The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles and the Inland Chinese Association (ICA) co-hosted a charity event on April 13th, Saturday, to sell oranges and donated $3,000 to support the “Shoes for Kids” fund. The Chairman of the United States House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Japanese-American Congressman representing the 39th District, Mark Takano, along with the California Assemblymember for the 50th District, Eloise Reyes, were present at the donation ceremony.
Director Ji Qinyao of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office stated that they have been participating in ICA’s orange picking charity event and supporting the “Shoes for Kids” program since 2019. Nearly 40 staff members and their families from the office, as well as members of the Overseas Community Affairs Council of the Republic of China, President of the Los Angeles Overseas Compatriot Emergency Relief Association, Liu Huanjun, and some local community members, joined hands to show the mainstream American society the compassion from Taiwan.
Director Ji extended special thanks to Takano for his long-standing support for Taiwan in the U.S. Congress and expressed hope for further cooperation and prosperity between Taiwan and the United States in the future.
Takano praised ICA for their years of assisting vulnerable communities. He has visited Taiwan twice, including accompanying Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on her historic visit to Taiwan in August 2022, which deepened his understanding of Taiwan’s importance in regional security, democratic values, and high-tech supply chains. Takano emphasized Taiwan as a beacon of democracy in Asia and a producer of over 90% of the world’s advanced chips, reaffirming his firm support for U.S. assistance in Taiwan’s self-defense.
Takano appreciated the collaborative efforts of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office and Taiwanese American community organizations in enhancing the lives of underprivileged residents in the local community. He emphasized the importance of relationships based on equality and service and commended ICA’s charitable efforts as truly remarkable and deeply moving.
ICA President Julian Hsieh stated that the orange picking charity event has entered its eighth year, becoming an annual grand event for Chinese communities in the inland region. Funds raised each year are used to assist needy groups in the community by purchasing school supplies, shoes, and backpacks for impoverished families in the school district.
ICA has also established a special charity fund to help low-income families in other regions, such as purchasing learning materials for students from low-income families in the San Bernardino City School District. Hsieh expressed his hope to expand the scale of donation activities in the future, mentioning the establishment of the Inland Emergency Relief Association, which plans to assist domestic violence victims in 2024, showcasing ICA’s commitment to not only caring for adults but also focusing on children.
The orange picking charity event took place in the orange grove of former ICA President Liao Rishan. According to former ICA President Li Enqing, the grove has around 500 orange trees and, besides raising funds, it also brings joy to participants who experience the picking process. Li mentioned that the influence of the event continues to grow, attracting participants from Orange County, San Diego, and even farther places.
A donation ceremony was held that day, with representatives from recipient organizations including Yolanda Esquivel, the former president of the Riverside chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and Luz Gallegos, the president of the Training Occupational Development Educating Communities (TODEC), the largest farmworker representation group in the Inland Empire with over 400,000 members.
Esquivel and Gallegos expressed gratitude for the donations of shoes to underprivileged children by ICA and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office and also thanked Taiwan for providing masks, hand sanitizers, alcohol, and other epidemic prevention materials during the local outbreak, saving the lives of thousands of residents.