors for promoting this community activity. It was truly an enjoyable day. Check out their website www.nyikf.com for more info.

---

Clay Sculpture of Ancestor Yee Jing