To our supporters,

There is not much that I can say about this year.  We all know the impact this pandemic has made, both globally and locally.  And I sincerely hope that I am greeting you in a moment of calm and hopefulness for our coming year.  I remain hopeful as we turn the corner into 2021 with a theoretical reset button and with the imminent arrival of multiple vaccines.  Though 2020 did not play out exactly as planned, I feel that we navigated our way as a team and adjusted our goals as best as we could.  We cancelled our annual fundraising dinner and are grateful to those who responded to our letters with financial donations. Your generous support enables us to continue our operation and look into our future goals.  We also redirected some of your financial donations to support the Pierce County Emergency Network and school district Food Service to help with the shortage of PPE.  In addition, we were able to deliver diapers and Baby wipes to YWCA and provide some nourishment to our frontline medical workers.  One of the biggest changes we made for this year allowed us to reconstruct the plan for our Annual Tacoma Moon Festival to engage the community virtually instead of in-person. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to use our resources and support our local needs.  We are very aware of how difficult this year has been, and we cannot express how grateful we are to have your continued support. Please click here to view the 2020 List of Donors.

2020 has provided me the opportunity to appreciate the power of community.  I admired communities across our country that did not have to be physically close, similar in age or background to speak out for the same cause. I saw teachers learn to create a classroom community through a screen and parents creating communities to support their children through this confusing year.  I could list so many examples of the amazing ways this year created chances for us to come together and make heroes among us. I take pride in knowing that our Chinese Reconciliation Park Foundation is a community that comes together to celebrate, knowing that we can overcome differences and create a safe space that enables growth.  We stand for change that acknowledges our history and finds the path to a better future.  As difficult as it is to acknowledge the amount of pain and suffering our communities endured this year, I am grateful to be a part of a team that strives to rise from the difficulties and come together to mend.

As the year comes to an end, the Foundation is busy laying out the framework for 2021. Our goals include:

  • We plan to update the foundation’s website in order to provide a better user experience on all platforms, including languages and assistive technologies.
  • We will begin to reimagine our Annual Fundraising Dinner to enable our continued operation and growth.
  • We would like to republish “Straw Hats, Sandals and Steel”. This book was written by Lorraine Hildebrand a former long-time board member who gifted the publishing rights to the foundation.  The Foundation hopes to provide this book to local schools as an historical resource and make it accessible to the public.
  • We will continue seeking collaboration with other community organizations.
  • And finally, we will continue to enhance the Tacoma Moon Festival website. I am so grateful we had everyone’s support while we went online with our Moon Festival this year.  I hope you were able to enjoy the performances and content as much as I did. I look forward to being able to see you all in person as soon as it is safe to do so.

I hope that you all can stay safe and healthy through this holiday season.  I encourage you all to do whatever it is that makes you feel safe, healthy, supported and connected.  I am wishing you and yours a peaceful holiday and look forward to moving forward in our new year.

In Gratitude,

Theresa Pan Hosley, CRPF President