6:30 PM – Reception
7:30 PM – Banquet

Co-sponsored by the Yale Alumni Association of New York.

Photo by Lia Chang

This year’s honoree will be David Henry Hwang, playwright.

He is the author of the Tony Award winning play M. Butterfly. His current hit on Broadway is Ch’inglish.

All proceeds from the dinner will benefit the AAAYA Yale Community Service Summer Fellowship Program.

Past placements have included the Museum of Chinese in America, the Korean American Community Foundation, Asian American Writers Workshop, New York Asian Women’s Center, Coalition of Asian American Children & Families & the Asian American Arts Alliance.

AAAYA is a 501(c)3 corporation. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

RSVP by submitting your payment via PayPal:

Select an Option

General Admission $100.00 USDSponsored Table – Yale Student Organization (seats 10) $500.00 USDSponsored Table – Yale SIG & Community Partner (seats 10) $880.00 USDSponsored Table – Unicorn Sponsorship (seats 10) $1,000.00 USDSponsored Table – Bulldog Sponsorship (seats 10) $1,250.00 USDSponsored Table – Dragon Sponsorship (seats 10) $2,000.00 USDStudent/Recent Grad/Non-Profit (limited quantity) $50.00 USD

Names of Guest(s)

Can’t attend? You can still make a tax-deductible donation to support our internship program:

The creator of our Year of the Dragon logo is Jinjin Sun, YC ’10.

Dear alumni,

As the AACC celebrates its 30^th anniversary, there is some great news to share about our neighbors at the NACC.  Soon, the NACC will soon move into its own center, a new space located on 26 High Street (around the corner from us)!  This is a great move for the growing Native American population at Yale as they need their own center and a space to call home that is apart from the current space they share with us at 295 Crown Street.  We all are thrilled for the Native American community and congratulate them on this new chapter of their history at Yale.  As you all know, our center is too small, even as a stand-alone center for the large Asian American population (in fact, the largest group of color on campus).  It has been a shared center for many decades (first, with the Chicano students and then, with Native American students).  Having multiple communities in the same center has not been easy for our communities and staffs.  As we look ahead, having our own space is an exciting place to be for the Asian American students and alumni populations.  It’s also an opportunity to re-imagine what we want our space to look like and how can alumni play a role in shaping our physical space as well as how we may make improvements to our facility.  If anyone has suggestions, please email me directly at saveena.dhall@yale.edu.  Again, our congratulations and best wishes to our friends at the NACC!

Best wishes,
Dean Dhall

RSVP by leaving a comment below with your Name, Year/School of graduation, any guest names, and any dietary restrictions (Note: email address is required but will not be published).

The AACC is offering a limited number of discounted banquet admissions for $20 (first come first serve). Please e-mail aacc.alumni@gmail.com with inquiries.

At this year’s banquet, AAAYA will be honoring Ted Shen, ’66, with the Friend of the Community Award.

In 1994, Mr. Shen started the Shen Family Foundation as a vehicle for family giving. During its early years, the Foundation provided unrestricted funding to not-for-profit organizations, primarily in the areas of education and the arts. Since 2002, the Foundation has concentrated its philanthropy to fund the work of selected highly gifted musical theater composers.

As an alumnus, Mr. Shen has served Yale in numerous capacities. When the university needed to update its squash courts in the early 1990’s to conform to new international standards, Mr. Shen gave a leadership gift to start construction of the new courts. In 1999, he was elected to the Board of the University Art Gallery, on which he continues to serve. Yale’s innovative undergraduate musical theater curriculum (named the Shen Musical Theater Curriculum), developed in 2004, is funded by the Shen Family Foundation. Mr. Shen has also served for two years on the President’s University Council and six years on the Yale Investment Committee, which oversees the university’s endowment, and is a Sterling Fellow. In recognition of his long history of service to Yale and his community leadership, Mr. Shen was elected in 2001 to the Yale Corporation, on which he served until 2007.

In addition to serving Yale, Mr. Shen is a true community leader. His community service includes Board Chair of the Packer Collegiate Institute, Co-head of the board of trustees of Phillips Exeter Academy, board member of the Brooklyn Museum of Art and of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, and commissioner on the Art Commission of the City of New York. Mr. Shen has received honoree-of-the-year awards from the Asian-American Federation of New York in 1996 and the Chinese-American Planning Council of New York in 1997.

