The chairman of the Cypress Home Community Service Center, Don Lee, passed away at the age of 64 due to illness. The Cypress Home Community Service Center announced last night (May 12th) around 7 pm: “Mr. Don Lee has dedicated his life to advocating for Asian American vulnerable communities, advocating for the rights of the elderly, and seeking benefits for the community. He has led this non-profit organization for over 20 years, always giving back to society with love. Although his passing was sudden, his remarkable life will be forever remembered. Funeral arrangements will be announced separately.”
The center’s executive director, Anita Chan, revealed that her last contact with Mr. Don Lee was on May 1st. At that time, Mr. Lee was on vacation with his family in Argentina, and was planning to return to New York on May 18th. However, unexpectedly, he passed away on May 6th due to a sudden illness. His daughter brought back his ashes on the morning of the 12th.
Don Lee was a fourth-generation immigrant, with several generations of his family residing in lower Manhattan since his great-grandfather. He immigrated from Hong Kong to New York at the age of 8, studying and growing up in Chinatown. Like many immigrants, he worked hard in his early years to make a living and integrate into mainstream society, starting as a waiter in Chinese restaurants and working his way up while studying, eventually completing his education at New York University. He had 25 years of experience in the information technology industry and had worked for four mayors of New York City.
Due to his experiences, Mr. Don Lee often expressed that he “cares deeply about the community,” empathizing with the challenges faced by foreign immigrants in New York, and always remembering his father’s teachings to “help others as much as possible.” After graduation, he worked for many years in the city government during Mayor Kwok Wah’s tenure, and later transitioned to the private sector, serving as the Chief Information Officer at the “Responsible Healthcare Organization for Asian Americans.” Despite his career in the IT industry, he never stopped serving the community, serving as the co-chair of the Manhattan Community Board 2 Youth Committee for several years.
In 2001, along with community leaders such as former Chinatown Chamber of Commerce chairperson, Cheung Chih Cheng, he co-founded the “Grand Union Action Alliance” to oppose the closure of the Grand Street subway station by the MTA. Through joint efforts in the overseas Chinese community, they successfully drew attention from the Governor of New York to the needs of Chinatown, prompting the transit authority to provide compensation packages for transportation changes, easing the losses of residents and businesses. After the 9/11 attacks, he actively participated in the establishment of the Emergency Rescue Centre in WTC Plaza, contributing to the economic recovery of downtown Manhattan.
In 1997, he established the Cypress Home Community Service Center in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, dedicating a significant amount of time and resources to caring for the elderly. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he created the “Cooking on Wheels” project, collaborating with local restaurants and Chinese-language newspapers to provide food and newspapers to elderly individuals in need.
He was always willing to help those in need, advocating for the Chinatown street vendors, including Ms. Wong selling fruits and her husband, Mr. Yin, who was paralyzed, seeking all possible paths to assist them, including leading the vendors to participate in an event at the Gracie Mansion hosted by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Ultimately, he hired a lawyer for Ms. Wong to win the lawsuit, and he fought for Mr. Yin to obtain a special temporary vendor license from the Consumer Affairs Commissioner. Most recently, on April 17th of this year, he organized nearly two hundred Chinese people to show support for the Deng brothers in their self-defense case, demanding that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office drop the charges against them.