President & BOD Messages
2024
NEW YEAR GREETINGS TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF TSUNG TSIN ASSOCIATION
AND
AN INVITATION TO ALL, MEMBERS, FAMILIES AND FRIENDS,
TO
THE NIGHT IN CHINATOWN OPEN HOUSE EVENING AT THE TSUNG TSIN ASSOCIATION CLUBHOUSE ON MAUNAKEA STREET
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, DOOR OPEN FROM 5:30 P.M.
Aloha all. The officers of Tsung Tsin Association, President Michael Wong, the Officers and Directors wish you all a Healthy Happy New Year 2024, may all you wish for come true. We hope for a fulfilling year filled with sharing of Hakka Heritage and maintenance and improvements of the building so members may continue to use and enjoy it. In 2023 we finished some major repairs of the roof and in 2024 we hope to complete the roof repairs and give the Maunakea street facade a face-lift. We will continue to share our culinary ideas in the kitchen. We will be continuing our Conversational Hakka studies and Mahjong workshops where we learn and exchange information about our Hakka heritage here in Hawaii and elsewhere. We are open to other suggestions to broaden our programs in areas that interest you. Mail or email of your suggestions would be much appreciated. Consult our webpage for the new 2024 calendar of events for dates and more information of programs.
At this time I would especially like to announce and invite all members and their family and friends to celebrate Chinese New Year Night in Chinatown (Choy Cheng) at our OPEN HOUSE evening on Friday evening February 2nd at 6PM here at the association hall at 1159 Maunakea Street. Maunakea Street between Beretania and King Street will be blocked off and the businesses will be opened to receive the various lion dance organizations roaming the streets offering their blessings as well as a visit by the 2024 Narcissus Queen and her court. Firecrackers will be going off all evening to mark the visit of the lion dancers.
Here at Tsung Tsin, we will celebrate OPEN HOUSE with potluck Chinese New Year foods and desserts and light refreshments. There will be cooking information sharing of how to make various Chinese New Year dishes inclucing: Nian Gao, Jai, See Gu (arrowroot) and etc. While awaiting the visit of the lion dancers and the visitation of the Narcissus Queen and her court, members and friends can take the rare opportunity to wander the festive streets that evening or stay in and make or renew acquaintances.
Everyone and guests are welcomed. Come for a warm meet and greet of members, family and friends of Tsung Tsin Association. A wonderful evening of Hakka fellowship.
Please RVSP by emailing or by calling Rebecca Ho at: email: 7215becky@gmail.com, phone: (808)286-6405.
President Michael Wong,
2023
2023 President’s End of the Year Message
The end of the year is a great time to pause and reflect on our past lives.
I would like to acknowledge and give thanks to our Forefathers and Foremothers and all our Hakka family who joined and established themselves as Tsung Tsin Association of Honolulu, Hawaii. Without their efforts and love of the Hakka Culture, Language, History, Writing, Cooking, we would not be here today. Instead, they left us a place where we can re-focus and re-find ourselves.
We have a Library fitted with donated books. You are welcome to come and read.
We need a Librarian. Any volunteers?
This has been an especially busy year for the Board and I. Can we really get back to normal?
What is Normal? How much of a chance do you want to take to mingle with others knowing that there’s more viruses out here?
We still had our meetings. And for those who missed it, we are still at Non-profit 501(c)(4) status.
Mahjong Rules! So many enthusiastic people wanted to learn to play, we had to add another day.
Our biggest surprise…..was how many of you came to celebrate The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival at the Jade Dynasty Seafood Restaurant in September. Chairman Nancy Whitman was overjoyed by your RSVPs. In fact, I think all of us were ecstatic to see each other. Long time no see!
I hope there will be more ventures for you to come out in 2024. Thank you for the opportunity of allowing me to serve as your President this past year, 2023 and also in 2020 and 2021.
As The Year of the Rabbit comes to a close,
let us welcome in The Year of The Dragon.
An Tor Siah. Xie Xie. Mahalo Nui Loa. Aloha.
Gary Wong, Retired 2023 President
Tsung Tsin Assn.
Fon ngiang! Huanying!
Aloha and Welcome to 2023, Year of the Rabbit
Rabbits are cute and cuddly and live very long.
They're free-spirited, gentle, quiet, alert, smart, patient and very sociable. They have keen hearing and great eyesight.
They symbolize fertility, creativity and most importantly .. Good Luck!
My name is Gary Wong and I am very excited to be your new President this year.
In fact everything about Tsung Tsin Assn is being modernized while keeping our Customs and Culture.
We will be able to reach people beyond our Shores. We will reveal all this at our 1st General Meeting which will be held on Sunday March 19, 2023 at 1:30pm. It will be held at our Clubhouse or via Zoom. Keep checking this website for the link and updates.
A Moment of Silence:
At this time, the entire Club wishes to express our sympathies and condolences to the families of Helen Y.T. Chang Wong and Margaret Chiu, both long-time members of Tsung Tsin Assn.
And true to the Circle of Life, new ones come in their place.
I would like to acknowledge and thank Richard Ho, son of our English Secretary, Becky Ho for putting together our new bookshelves while on his vacation back in the Islands.
And a Great Big Thanks to Brian Zhang, the contractor who oversaw our much needed renovations. Come on down and see it.
Life is precious. Please take care. Do Xia. Xie Xie.
Mahalo.
Gary K. H. Wong, 2023 President
2023 New Year Letter FINAL 2.pdfDear Members,
On Sunday, November 20, 2022, the general membership approved changes to the Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation in coordination to moving us from a 501(c)4 organization to a fully non-profit 501(c)3 type.
Here are some highlights of the changes to the ByLaws and Articles of Incorporation to which all voting members previously received copies of.
Membership is now open to anyone with a sincere desire to further the Hakka culture. Per the new Bylaws, this includes anyone who desires “to advance education about the Chinese Hakka history and culture, and to encourage, promote and perpetuate and preserve knowledge and understanding of the Chinese Hakka history and culture through social, educational and charitable activities in Hawaii and throughout the world.”
1. Membership is now open to anyone with a sincere desire to further the Hakka culture. Per the new Bylaws, this includes anyone who desires “to advance education about the Chinese Hakka history and culture, and to encourage, promote and perpetuate and preserve knowledge and understanding of the Chinese Hakka history and culture through social, educational and charitable activities in Hawaii and throughout the world.”
2. All previously designated Associate members aged 18 and up are now full members will full voting rights.
3. The number of officers is now five (5) which include the President, President Elect, English Secretary, Chinese Secretary and Treasurer. Three (3) longer term Director positions have been added.
4. There is one (1) Standing Committee, which is the Nominating Committee.
5. There are now four (4) Advisory Committees: Scholarship, Outreach/Publicity, Membership/Welfare and Hospitality.
6. Provisions have been made to allow for electronic forms of communications, due to the challenges we faced during the pandemic.
After the IRS grants us the change to a 501(c)3 type organization which could take another 3-5 months, all donations will be fully tax deductible and we would be eligible for grant money.
It’s obvious to all of us Board members that our membership has been shrinking, even without the pandemic. Add to this the poor participation, we struggled during the past few years keeping the club afloat.
Having said that however, we are confident that these new changes will give us the ability to grow our membership ranks while still promoting and preserving our Hakka heritage. We hope you will get involved again with a new sense of revival and help us bring in more new members. Thank you again for supporting this change.
Aloha,
Ghary Won
Legislative Committee, Chair