It was an incredible night with all the stops pulled out for the 24th annual Dragon Ball in support of the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care with 1,200 patrons.
Highlights include photo opportunities with snakes, the HSBC ice sculpture serving martinis, a raw oyster and clam bar by Raw, a sushi bar, delicious treats by Tundra Restaurant (pleasant surprise seeing you again, Eraj!). There was so much food during the reception that it could have been dinner itself but there was also a 3-course dinner as well. It was great to see the legendary Hazel McCallion, mayor of Mississauga, a regular supporter of Yee Hong. Frank Scarpitti, the mayor of the City of Markham, singing songs in Cantonese. The raffle featured big prizes such as a Lexus CT 200h hybrid and a Caribbean cruise for 7 nights. There was also a large room dedicated to a casino and many items up for bidding in the silent auction. There was a live auction before dinner, too. The evening was hosted by Francis D’Souza and Sangita Patel of City (recently rebranded from “Citytv”, by the way).
I think Lesly Tayles, Vice-President of National Bank, explained Yee Hong’s importance best when she told her story of an English-speaking nurse who said to a Chinese-speaking elder that she couldn’t help if the patient couldn’t speak English. This summarizes the need for providing care with the right cultural and linguistic care and that’s what Yee Hong does with it’s 15,000 seniors.
Kudos to the organizers, sponsors and many volunteers of Yee Hong, as you can tell a lot of effort goes into putting together a gala of this calibre.
Hosts Francis D’Souza, Sangita Patel of City
Lesly and Mike, National Bank
Frog leg delicacies topped with cavier from Tundra Restaurant, Hilton Hotel
The Mayor of Markham, Frank Scarpitti, singing in Cantonese
NDP members, Olivia Chow and Tom Mulclair
A family photo with a giant snake
Some notable tweets from the evening
With my buddy @cityfrancis without the snake! pic.twitter.com/aDUosLv5
— Sangita Patel (@sangita_patel) February 10, 2013
Caping the night off with Chinese milk tea. What an amazing event tonight at the Dragon Ball pic.twitter.com/wTk4DJyV
— Francis D'Souza (@cityfrancis) February 10, 2013
Ringing in the #ChineseNewYear of the #snake with a new friend here at Yee Hong's annual Dragon Ball pic.twitter.com/uoAlWpwn
— Rathika Sitsabaiesan (@RathikaS) February 9, 2013
On the eve of the Chinese New year, goddesses from the Chinese Dance Workshop at the Dragon Ball. http://t.co/laA8tM4l
— Olivia Chow (@oliviachow) February 10, 2013
Our stunning snake ice luge sculpture at the Grand Reception, thanks to our sponsor HSBC Bank Canada! #dragonball13 pic.twitter.com/SOdqGuTN
— Yee Hong Dragon Ball (@yhdragonball) February 9, 2013
Everyone wants a photo with Markham Mayor @frankscarpitti after his wonderful performance tonight! #cny #dragonball13 pic.twitter.com/TuVKtx2K
— Yee Hong Dragon Ball (@yhdragonball) February 10, 2013
@ELockwood yup, how insane is that?! I'm stunned. Like totally speechless. http://t.co/Mx4RrEIk
— Kristin Kobayashi (@kiki47) February 10, 2013
About Yee Hong
Yee Hong is a caring community where seniors enjoy a continuum of culturally and linguistically appropriate care. With a client-centered and personalized approach, Yee Hong is currently serving 15,000 seniors and their families across the GTA through its 4 nursing homes, social services and community based programs, as well as medical and rehab services.
With strong roots in the Chinese Canadian community and our respect for seniors, we enable seniors of different backgrounds and needs to live their lives to the fullest – in the healthiest, most independent and dignified way. For more information, please visit www.yeehong.com
Yee Hong Facts
- Four Yee Hong Centres in Scarborough, Markham and Mississauga, serving 15,000 seniors and their families each year.
- 805 long-term care beds with 4,000 on the current waiting list, the longest in all of Ontario
- Offers culturally appropriate long-term care services to seniors of different backgrounds, including Chinese, South Asian, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Italian, Filipino and Portuguese
- 150 social housing units
- 308 life lease units
-
- Francis D’Souza, Sangita Patel of City
-
- Francis D’Souza, Sangita Patel of City
-
- 1,200 patrons at Dragon Ball
-
- The Mayor of Markham, Frank Scarpitti, singing in Cantonese
-
- Each centerpiece of Dragon Ball took 20 hours to make, courtesy of Yee Hong seniors
-
- Dessert
-
- HSBC Ice Luge Sculpture
-
- HSBC Ice Luge Sculpture
-
- A family photo shoot with a giant snake
-
- Silent auction
-
- From Tundra Restaurant, Hilton Hotel
-
- The chefs from Tundra Restaurant, Hilton Hotel
-
- Mike and Lesly, National Bank
-
- Sushi bar
-
- Raw oyster and clam bar by Raw
-
- NDP Members Olivia Chow, Tom Mulclair
-
- Lesly, Mike, National Bank
-
- Appetizer
-
- Lesly and Mike, National Bank
-
- Hazel McCallion, mayor of Mississauga
-
- NDP members, Tom Mulclair, Olivia Chow
