On June 5th, the Northern California San Jose Taiwanese Overseas Rescue Association held a president handover ceremony at the South Bay Overseas Chinese Cultural Center. Under the supervision of the Overseas Compatriot Secretary Hsu Caifeng, Chen Juncheng took over as the new president, with Chen Qiongying assuming the role of vice president and treasurer, continuing the work of the previous team.
Since 2017, the Overseas Community Affairs Council of Taiwan has established emergency relief associations globally to assist overseas compatriots in dealing with various emergency situations. The San Jose Emergency Relief Association was established in 2018 to serve Taiwanese compatriots, expatriates, working holiday youths, and students studying abroad in the San Jose area, providing immediate assistance and care.
Currently, there are 115 emergency relief associations established worldwide, with four under the jurisdiction of the San Francisco Bay Area Overseas Chinese Cultural Center, including San Jose, Cupertino, Fresno, and Sacramento.
Former president Li Pingping, due to family reasons, has long resided in Taiwan and could not return to the U.S. to handle the association’s emergency relief affairs. After a vote by the board members of the San Jose Emergency Relief Association, the new president and vice president were elected to take over their duties.
At the meeting, the Overseas Compatriot Secretary Hsu Caifeng, representing the chairman of the Overseas Community Affairs Council, presented a congratulatory message to the new president, Chen Juncheng. She mentioned that the San Jose Emergency Relief Association has actively organized emergency response seminars over the years, combined with local CERT resources, to promote disaster prevention, first aid, and consular-related training to enhance the compatriots’ response capabilities. She thanked the founding president Li Hanwen and the past executives for their hard work and expressed her expectations for the new team to continue to deepen their services and become important partners of the Overseas Community Affairs Council and Overseas Chinese Cultural Center in the Bay Area.
The new president, Chen Juncheng, mentioned that he joined the association five years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic and deeply understands the critical value of emergency relief in the lives of overseas compatriots. He emphasized that all members of the association are unpaid volunteers who rely on teamwork and the enthusiastic support of Taiwanese people to maintain this valuable service. The association functions like a “fire brigade,” always prepared but ready to act immediately when needed.
He also stated that during his less than one-year term, he will focus on emergency response work, while other related seminars and activities will be continued by the next team.
Vice President Chen Qiongying also expressed that the association is the warmest support for overseas Taiwanese in times of distress. She hopes to expand the network, enhance service efficiency, and more effectively support compatriots in need with the new team in the future.
Founding President Li Hanwen presided over the ceremony and mentioned that the San Jose Emergency Relief Association is one of the largest emergency relief associations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since its establishment, the association has handled numerous domestic violence, car accidents, accidental deaths, and, during COVID-19, actively procured and distributed over 10,000 masks to the overseas community, local fire departments, police stations, and charitable organizations, assisting vulnerable groups.
Li Hanwen emphasized that the association’s English name is the San Jose Emergency Relief Respond Network, with “Network” indicating the integration of professional resources from various sectors to quickly provide assistance by contacting corresponding experts based on the nature of each case. She specifically praised Chen Juncheng for handling complex cases multiple times, his fluency in English, and experience in coordinating across organizations, making him the best candidate for the president position.
She also mentioned that although the emergency relief association is voluntary, the president must have the ability to communicate with mainstream American institutions to coordinate medical, legal, and paperwork processes promptly and fulfill the rescue function.
She thanked the Overseas Community Affairs Council and the Overseas Chinese Cultural Center for their long-term guidance and support, and the association will continue to uphold the spirit of “preparedness and timely response” to protect compatriots in the Bay Area.