(September 9, 2022, Toronto) The prestigious Chinese Canadian Legend (CCL) Award, organized by the Chinese Canadian Legends Association (CCLA) is pleased to announce the 2022 recipients after a rigorous evaluation process. The six recipients, in alphabetical order, are: Ms. Arlene Chan, Ms. Chan Hon Goh, Rev. Danny Leung, Mr. Selwyn Lo, Dr. Theresa Tam and Mr. Lenny Wong. The theme of this year is: ” Life goes on, Love wins all “.
Since 2000, a total of 124 outstanding individuals have been awarded and 20 books were published to showcase their legendary stories. Mr. Bammy Wong, President of CCLA, says, “Ever since launching the CCL Award, we have continued to explore and reflect on our future direction and vision. Thanks to the efforts of our team members, as well as the acknowledgment, participation and support from awardees and community over the years, the CCL Award itself has become one of the most prestigious, influential and distinct awards.” He also stresses that the mission of CCLA is to promote and recognize the achievements and strengthen the contributions of Chinese Canadians. Furthermore, it aims to promote and facilitate intercultural understanding and mutual respect for diversified communities.
CCLA is honoured to have former Senator, the Honourable Dr. Vivienne Poy, as Honorary Chair of the Advisory Committee, former Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, the Honourable Philip Lee, as Honorary Advisor, Ms. Alexandra Ngan and Mr. Dennis Au-Yeung as Co-Chairs of Organizing Committee, Mr. Stanley Kwan as Chair of Selection Committee, Mr. Stephen Siu as Chair of Editorial Committee, Mr. Glenn Chan as Chair of Operation Committee, and Ms. Viola Poon as Secretary.
The life stories of this year’s recipients are all different but equally brilliant. Among them are artists, authors, entrepreneurs, a doctor and a pastor, who came with different background and life experiences, yet all demonstrating the determination to strive for self-improvement and contributing to the community, which embodies the spirit of CCL Award.
Mr. Stanley Kwan, chartered accountant and head of the selection committee, says, “Although we do the same thing every year, we will listen to the voices of the community and incorporate their ideas, so that we can be objective and fair and choose individuals that deserve to be our role models. Every year, we receive many nominations from the enthusiastic and supportive community. With 24 people on this year’s selection panel, 18 of them past recipients, and the remaining six from Chinese Canadian Legends Association, the panel went through lengthy discussions and a comprehensive review to select six deserving individuals.”
Organizing Committee Co-Chair Alexandra Ngan says the purpose of organizing the Chinese Canadian Legend Award is a celebration of outstanding achievements and valuable contributions of Chinese Canadians in the midst of adversities. Our theme for this year is “Life goes on, Love wins all”. In face of challenges including the pandemic, wars, global warming, economic recession and inflation, Chinese Canadian Legend award recipients are those who not only transform challenges into achievements but also help others with a loving and caring heart. We invite you all to join us in recognizing these distinguished role models in our community.
Organizing Committee Co-Chair Dennis Au-Yeung points out that the recipients’ outstanding contributions are not just worthy of praise: “They also promote the spirit of charity and help for others, and will have an impact on the next generation. It is our hope that through the annual award, the unique values and beliefs, the fighting spirit and “giving” culture of Chinese Canadian immigrants will be passed onto the next generation growing up in the West,” he says.
Mr. Stephen Siu, Chair of the Editorial Committee, stresses the importance of the book: “The Award has made its mark in history by recording and publishing stories of distinguished Chinese Canadians. Their inspiring stories will become invaluable future reference for research on Chinese Canadian immigrants and motivation for future change in the community. We have a good editorial team this year with Annie Jin and Clorie Ng as Chinese writers and Louisa Yue-Chan as the English writer. The stories are fascinating and highly readable.”
The book collections are kept in the Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library at the University of Toronto, as well as the libraries at University of Ottawa, University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria, and McGill University. Since 2018, the collections have also joined the Hong Kong Central Library, the libraries of the University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Chu Hai College of Higher Education and Canadian International School of Hong Kong.
The inspirational stories of the six award recipients will be published in the 21st edition of the book, and will be distributed to guests at the 2022 Chinese Canadian Legend Award Gala, which will be held on October 29th at the Sheraton Parkway North Hotel in Richmond Hill. Ticket prices for the Chinese Canadian Legend Gala are: individual $220, corporate table: $2800. For inquiries, please call Ms. Camilla Tong at 416 292 6374 or visit www.cclegends.ca
2022 Chinese Canadian Legend Awardees Profile
Arlene Chan
Arlene is third generation Chinese Canadian, who grew up accompanying her mother Jean Lumb to events for Chinese rights and to help Chinese integration into mainstream Canadian society. She knows that today‟s Chinese fought hard for their current status. A chance opportunity started her journey in documenting the Chinese narrative, and in actively promoting the preservation of Chinese history and culture in Canada. In researching a book on dragon boat racing, she unexpectedly became an elite dragon boat racing athlete, twice winning international championships for Canada. She continues her mother’s legacy in bridging the Chinese community with mainstream Canada, encouraging younger generations to keep on working for a multicultural Canada.
Chan Hon Goh
Chan Hon Goh was born into a ballet family, her parents were ballet instructors and her grandmother always encouraged her efforts to become a world class ballet dancer. She forged many firsts in the ballet world and has received much recognition including the Order of Canada. After retiring from the National Ballet of Canada, she has been teaching ballet at the Goh Ballet Academy, founded by her parents. Besides nurturing classes of new ballet dancers, she has led the Goh Ballet Youth Company to perform The Nutcracker annually, a proud new Vancouver tradition.
Rev. Danny Leung
Rev. Leung has overcome many hardships in his youth, including losing his sight. His faith helped him find the strength to finish university and become a computer engineer. In 2006 he resigned from his job to dedicate himself to community work, and was ordained a minister in 2013. He founded Joy Beyond Vision Community (JBVC), a charitable organization specializing in supporting people with sight disabilities. With the support of the Chinese church he opened a cafe to provide occupational training for the visually impaired. With a positive outlook he is a role model for the visually impaired, encouraging and supporting them to integrate into society to live a meaningful and dignified life.
Selwyn Lo
Selwyn’s fifty year journey in Canada exemplifies the Chinese Canadian Legend spirit. With hard work, unwavering will and determination he pursued higher education, established a realty business and contributed to the community. He has been a member of the Golden Daffodil Charity Ball organizing committee, has fundraised for the Canadian Cancer Society in the Chinese community, and received a Volunteer Service Award from the Ontario government in 2018. All the while, he has been a single father striving for his goals with passion and faith.
Dr. Theresa Tam
Dr. Theresa Tam was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada after graduating from medical school in England. She has deep experience in clinical and public health work on infectious disease prevention and treatment. During her years at the Public Health Agency of Canada, she has made significant contributions in SARS and other epidemic research and in pandemic response management. Dr. Tam became Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer in 2017, the first woman to ever hold this position.
Covid-19 has made Dr. Tam a household name. Her leadership in fighting this pandemic has won her respect and admiration from Canadians. She encourages young Chinese Canadians in public health to break down barriers and embrace opportunities in their field.
Lenny Wong
Over forty years ago, Lenny arrived in Canada as a refugee, and starting with entry level jobs, he leveraged hard work and perseverance to establish a global business Ocean Packers Inc. Through life’s ups and downs, Lenny has always embraced supporting the Vietnamese, Cambodian, Loatian and ChaoChow Chinese communities. His achievements and contributions have garnered numerous recognitions such as the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II Medal. How Lenny has transcended his background and environmental circumstances to attain his dreams is a blueprint for success for Canadian immigrants.