Dear Fellow Chinese
Americans*,
I write
this with a heavy heart and the future of our fruitful existence in this
country as a minority
population in mind. Whether it is college admission for our children,
welfare benefit for our seniors, and equal treatment before the law, there
are no free lunches. One does not get benefits handed to you on a silver
platter. You do not automatically
get what you deserve but what you are willing to fight for.
Many of the
welfare/benefit we and our seniors enjoy today are won on the lives and broken
head and limbs of the African American some 50 years ago. Those of you watched the
Selma march commemoration on TV know. Jewish Americans with only half of the
population of Asian Americans has a political action committee, AIPAC, that
operates with an annual budget 670 (yes, six hundred seventy) times larger than
the Asian America counterpart, the 80-20 Initiative (67 million vs 100K per
year). This is what I hope to bend your ears for just a couple of minutes of
your time.
I have
been working continuously with 80-20 since day one 16 years ago and have
witnessed the many accomplishments she has brought about for our population.
These you may know and can find on her website. No need for me to repeat them
here.
A year
ago, 80-20 launched a campaign of raising an endowment of five million dollars
in five years, called the SELF fund, for the organization to insure her long
term survival. Sad to say, today the total raised is way behind schedule.
The Board of Donors of the
SELF fund, which is a group of 15 individuals charged with the task of helping
the SELF fund raising, and in which I am a member, realize that while you can lead a horse to the water, you cannot force the horse to
drink the water. As a group, Chinese Americans are not poor. But if 80-20
cannot raise fund successfully, then either she is not doing a worthy job or
our message is not getting through. Thus, the board of donors decided to
conduct an experiment. We voted that"each of us shall do our best to raise
$2800.00 in the next two weeks (from 3/11-3/25) for the 80-20 SELF fund".
Thus, I am asking you to consider donating to 80-20 whatever you can
immediately. Write a check or make a pledge payable to the "80-20
Educational Foundation, SELF fund" now.
As an added insurance that we don't waste your
contribution, if 80-20 fails to reach her fund raising
goal, we shall return your donation in full. And sadly 80-20 most likely will
go out of existence. There is no use to linger on if the population does not support it even
in a minimal way.
As a
supporter, I have done my part according to our leader, S.B. Woo, that
is, donate till it hurts. I sincerely hope you can do whatever you feel
appropriate. Many thanks for your time and consideration.
Larry Ho
(Emphasis added by
S.B. Woo)
- - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
S.B. Woo, a volunteer
President, 80-20 Asian
Am. National Educational Foundation, Inc.
* Prof. Ho is raising money from his Chinese Am friends
in Lexington, MA. So he used 'Dear Fellow Chinese Americans".
80-20 serves all Asian Ams.
Post Script
As a result
of Prof. Ho's letter, donations poured in. He wrote a "thank you" letter to
donors, which ended with
". . .
. At my age to know that another generation of responsible and
responsive Chinese Am volunteers
are ready to take over not only warms my heart but also enables me to state
- " I shall die a very happy
man". Larry Ho"
80-20's Top 10 Accomplishment, published 3 years ago.
