San Kiang Charitable Association
San Kiang Charitable Association was founded at the beginning of 1929. All Chinese associations in New York at the time were made up by Cantonese. There were only a very small number of local Chinese in New York who came from Jiangsu Province, Jiangxi Province and Zhejiang Province. Therefore, Cantonese was the only language widely spoken among local Chinese in Chinatown in New York.
The founding members of San Kiang Charitable Association were mostly sailors. They were far-sighted, though with little or no academic education. They had a strong urge to do something for their fellow countrymen from Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces, for these fellow countrymen had difficulties in communicating with people, filling complaints or even finding a job to earn a living, due to language barrier and unfamiliar landscape.
Mr. Xiao-hong Ruan, Mr. A-gen Han and others, also from the three provinces, decided to set up San Kiang Association, an organization for people from the three provinces. The name of the Association derived from the shared word in the names of the three provinces that is "Jiang", or "Kiang" in local dialect. The purposes of the Association are to facilitate unity, mutual help, care and encouragement and pull together in times of difficulty. It is stipulated in the Charter of New York San Kiang Association, the Association should help liaise its members, encourage each other, promote friendship and exchanges, provide services to its members and contribute donations to some community bodies and charity organizations, among others.
San Kiang Association was first set up in 17 Bowery Street, New York in 1929. Soon, its membership expanded to approximately one hundred and its Headquarters had to move to 209 Park Row and 28 East Broadway. On 26 June 1929, it was officially approved and registered as a non-profit organization. The Association was the earliest non-Cantonese Chinese association in New York.
After the Second World War broke out in 1941, its members joined the army one after another and actively participated in the sacred war against totalitarianism and for freedom. The work of the Association was affected somewhat, but its operation never stopped. On 30 August 1946, the Association was renamed San Kiang Charitable Association and started to buy real estate properties and burial lots, promote charity work and public welfare for its members. In the wake of successful conclusion of World War Il, many of its members went back to China and consequently the Association could not implement all its plans.
However, there was a sudden surge of Chinese coming to the US in 1949. And the Association got about 1000 new members at the time. What these new members wanted most were connection with their new communities, employment, business opportunities and education of their kids. To cater to their needs, the Association had to carry out its purposes and principles more forcefully. Its old office located at 28 East Broadway was ill-suited for the purpose. With a vision and a plan, the then leadership of the Association worked together with one mind and firm determination to raise enough money for a bigger building. In 1956, they finally bought a three-storey building for the The founding members of San Kiang Charitable Association were mostly sailors. They were far-sighted, though with little or no academic education. They had a strong urge to do something for their fellow countrymen from Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces, for these fellow countrymen had difficulties in communicating with people, filling complaints or even finding a job to earn a living, due to language barrier and unfamiliar landscape.
Association to only elect the most competent and capable to its public posts. Nobody can serve more than two successive terms as President and Vice President. And everybody has the obligation to provide service to the Association. In addition, the Association amended and updated its Charter in a timely manner to ensure that there are always rules and regulations for its members to follow and observe. The clearly defined rules and regulations of the Association and its closely knitted structure have put its leadership under strict supervision and at the same time enabled it to take initiative. It is this system that has ensured effective and corruption-free management of Association affairs in the past 70 years and more since its inception. Encouraged by this spirit, many members have taken an active part in the Association affairs. This system has ensured that President, Vice President and Chairman of the Board pursue the purposes of the Charter, uphold the interests of the Association without seeking personal interests, work hard and practice thrift. As a result, the Association has grown with each passing day and its rules, regulations and structure have improved. The financial resources of the Association mainly come from membership dues, personal contributions and rentals of the Association properties. The leadership of the Association has over the years tried to expand financial resources, keep expenditure within the limits of its income and manage its affairs carefully and meticulously. The expenditures of the Association are made public every month in plain language. The financial system of the Association has been strictly implemented with no room for relaxation, to the benefit of the growth and expansion of the Association. San Kiang Association is a non-profit service organization. As far as its financial capabilities can support, the Association has tried to provide its members with a wide range of services and welfare. For instance, the Association organizes annual dinner parties of over 100 tables in celebration of the traditional Chinese New Year and reunion gatherings on the occasions of the Fifth Day of the first month every lunar year, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.
In addition, thanks to the efforts made by President, Board Chairman, Board members, Senior Advisors, other officials and all members, the Association has engaged itself in charity work. The following are just two examples:
1. It has bought five burial lots, namely Washington Cemetery, Rosedale Cemetery, Mt. Rest, Ridgelawn Cemetery, and New one which I don't know the name yet) respectively, with which Chinese Americans can rest in peace after passing away. Furthermore, the Association has taken it as its daily work to take care matters concerning illness, hospitalization or death of senior members.