Here are the complete details:

Date and Time: October 29, 2011 from 12:00pm onwards (formal program begins at 12:45 pm)
Venue: Asia Nine Restaurant
Address: 915 E Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20004.
Phone: (202)-629-4355
URL: http://www.asianine.com/

Please note that we will be taking advantage of the restaurant’s ample lunch menu, so no special prix fixe menu has been arranged. Guests will pay their own bills separately. Please ask for the Yale Asian Alumni party at the door.

To ensure we have plenty of seating, please RSVP by Thursday, October 27, by leaving a comment below.

If you have questions about the event or the DC chapter please email Rasheq Rahman at dc@aaaya.org. He can be reached by phone at 646-248-6487.

We look forward to seeing you on the 29th!

Video from AAAYA’s Southern California Day of Service site

2011 marked the third straight year that AAAYA participated in Yale’s Global Day of Service! On May 14, volunteers in Chicago, New York, Northern California, and Southern California did everything from plant flowers to sort clothes donations and even helped put on a benefit concert with the Yale Glee Club and Dukes Men!

It’s an impressive and inspiring showing of commitment to our communities. Thanks to the dozens of volunteers who showed up at our sites and the organizers who worked so hard to create these opportunities.

CHICAGO

Site: Chinatown, Chicago

Coordinator: Tiffany Co

Despite the weather not cooperating (it was 46 degrees and raining), we had 32 Yalies and guests participating in the 2011 Yale Day of Service co-sponsored by AAAYA Chicago and the Yale Club of Chicago. Working alongside our collaborator, the Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, we joined forces to kick-off the Beautification of Chinatown campaign in Chicago. The day started with short and inspirational speeches to kick off the event, including thoughts from Commissioner John Daley and Chairman of the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce Dominic Lai. Our group managed to plant all the flowers in various flower beds around Chinatown in 1.5 hours! We then proceeded to pick up garbage on the streets of Chinatown. Our turnout and efficiency impressed the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. They said our group finished the planting in record time!

AAAYA Chicago (thanks to Gene Lee) also sponsored a BBQ that day as a post-Yale Day of Service get-together. Originally, the BBQ was held at the park at Lake Point Tower, but we decided to move it indoors given the cold and windy weather. We enjoyed delicious food, such as Korean kalbi, thanks to the grilling expertise of AAAYA members Gene Lee and Max Mong. AAAYA Chicago would like to thank everyone who participated on the Yale Day of Service. Not only did we give back to the community, a great time was had by all at both events!

NEW YORK CITY

Site: Yung Wing, P.S. 124, Chinatown, New York City

Coordinator: Rocky Chin

AAAYA’s NY Chapter organized 17 volunteers for the “Yale Day of Service” at PS 124 – the Yung Wing School in Chinatown. Six Yale alumni participated in the morning shift and ten Yale alumni (and partners of alumni) joined us in the afternoon. AAAYA New York has worked at the Yung Wing School as gardeners since 2008, and we now take pride in the flower garden and the small vegetable patch just under the Manhattan Bridge foot path. The afternoon service crew took on a massive sorting job in the upstairs alcove library and in the basement of the school. We had a crack team of super-organized volunteers unpacking and re-organizing supplies.

As always, Principal Alice Hom supported our work and made the time pass quickly. We learned that the school’s 9 and 10 years olds beat Stuyvesant High School’s (a reputable public high school in NYC) chess team to garner the National Chess Finals! There are many talented students at Yung Wing (who by the way was the first Chinese to graduate from a western university—Yale!). Of course, Kunduck Moon—our resident green thumb—drove down from Connecticut and arrived in Chinatown at 7 a.m. (a bit before even super-principal Alice Hom). Kunduck took advantage of the extra time and enjoyed a nice bowl of noodles on Division Street…and made sure to pick up a souvenir for his wife—a roast duck!

Thanks to all the volunteers today: Kunduck Moon, Jai Chandrasekhar, Tonny Ho, Michael Duddy, Julie Huang, Ravi Rajan, Jamerry Kim, Trish Takemoto, Jim, Marissa Ain, Marisa Reisman, Eric Tam, Danica Chen, Pam Shen and Betty Yip. Beatrice Chen and Neal Lin were not able to make it (Beatrice was called away to work).

