Josephine Pan is the founder of Taiwan Elite Alliance. This year, TEA celebrates its 10th Anniversary for the continuous community service.
The following PPT has her review for the major activities that volunteers of TEA have achieved together all along. Josephine made this PPT for her presentation in 「1014 Hakka Gathering」 at Guansi, Hsinchu back on 10/14/2010. She shared her story and also a visionary idea of Comunity Service by pulling the strength from our own community. "No need to be big, don't have to be fancy...as long as it comes out from our hearts. Most importantly, be persistent." Taiwan Elite Alliance
陳增芝, a volunteer for 1014 Hakka Gathering got the following video clips for Josephine's presentation...very interesting and a great asset for TEA's young 10 year Anniversary.
Salute to all the volunteers! Go TEA ! Go Taiwan!
1014 Hakka Gathering is such a great event !
Thanks to HAPA-NA and local Hakka friends in Guansi to make it happened. We also appreciate our speakers and our No.1 volunteers...And, for those who's there in person, you know what this Gathering is for and without your presence, this meeting means nothing.
We have a slide show of the photos taken on 10/14/2010.
Also, a few videos to share with you.
We thought this Thanksgiving break might keep many of our friends busy with family activities...
But by 3PM...we were shocked to see so many members' presence. This is the 119th Meeting.
Josephine is the term speaker and she shared the pictures of 1014 Hakka Gathering in Guansi and 2010 TOST plus many great stories along the way...
Our Mr. Lai and Kim Wu both brought their dried Persimmon to share with us.
Mrs. Huang had her Hakka Mochi (Luk-Ton-She) for us to enjoy.
9/25/2010, Saturday afternoon, the heat wave was hitting Southern California...105 degree has scared away many of our Hakka friends. (*Before all arrived, our brother Shih-Hung already there to take some photos in the Garden, which are shareing with you in this slide show.)
By 3:10PM, we met all of our group at the entrance of Arlington Park in Pasadena. Our group happens to be the only bunch at that time...We found a good shaded area with a few benches there under a big Oak tree. It is amazing to see how community can do even for a neighborhood park. After our short stay there, most of us really feel that we should find a cooler place...and we moved over to C Cup in Temple City. We had ordered shake ices and also yogurt...and continued our meeting at a place that seated with all youngsters. We joked with the waiters that our group probably is the oldest guests they ever served...hahaha.. Indeed a great treat to ourselves in a hot hot hot afternoon.
Do you remember Wood Bench in Taiwan at old days ?
For the 8/28 Mid Summer Concert, Josephine and I hade thought about renting chairs for our guests...and then I decided to bring all the chairs back from our office. But, these chairs plus those we have at home are such a big mixed and messy...Surely cannot be approved by our concert producer - JP.
What should I do? The Concert is 24 hours away...
Friday afternoon, I went to Home Depot to shop some lumbers and ask my helper to work on this urgent project - to make our own wood benches. The adventure is unforgetable!
I used to see how our master carpenters in the wood work that our family owned back in Guansi, 50 some years ago... Based on that memory...we discussed on our draft.
We surely not capable to make it with the tradional way - nailess joints... We must use nails and screws, but still try to make it soild and looking good. We did figure out how finally...and we even rushed to have these benches painted.
Please check these 3 wood benches... they are our proud babies.
6 foot long, 18 inch high and with 10" width...solid strong! I believe they are definitely useful for many events, including for my tea workshops and our Hakka Toastmasters Meeting...
Maybe, this is a new hobby!
(We just got our video sent in by our good friend, Tony Lam
Please click on the following link: http://www.tonylamfilms.com/tea_concert.htm to see the video.)
8/28/2010 -
This is a very special day for many of our friends.
We have 58 of us gathered for a wonderful Mid Summer Concert featured Rhapsody Trio and a series of great programs arranged by Lynn and Josephine. They both are serving for the MC and Speaker for this month (116th) Hakka Toastmasters Meeting, and in celebration with TEA (Taiwan Elite Alliance) 10th Anniversary, as well.
Lynn, Jen and Yvonne, the trio, surprises many of us with their great performance. Master Huang's Trumpet play, Martina's Soprano are truly entertaining.
We do have a strong team behind this event. Shih-Hung, Ivan, Mr. Lai arrived early to help set up the seats and sign...Karen and Ben offer good tea service for everyone, plus a lot of moving around...
Appreciate brother Shih-Hung's photos for having the above slide show.
We are expecting the video from Tony and some more pictures from Kevin. (*We are lucky to have all the first class volunteers to work with.)
The most important thing, we keep our Toastmasters spirit and make sure every one get chance to share
his/her viewpoints after the intermission and before Part II. 58 of us, all get chance to speak up.
The following lovely message is one particular response we received from Wei-Wei, a friend who's among the audience in this concert ----
============================ Dear Josephine and Thomas,
Thank you for inviting me to your lovely home. Such an intimate concert allowed me to appreciate the beautiful sound of trumpet and clarinet. There was so much love and grace in this T.E.A. concert which filled my heart with gratitude. It was the first time I fell in love with so many people at the same time. At Cafe Fusion, I enjoyed all the Taiwanese food, but mostly I enjoyed basking under the warmth radiated from the good people at the table: Jocey's graceful family, remembering Karen patiently making tea for people and her friend's quiet smile, the 90 year old lady's healthy appetite and self-contented expression of her being through the sparkling wrinkle, the self-made royal-red dress and the glittering, colorful jewelry. While I was driving home with Mr. Lai, listening to him, imagining his journey through Japanese occupation, Chinese rule, immigration to South and North America, my heart ached and rejoiced simultaneously thinking the strength, the history and the future of Taiwan. Regardless the role we shall play in this life, I will always remember that on August 28, 2010, heaven showed its face to me at 33 Turning Leaf Way. Wei-Wei 8/29/2010 ========== Hi Josephine,
Thank you for sharing the TEA's Mid-Summer " Night Dream " Concert. Very good indeed, Lynn and I enjoy very much.
