Meet Mrs. Chen

Below is the story of three seniors who volunteer on a daily basis to assist their peers at the Chinese-American Planning Council’s Chinatown Senior Service Center. Proceeds from this year’s biennial Walkathon and Family Day Fair will benefit CPC’s city-wide senior services, and allow these seniors to continue their vital work helping others.

Meet Mrs. Chen

Her friends sitting nearby laugh as she announces proudly the year in which she emigrated to the United States: “1948!” When the United States Navy returned home in the aftermath of World War II, they were one person stronger: Mrs. Chen accompanied her new husband, an American naval officer, home. “It was a long time ago,” she points out, but it becomes clear that she is referring to something more than just the passage of time. “Back then there were no Chinese,” she begins, “I didn’t know any English, and I had difficulty shopping on my own…I just showed the cashier my money, and he took however much it cost.” Forced to live on only 25 cents an hour, Mrs. Chen soon wondered whether the journey had been worth her while. “We couldn’t go back to China, even if the boat ticket only cost $200.” But Mrs. Chen found her place doing one thing she was passionate regardless of the cultural barriers she faced. “When my children grew older, I had more free time, and I started to help out in my older brother’s health clinic.”

Sitting next to her is Mrs. Huang, an 84-year-old woman who, on the verge of retirement, sought a new life in the United States in 1988. Utterly committed to the notion of family unity, Mrs. Huang came at the behest of a daughter already residing in the United States. Almost immediately, she put herself to work for the Chinese-American Planning Council—“I was a nurse in China,” she explains, “so I was qualified to take care of patients.” Ms. Chen may be well over 80, but she expects nothing from anyone but herself: she spends the better part of her day helping other seniors in CPC’s Chinatown Senior Center.

In a roomful of seniors, though, the identity of the leader soon becomes clear. In a white baseball cap and a “USA” shirt, Mr. Chen (no relation to Mrs. Chen) talks most enthusiastically about his new life as a volunteer. He takes pride in his distinguished position: President of the Volunteers Committee. Like Mrs. Huang, he came to the United States at the invitation of his children. But he found himself bored when, citing his age, they refused to allow him to work. He immediately sought out the Chinese-American Planning Council and became a member at the Chinatown Senior Center. He soon found himself rising through the ranks of its volunteer program, and now, on a sticky summer day, he describes not what others can do for him, but what he will do to help them.

Indeed, with twinkles in their eyes, all of the seniors chime in as he describes what they do on a daily basis to help their friends at the senior center. Their job entails regulation of operations at the center, he explains. They aren’t paid a salary, but arrive at the senior center at 8 o’clock every morning nonetheless. Working together, they prepare meals and assist their ill or disabled friends. “We are old…it’s impossible to donate a lot of money,” Mr. Chen says, “so we volunteer to help the community.” A smile forms on his face. “There is no investment in us, yet, we all work hard.”