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

(L-R): AAAYA-Angel Island Team: Robert Stevenson '94 ES, Wayne Lew '72 TC, Carol Mimura '79 BK, Grant Din '79 BR, Camille Lew, Joan Young '01 M. Arch, Christopher Park, Mary Lau '89 CC

Sites: Angel Island, Asian Americans for Community Involvement, SF Bank, Yale Ant-Bullying Benefit Concert with Glee’s Darren Criss

Coordinator: Julie Wong

From helping preserve the historic Angel Island Immigration Station to helping those in need in today’s Asian American community…from packing thousands of pounds of pasta at the SF Food Bank to what seemed like thousands of fans screaming their noodles off at the Yale Glee Club’s Anti-Bullying Benefit Concert with Glee’s Darren Criss, NorCal AAAYA members made a difference at the 2011 Yale Day of Service! This was a “seed year” for NorCal AAAYA with a small but committed group volunteering at two AAAYA sites and also other Yale sites throughout the Bay Area. It was also a family affair, with many alumni volunteering with their children and spouses. We’re looking forward to extending the Yale Day of Service beyond one day and continuing to grow a relationship supporting these two AAAYA sites throughout the year and making the Yale Day of Service at these two sites annual events.

Joan Young '01 M.Arch, Christopher Park and Camille Lew loading debris onto wheelbarrow

Site: Return to Angel Island

Coordinator: Wayne Lew and, daughter, Camille Lew

In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act infamously became the first and only time that the United States government ever specifically banned immigration based on race or country of origin. The heartbreak, pride, rage, and shame of those detained at Angel Island are carved into the very walls of the Immigration Station. This is the second time AAAYA has had a Day of Service site at Angel Island.

Six Yalies and two friends of Yalies participated in this year’s Yale Day of Service by doing spring cleaning and landscaping maintenance at the U.S. Immigration Station on Angel Island State Park. Catching the 10 a.m. ferry from Tiburon and a minivan ride to get to the immigration station, the group was quickly tasked with dusting and cleaning the exhibition rooms of this registered National Historic Landmark and sweeping and clearing debris (such as, droppings from geese, fallen fronds and bark from palm trees, errant decomposed granite pebbles) from the exterior pathways and grassy lawns around the buildings.

Grant Din ’79 BR headed this effort and was assisted by Wayne Lew ’72 TC. After the clean-up, a state park ranger led the group on a private tour of the buildings that historically housed the mostly Chinese detainees, who were questioned for months on end to qualify for immigration into the United States during the early part of the 20th Century when the Chinese Exclusion was extant. The day was cool and blustery with intermittent clouds, but the outing on this island in the middle of San Francisco Bay was affirmed by all who participated as an eminently worthwhile workout with great views. This Day of Service activity was organized by the Association of Asian American Yale Alumni and co-sponsored by the Yale Club of San Francisco, which provided the group with t-shorts commemorating the event.

New San Jose Site: Asian Americans for Community Involvement

Coordinator: Mu Young Lee

AAAYA-AACI team. L-R: Brenda Lee, Lanae Chang, Harry Chang, Hamsa Murthy, and Mu Young Lee

Asian Americans for Community Involvement is a community services organization based in San Jose with a 38 year history. It oversees a broad range of programs including the operation of a medical center, providing counseling services, tutoring of students, recovery programs for substance abuse and senior wellness activities. This year AAAYA-Norcal and the Yale Club of Silicon Valley sponsored a Day of Service event in support of AACI’s family services programs. Yale alumni volunteers and family members spent the afternoon sorting, separating, and labeling of household goods in a storage facility which contains donated items for families in need who are clients in AACI’s support programs. We’re looking forward to working with AACI for future events. It was great to have an opportunity to not only serve our community but also be involved with an organization that is led by its president and CEO Michele Lew (Yale College 1992) who came by the work site to thank the volunteers on Saturday.

Helping at the Food Bank, assembly line style (Eva Yin '09, Evelyn/Jeremy/Max Chai---spouse/sons of Michael Chai '84,IMG_1190.jpg: Michael Chai '84 with his sons, Max and Jeremy

Site: SF Food Bank

Coordinator: Mike Chai and family

Many AAAYA NorCal members volunteered at six sites all over the Bay Area organized by Daniel Vu and Lata Prabhakar from the Yale Club of San Francisco. Michael Chai and his family volunteered at one of the most popular site, the SF Food Bank and sent in these comments: We had a fun time at the SF Food Bank this weekend. All told, the combined Yale & Stanford volunteers (50-60 people total) packed over 10,000 lbs of food in three hours!