2. It has helped community charity organizations, educational, cultural and art bodies, both American and Chinese, through donations or services. Since the 1990s, the Association has offered donations mainly to the following organizations: the American Red Cross, the Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration Inc., Heat Disease Research Foundation, the Blinded Veterans Association, the Poor Child Fund of UNICEF, the American Cancer Society, Eastern Division - Chinese Unit, New York Chinese School, the Church of the Transfiguration, New York Chinatown Senior Citizen Center, Downtown Hospital, Cancer Society of America, the Salvation Army, the Project Open Door Chinese-American Planning Council, the Chinatown Daycare Center Inc., the Disabled American Veterans, the Guiding Eyes for the Blind Inc., True Light Lutheran School and China AIDs Fund (may need re-check again).
In addition, the Association has donated generously to disaster-affected areas in the US, the mainland of China, Taiwan and India. It has helped some individual organizations or persons in need, such as the Downtown Hospital in New York for medical equipment and facilities, the Chinese gymnast San Lan for her accidental injury and Zhousan School for persons with disabilities.
San Kiang Youth Scholarships:
The Association launched the Youth Scholarship Program in 1995. At first, the Program awarded scholarships to 9 students a year, all children of members, with a total amount of 8,000 US dollars. Today, the number of scholarship-awarded students has increased to almost 30, including outstanding university students, the CUM score is higher than 3.5; the candidates students of the senior high school, which their total SAT score should be higher than 2000; and the candidates students of junior middle school and primary pupils, with average score are over 90. Therefore, yearly it is with the total amount growing to over 15,000 US dollars a year. The Association has included the scholarship issue in the agenda of its annual membership conference. The list of scholarship awardees is decided upon collectively, announced publicly and awarded in a ceremony. Scholarships are also awarded to those who have done very well in Chinese, in order to promote Chinese or their mother tongue. This scholarship awarding program has become an established rules-based practice of far-reaching significance and it is also a major community-service event of the Association. The public opinions have spoken highly of this practice. The practice has continued for more than ten years, thanks to the generous donations by fellow countrymen originally from the three provinces and prominent personages. Mr. Xing-jiu Ying and his son Dr. Li-ren Ying in particular have commendably made considerable contributions to this Program. We will never forget their efforts in this regard. Our appreciation should also go to Mr. Yun-xi Hu, Chairman of the Scholarship Program, for his wise leadership and skillful management of the fund. Here, we wish to express our respect and gratitude to all who have contributed to the Program. At the same time, we hope those who have got the scholarships will continue to study hard, live up to the ardent expectations of the Association members and repay their gratitude to the society with service after completion of their studies.
These respectable elders of the Association care both the proper upbringing of the kids of the Association members and education cause in their homeland. Mr. A-liang Wang and his wife, both members of the Association, lived a very simple life and literally saved every penny they could. They would, for instance, spare no efforts in crossing several blocks in order to buy cheaper milk. However, in early 1980s when they heard that people in their hometown in China wished to build schools, pavilions or road, they donated about 100,000 US dollars for these projects without any hesitation. This is just one of numerous examples in the Association. It takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred to cultivate people.
Education helps rejuvenation of a nation and a country. Education has lifted the Chinese Americans of the older generation out of their traditional trades and enabled them to join the mainstream in the United States. Education will surely help produce a new generation of cultural elites. It will help raise the overall image of Chinese Americans and hence their political and economic status. In short, the establishment of the San Kiang Youth Scholarship Program is a bold and significant policy decision made by the elders of the Association and it will benefit the descendants of the Association members from generation to generation.
Members of the Association are both American citizens and Chinese descendants. As such, they are natural bridge for ties between China and the United States. San Kiang Association, a Chinese organization, has played an active role in community affairs. It has received many high-level delegations, both Chinese and American. It has played hosts to dignitaries such as Ms. Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor of the United States, Mr. Li Zhaoxing, Foreign Minister of China, and several Chinese consuls-general to New York, including Mr. Zhang Weichao, Mr. Zhang Hongxi, Mr. Liu Biwei, apart from visiting national or provincial delegations from China (from Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shanghai, Mongolia and other provinces or cities). Members know full well that as US citizens, they must abide by law and observe the US rules and regulations. On the other hand, as overseas Chinese, they also have obligation to love China and contribute to the development of their home towns.
The Association strongly believes that nothing is more precious and more important than harmony. There is a board hanging high in the conference room of the Association, on which "Harmony and Unity" are inseribed. The leadership of the Association has inherited and carried forward the lofty cause pioneered by their predecessors, remembered forever the founding members, pulled wisdom together and cooperated closely with each other with all the sincerity to rejuvenate the Association to the benefit of a flourishing organization, the welfare of its members and society. Last but not the least, the Association owes its success to the care and support of many far-sighted politicians, notably former state assembly member Mr. Jimmy Meng and the active city council member Mr. John C. Liu.