Tung Wah Group of Hospitals

Since its establishment, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs) has been devoted in providing an array of diversified services serving the Chinese communities in need. The Group is also known for its unique role in uniting the Mainland and overseas Chinese communities. Recently, the Group has once again been recognized internationally. It has been chosen to receive Chinese American Museum’s (CAM) Humanitarian Award in recognition of its wide-ranging charitable efforts that have spanned in Chinese history. The Group truly appreciates such honor and will continue to uphold the benevolent spirit to propel the continuous development of society with the provision of excellent social services.

The Group is deeply rooted in the development of Chinese history by not only offering relief and services in Hong Kong but also to overseas Chinese communities. In the late 19^th century, the Group was closely connected with early Chinese immigrants in California and other parts of the United States. TWGHs provided them with valuable traditional services and served as the middle stop to transmit letters and money back to the immigrants’ families in the Guangdong areas and helped preserve cultural traditions. This included transporting the bodies and bones of those who died in America and other overseas countries so that they can be buried in home villages. These contributions have marked the Group as well as Hong Kong as the centre of the global Chinese charity network and have been fully recognized by CAM through the conferment of the Humanitarian Award.

The Gold Rush in the 19^th century had attracted a lot of Chinese immigrants to California who later lived an impoverished and helpless life as laborers. In regards to history, CAM established in 2003 confers Historymakers Awards annually in a bid to recognize individuals and institutions which have had a significant impact on the Chinese American community. Through such recognition, more Chinese Americans will be encouraged to contribute to the US society and enhance the status of Chinese in the country. Awardees are outstanding individuals and leading organizations from various fields, including Kenneth Chin-Ming Lo, Chairman of EverTrust Bank USA, has been selected to receive the International Corporate Award. The Judge Ronald S.W. Lew Visionary Award will go to Ming Hsieh, the founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of 3M Cogent Inc. David Fon Lee, co-founder of the National Association of Chinese Americans will receive the Dr. Dan S. Louie, Jr., Lifetime Achievement Award. Leadership Award honorees DR. James Bok Wong and Betty Yeow are regarded as a dynamic duo in the areas of philanthropy and community leadership while Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuaries, founded in 1914, will be given the Corporate Leadership Award.

It is truly honourable that TWGHs can be one of the awardees among the outstanding honorees and manifest the benevolent spirit globally. The award presentation ceremony will be held at the 18^th annual Historymakers Awards Gala on September 25.

Tung Wah Group of Hospitals has all along upheld its mission “To heal the sick and to relieve the distressed; to care for the elderly and to rehabilitate the disabled; to promote education and to nurture youngsters; and to raise the infant and to guide the youth” since its establishment. Nowadays, TWGHs has become the largest charitable organization in Hong Kong. For the past hundred years, the Group’s medical and health, education and community services have developed rapidly to fulfil the needs of the society and to provide high quality services at low rate. Today, the Group’s operates 279 services centres, including 5 hospitals, 27 Chinese and Western medicine treatment and health management centres, 52 education services centres and 194 community services centres that provide a spectrum of social welfare services catering to the needs of families, children and youth, the elderly and the disabled. In addition, the Tung Wah Museum was established to promote, restore and preserve the historical and cultural heritage of the Group.

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Chinese American Museum (CAM) announced the honorees of the 18^th annual Historymakers Awards on July 22, in which Tung Wah Group of Hospitals has been chosen to receive CAM’s Humanitarian Award.

Dr. Gay Yuen, President of the Friends of the Chinese American Museum (Second row, third from the left) and the awardees.