Site: Yale Ant-Bullying Benefit Concert with Glee’s Darren Criss

Coordinators: Emilie and Marc Robert Wong, Julia Lu

Under the fabulous direction of Moving Theater Company founders, Ryan Kelly and Brennan Gerard, and organizers extraordinaire, Mark Dollhopf, Exec Dir of AYA, Mickey Dobbs, AYA Dir Major Cities, and stage manager, Thomas Dolan, AAAYA and other Yale alumni volunteers helped out at a fantastic benefit concert featuring the Yale Glee Club, SF Girls Choir Alumnae Chorus, the Duke’s Men, and Glee’s Darren Criss.

A broad range of groups came together for this gala event sponsored by the Assn of Yale Alumni with Eli’s Mishpacha, Yale’s Jewish Alumni Group, and Yale GALA, Yale’s LGBT Alumni Assn with support from the Yale Club of San Francisco, the Yale Club of Silicon Valley, the Yale Latino Alumni Assn, Yale Black Alumni Assn, and AAAYA, the Assn of Asian American Yale Alumni, and USNA Out.

Members of the Duke's Men and Yale Glee Club

The concert benefited “No Bullies” and “YouthAware”, two organizations promoting a message of tolerance and compassion among Bay Area schools. Neither last minute flash floods on stage nor dealing with the amateur backstage help from Vice Chair, AYA Board of Governors, Jimmy Lu and his daughter, Julia, and AAAYA NorCal president, Julie Wong and her children, Emilie and Marc Robert Wong, could prevent the Yale Glee Club from raising the roof with its powerful rendition of “Anchored in the Lord.” The Duke’s Men stole the show with the best number of the night (sorry, Darren, but we call it like we see it!), a sexy vocal and dance version of Rihanna’s “Umbrella.” When Darren Criss joined Da Doox singing Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” the average age of the audience seemed to drop by at least 30 years, and tween screams resounded!!! After an intimate set which showed Darren’s range and versatility, Glees knew that it was “Anthem” time, when the show closed with all the singers joining together to send the audience home with a message of love and hope: no matter what the slurpee throwers say, you are “Not Alone.”

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Site: Children’s Day Celebration with at JACCC (Japanese American Cultural and Community Center)

Coordinator: Azan Kung

The 28th Annual Children’s Day Celebration was sponsored by JACCC (Japanese American Cultural and Community Center). Many of the events were geared toward Japan Aid Relief. Think of a carnival atmosphere of Japanese crafts, food, and performances.

Yale volunteers from AAAYA and the Yale Club of Southern California arrived between 7:00AM and 7:30 AM. We helped with crowd control, maintained race routes, and vigorously cheered for the Chibi-K Kids Fun Run—the event that kicked off the day’s festivities. We combined the volunteering with two social gatherings—breakfast at Azan Kung’s house and lunch at a nearby Japanese restaurant. We have decided that next year we will need someone to wear a Yale Bulldog costume to run along with the kids. I nominate Larry Ng.

The Northern California Chapter of the Association of Asian American Yale Alumni (AAAYA) would like to invite you to our 3rd Annual Yale Summer Potluck Picnic — a fun event for alumni of all ages, local Yale Students home for the summer, and members of the Class of 2015.  This would be a great opportunity to network with friendly alums, meet old and new friends, and to provide a warm welcome to the pre-frosh/current students/graduating seniors.  Children, parents and friends of Yalies are not only welcome, but are encouraged to join in the fun.

To see a recap and photos from a previous picnic visit http://aaaya.org/?p=1829

Picnic details:
* Potluck Picnic at Mitchell Park, 600 East Meadow Drive in Palo Alto (map)
* Saturday, July 23rd, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
* Bring a hearty appetizer or main dish to share
* We’ll have a volleyball net set up for a spirited game

If you already own folding picnic/camping chairs and/or blankets, please bring them if convenient to supplement the picnic table seating capacity.

We hope you’ll be able to join us!  Please sign up early and please help spread the word and bring your friends.

RSVP now by visiting http://2011aaayasummerpicnic.eventbrite.com/.

David Hsiao ’84 TD and Harry Chang ’84 SY are heading this annual event.  People interested in helping out David and Harry with the picnic, please send an email to (click here to reveal email address) and put “Summer Picnic” in the email subject line along with your contact info.

Those interested in helping out with follow up calls to personally invite the students and their families/friends to the Yale Summer  Picnic, please contact me at (click here to reveal email address)  and put “Student Outreach” in the email subject line and in the body of the email let me know your contact info, how many calls you are willing to make, and what dates you are available to make these calls in the few weeks preceeding 7/23.

