AARP seeks votes for Asian American Community Hero awards

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A prominent Filipino American lawyer and Filipino veterans advocate in San Francisco is among ten finalists in AARP’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Community Hero Award.

Lawyer Lourdes “Lou” Tancinco of the Veterans Equity Center is also an immigration columnist for INQUIRER.net.

AARP is urging Asian Pacific Islander Americans to cast their vote to acknowledge the hardworking staff and volunteers of non-profit organizations serving AAPIs age 50-plus.

To vote, visit facebook.com/AARPAAPICommunity during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month until May 31 at 11 p.m. ET. Three heroes and their organizations will each receive a $1,000 cash prize when the winners are announced in June.

The ten AARP Asian American and Pacific Islander Community Hero Award finalists are:

• Katty Chow, Kin On Community Health Care in Seattle, Washington
• Enoch Fung, Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco,
• Julie Kimiyo Hubbard, Yu-Ai Kai Japanese American Community Senior Service in San Jose, California
• Shiao-Lin D. Hui, Chinese Community Center Free Clinic at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Chicago (CCBA) in Chicago,
• Rose Kim Ly, Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay in Oakland, California
• Fay Chew Matsuda, Hamilton-Madison House in New York, NY
• Soon Do Paik, Penn Asian Senior Services (PASSi) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Dongwoo “Joe” Pak, Korean-American Seniors Association of Orange County in Garden Grove, California
• Shubhada Saxena, SAIVA (South Asians’ International Volunteer Association) in Austin, Texas
• Lourdes Santos Tancinco of the Veterans Equity Center in San Francisco.

“We’re thrilled with the caliber of all the nominees who were submitted for consideration by their colleagues, friends and family,” said Daphne Kwok, AARP Vice President of Multicultural Leadership, Asian American and Pacific Islander Audience Strategy.

She added: “Each and every one of the nominees provides invaluable service to our community.  Many have been serving for decades. We’re proud to recognize this outstanding group of individuals for their commitment to making a difference in the lives of older adults and ask that you vote now.We hope that by highlighting these community members we will inspire people to either volunteer or to work for our older adults.”

The finalists were selected from the 77 submissions AARP received from around the country including California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, DC. The stellar nominees included executive directors, staff, and volunteers who work in healthcare, social services, education, technology and the arts.