Donnie Chin, Bettie Luke, Maiko Winkler-Chin (director of CIDpda), and Joyce Pisnanont. (Photo courtesy of OCA)
The Greater Seattle Chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) hosted its annual Golden Circle awards banquet at the Joy Palace Restaurant in Seattle on Feb. 8. The dinner honored the outstanding contributions of three individuals and one organization in the local Asian Pacific American community. The event featured a variety of Lunar New Year performances and attracted over 200 participants.
This year’s Golden Circle Awards were presented to Bettie Luke, long-time advocate of multicultural diversity in education and sister of the late Wing Luke; Joyce Pisnanont, community organizer in the International District and former director of IDEA Space; Donnie Chin, founding director of the International District Emergency Center, credited with saving countless lives in the neighborhood; and the Chinatown-International District Preservation and Development Authority (CIDpda), a publically-chartered agency credited with spearheading culturally- and historically-sensitive restoration of the ID.
“This event is a twin celebration,” said Ron Chew, co-president of OCA Greater Seattle. “We usher in the Year of the Horse, and we pay tribute to a few incredibly committed individuals and organizations which inspire us to make the community better through their passion, perseverance and thoughtful leadership.” (end)