Chanchi 9/26/2010 ==========
Dear Thomas,
You and Josephine put in a lot of effort in organizing the concert. The videos are great for nice memories for years to come.
(*Highly appreciate to our brother Shih-Hung for his nice photos.)
July/2010 meeting is our 115th meeting. Per our brother Peng's suggestion, we set to visit an old Olive Factory - Graber Olive House in City of Ontario, California.
7/31/2010 3PM, our group members showed up at the gift shop and enjoyed tasting delicous olives they produce. After the introduction film, we all gathered for the tour conducted by Ms. Betty. What a nice lady and truly a humourous docent for our wonderful experience. (*Thanks JP for her funny translation job for our group.) There are a few local American friends who accompany their visitors from South Dakoda. We become a happy bunch!
After the tour and shopping...we called our Monthly Hakka Toastmasters Meeting right in the elegant garden there...with very pleasant breeze. This is truly a great one.
The following article and the beautiful Hakka 3 line Poem from brother James Leu:
清雲 08.01.10
=================
By the way, our next meeting will be on 8/28/2010 - and this time we will have a mini Concert performed by our talented musician Lynn Huang and her trio. Seats (50 max.) are very limited. Make your reservation early.
Dear Hakka Taiwanese:
We have done this one...together!
60 plus friends met with passion, with love of our Hakka language, culture and our urgency of Taiwan identification.
It is an unforgetable experience.
For sure, there are plenty rooms for the improvement, especially it seems that most friends are not used to control time of speaking. We believe this could be better with more practices. But the high spirit of our participation is unsurpassed!
Thanks to the host (Lou Family) for offering us a first class venue - TaiHon Tea Museum. Most of all, their strong supports in many respects, including a delicious lunch treat with fine tea service... they are just super !Their generosity is highly appreciated by all of us.
Thanks to Dr. Chiuto Chen and Mr. David Lai for Co-Chairing this Gathering. Good job!
Our 4 designated speakers are excellent.
Mr. CS Lou might have enlightened many Hakka elite to work on preserving their own home towns' History and Culture. Tai-Hon Tea Museum has set a perfect example for all.
Mr. Azen Yang did a great review of his campaign in 2009 Election, he has made a few key points in Political and Social movement within Taiwan. His long time dedication in Hakka's social movement enhanced with his stepping up to the political campaign.
Dr. Changchi Lee shared with all What is Hapa-Na, and What kind of activities had been done in the pat 20 years...plus his own visional thinking for What overseas Hakka Taiwanese can do in the near future.
Ah Kuen Goh, as usual, we all need such a talent in a big gathering. He showed his own observation about how Hakka express our exclamation with our mother tongue. He really knows how to get all audience to be interactive as a group.
Two of our good volunteers, Mr. John Huang and Ben Liu did a good reception desk. They showed up early to set up the reception desk and make sure that every one have name badge and keep a very complete information of the registration.
So excited to see many faces with expectation that Hakka can meet and exchange our onw viewpoints in a format of Toastmasters Meeting. Boy oh boy, as a coordinator for this 323 Hakka Gathering, I found easily that we can have 60 speakers, one for each month...
Maybe, pretty soon, in different Hakka town, we all shall meet again.
It becomes like a routine now. Our February meeting of Hakka Toastmasters is set to support our local community's 228 event.
We were not able to work much for the program coordination this year, due to our pre-engaged traveling. However, we do get our talented musician and Hakka musics to remain in part of the program and we have our volunteers to help out the stage set up and reception.
There was a black-out in the afternoon right in that block where Taiwan Center locates. We were thinking to have a back-up plan for the eveing...then, just about 30 minutes before the Concert... the power was back. What a relief!.
It is indeed a very special moment to be able to have our hearts together for this historic incident in Taiwan.
Please enjoy the slides show above. It is with the compliments of our good friend, Mr. Huan Su.
A non profit organization established in July 2000 by Josephine Pan. Officially register with the State of California in 2007. Have been granted the Tax Exempt Status 501.(c)(3) by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); with the following purposes: To promote Taiwanese, Taiwanese American arts and literature; To protect and enhance the human rights, freedom and democracy for the people in Taiwan.
Missions: Support scholars, artists, and/or other elites in promoting the understandings of Taiwanese culture and heritage; To foster passion and pride in Taiwanese Americans for their Taiwanese cultural heritage cultural exchanges, leading to understanding and appreciation of the uniqueness of Taiwanese culture;
Functions: Orchestrate/facilitate events, raise funds; Support and sponsor, co-sponsor other associations for their events; No regular members but call for volunteers for its each event; Depending on the scale of each event,TEA is able to mobilize volunteers accordingly; What do we do: A. Regular Educational Programs B. Regular Volunteer Programs C. Culture Events D. Political Support Events