Julie Wong ’84 TC, President, AAAYA NorCal  www.aaaya.org

Ever wanted to try out dragon boat racing?  Join us for our fun practice session at Foster City Boat Park with Bay Area Dragons (http://bayareadragons.org/content/view/17/36/) at 899 Bounty Drive (water close to parking lot next to dog park area, when you turn on Bounty to get to the docks, you’re in the middle of a housing complex and there is a tiny sign that says “Boat Ramp” — so look sharp because it’s easy to miss), Foster City, CA (map).  No experience necessary.  There are free dragon boat lessons and everyone is welcome.  Bring your friends.

Dragon boating is a 44′ canoe with 20 paddlers, a drummer and a steersperson paddling togther.  At the novice and recreational level, teams often form as a means of social outlet, team building and an alternative means of exercise.

If we have enough interest, we will try to get together a team to race at the San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival races (www.sfdragonboat.com) held 9/17-18 at Treasure Island, San Francisco .

If interested in coming to the dragon boat racing practice, please email Robert Lee ’90 BR at (click here to reveal email address) with your contact info, planned practice dates, expected number of guests including yourself, and Yale affiliations (please put Dragon Boat Practice in the email subject line).   Also, we will try to get a group practice together on a Saturday morning in Peninsula/San Francisco in August in addition to July if enough interested alums RSVP.  No need to wait for a group practice, individuals can check out practices in Peninsula/SF any Saturday morning, and then let us know if you would be interested in fielding an AAAYA team.  Friends and family of alumni welcome.

If interested in attending the San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival, please email Robert Lee at the above address with your contact info, expected number of guests including yourself, and Yale affiliations (please put Dragon Boat Festival in the email subject line).

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL
9/17-18 at California Avenue & Avenue D, San Francisco, CA (map)

The San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival is a weekend of world-class dragon boat racing, spectacular cultural performances, and fun-filled activities for the whole family at the largest competitive dragon boat festival in the United States.  Over 110 dragon boat teams and 3,500 dragon boat paddlers are expected to race the 500 and 300 meter courses.

The Festival also features many fun cultural activities: an entertainment stage with live dance and music performances, the Dragon Land children’s activity pavilion, and a variety of international food, arts & crafts, and other vendors.  The entertainment includes rhythmic & powerful Taiko drumming, nimble lion dancing, acrobatic martial arts, talented dance groups, cultural music, award-winning magic, yo-yo stunts, and children’s sing-along & dancing.

The Origin Of Dragon Boating
Dragon boat racing is one of the earliest known forms of boat racing and is celebrated at festivals and races throughout the world. This mythical celebration is a symbol of Chinese culture and spirit and is one of the three largest festivals in China. The roots of dragon boat racing go back over 2,000 years to the southern provinces of China.

Legend has it that Qu Yuan, a scholar and advisor to the emperor of the Chu Kingdom, jumped into the Mei Lo (Mi Luo) River in despair and protest against government corruption. Local fishermen raced out in their boats to save him. They beat drums and pounded their paddles on the river’s waters and threw rice dumplings wrapped in silk into the river to distract the water dragons and keep them from eating from Qu Yuan’s body. Dragon boating evolved from the re-enactment of this legend at annual festivals.

* Info from www.sfdragonboat.com 

Pacific Asia Museum
46 North Los Robles Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101

Friday June 17th
The theme of the evening is “Dragons and Drums”– a celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival.
Admission is $15.00
AAAYA-Socal members are eligible for a $5 discount if
they purchase tickets in advance via
http://pacificasiamuseum.eventbrite.com/, enter the discount code “PARTNER”.

Bay Area Dragon Coach Angie with AAAYA Rowers Julie Wong, Marc Robert Wong, and George Lai

Everyone’s nice, friendly atmosphere (even Coach Angie — see more detailed account below), harder than it looks, good exercise, fun to go fast. If you want to try it out, you can go any Saturday morning and check it out for free at http://bayareadragons.org/content/view/17/36/

WHAT DRAGON BOAT RACING IS REALLY LIKE (FOR ALL OF THOSE WHO MISSED THE FIRST FREE TRIAL)
By Marc Robert Wong (son of Julie Wong)

Song of the Dragon Boat

Hit, hit, hit…1,2,1,2,1,2…OK, remember to keep the paddle vertical…
Up, Up, Up…1-2-1-2-1-2…Lean forward, c’mon reach…
Hit, hit, hit…1,2,1,2,1,2…Oops, sorry — hit the paddle of the guy in front of me and got out of synch…
Hit, hit, hit…1,2,1,2,1,2…geez, my back is killing me…
Hit, hit, hit…1,2,1,2,1,2…bridge coming up…
Hit, Hit, Hit…1,2,1,2,1,2…pick up the pace…
HIT, HIT, HIT…1,2,1,2,1,2…let’s go, let’s go…
HIT-HIT-HIT…1-2-1-2-1-2…full blast, don’t stop until we get the tail through…
HIT+HIT+HIT+HIT+HIT+HIT+HIT+HIT+HIT+HIT…Let it ride!

What has 44 arms, 44 legs, 44 eyes, but only one will? That’s a dragon boat team, and the secret is in the teamwork and the single-minded will to win. When my mom said we were going to try out dragon boat racing, I pictured a lazy morning, paddling around under a blue sky with puffy, white clouds, listening to the Chinese drum and laughing and having water fights with my fellow beginning rowers while we figured out which end of the paddle to stick in the water.

Not so — under a chilly, iron-gray sky, Dragon Lady Angie, began the newbie coaching session by spitting out terms like “controlled aggression” and drilled us in proper form, threatening us with how we could get disqualified or lose a race by 100ths of second. The lady was bad — as in Bay Area Dragon, B.A.D. Right away, my mom’s competitive spirit kicks in — she just can’t help herself. She’s talking to the high school student behind her who is a veteran, but somehow got mixed up with the newbies, trying to get tips and improve her technique. She’s stretching out and reaching like she’s paddling up-hill. I’m already taller than she is, but she’s reaching past me on the boat to grab more water. This is not happening to me — she is not out-reaching me.

OK, I start putting some muscle into it — but Dragon Lady Angie says “let it ride” (a command she said we would grow to love which is true because it means I can stop stroking and rest), but right away she’s on me for “prying” and “dragging.” OK, I hunker down and work on trying to pull the paddle through the water vertically and removing it mid-thigh. She’s still critiquing me, but she’s trying to be nice by saying, I’m a “fast learner” (translation: I’m still not getting it right) — but I can see my mom smiling with pride out of the corner of my eye. The guy steering in the back, the only one who dares to speak around Angie, murmurs not unkindly, “Now, you know what it’s like to be a galley slave!” But in a crazy way, when we did get it right — which admittedly was not too often — and we were all paddling in synch, all reaching at the same moment sending the foam jumping out on the dark water, it did seem like we were flying!

Bay Area Dragon Boat Teams racing in Foster City (guess who's in the winning boat!)

Next official AAAYA date is Saturday, July 9th, meet at 10am at Foster City dock (when you turn on Bounty to get to the docks, you’re in the middle of a housing complex and there is a tiny sign that says “Boat Ramp” — so look sharp because it’s easy to miss).

RSVP to Robert Lee ’90 BR at (click here to reveal email address) with your contact info, planned practice dates, expected number of guests including yourself, and Yale affiliations (please put Dragon Boat Practice in the email subject line).   Also, we will try to get a group practice together on a Saturday morning in Peninsula/San Francisco in August in addition to July if enough interested alums RSVP.  No need to wait for a group practice, individuals can check out practices in Peninsula/SF any Saturday morning, and then let us know if you would be interested in fielding an AAAYA team.  Friends and family of alumni welcome!

This is the second time that members of Classes of ’71 and ’76 have raised funds for AACC: as of end of May this year there was a balance of some $76,000 in the AACC endowment which was started in 2006 by members of Classes of ’71 and ‘76. The AACC endowment is managed by Yale’s David Swensen and his staff as a part of Yale’s overall endowment, and income from it will be used to supplement the program budget from the University.

The competition is over and the numbers are in: Class of ’71 raised $20,001 and Class of ’76 raised $30,500! To be fair, the number of Asian Americans in Class of ’76 was about four times that of Class of ’71. So, including the new pledges, AACC’s endowment now well exceeds $126,000!

If you will be celebrating your class reunion next year, please contact Dean Dhall, Alice Young, or Kunduck Moon to find out how you can organize your fellow Asian American classmates to donate to Yale and AACC simultaneously.

AACC thanks Leighton Chong, Lowell Chun-Hoon, , Glenn Lau Kee, Don Nakanishi, Brad Wong and Alice Young of Class of ’71, as well as Otto Chu, Tonny Ho, Ken Inadomi, Carol Lee and Kunduck Moon of Class of ’76 for their generosity and support.