Rep. Judy Chu Honors Local Leaders at 2022 Congressional Leadership of the Year Awards Ceremony

Monterey Park, CA — On Saturday, August 27, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) held her annual Congressional Leadership of the Year Awards Ceremony to honor local leaders and groups in the San Gabriel Valley who have contributed to their communities through service and leadership. The Congressional Leadership of the Year Awards is an annual event recognizing the diverse leadership and volunteerism in the cities making up California's 27^th Congressional District. Each of the awardees were selected from nominations submitted by members of their community. The selected groups and individuals received this honor because of the commendable work they have accomplished in their field, as well as their dedication to communities in the San Gabriel Valley.

"These past two years have been absolutely grueling and filled with so much grief and uncertainty. But amid all the struggle, each one of our honorees has risen to the occasion and made incredible impacts in the San Gabriel Valley," said Rep. Judy Chu. "At a time when we needed heroes most, they stepped up and gave all of us hope. Each of them have done remarkable things throughout their careers and during this pandemic. Whether it was supporting our communities, helping immigrants, providing groceries to our families or saving the lives of patients, each of them fought through the challenges and found ways to make a difference. As we make our way out of the pandemic, they will continue to inspire all of us with their amazing work."

The 2022 honorees are:

1. Jed Leano – Building Bridges of the Year

Jed Leano, Mayor for the City of Claremont, is the recipient of this year's Building Bridges Award because he has had unprecedented success in building bridges between diverse groups of people to tackle our community's most challenging problems: homelessness and immigration. Jed was determined to be the unifier who would move the San Gabriel Valley forward on solutions. So when the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust was first established, he was selected as Chair, and immediately brought people together with a laser focus on doable projects. As a result, Jed and his colleagues on the board were able to roll out funding for projects at breakneck speed. In fact, the housing trust was established in February 2020, right before the devastation of COVID-19, but despite the pandemic Jed was able to help fund close to 120 units of permanent supportive housing before the end of the calendar year! As chair of the Housing Trust, Jed is helping cities all across the San Gabriel Valley take major steps in creating similar projects. And then there is the issue of immigration, which has divided some communities. Jed has instead brought people together to address this issue. He knows much about it as a very knowledgeable immigration attorney who worked hard to establish pro-bono immigration clinics throughout Southern California, enabling hundreds of immigrants to take advantage of free legal services at these one-stop shop clinics. In order to address the most difficult challenges we face as a community, we need leaders who can build bridges among diverse organizations, businesses, residents and opposing factions. Jed has been doing that his entire life and because of him the San Gabriel Valley has made great strides in tackling challenging problems.

2. Joe Krikorian – Businessperson of the Year

Joe Krikorian started a company called Code 3 Life, headquartered in Sierra Madre, which teaches CPR, First Aid, and various Life Support classes to members of our community. But he is so much more than a businessman! Over the years he has seen the enormous need for these skills, not just in our local neighborhoods, but also across the world in Armenia and Lebanon. In 2014, he invited a few doctors to join him on a trip to Armenia to provide pediatric medicine training to Armenian doctors. The trip was a success but when he was there, he realized that the community needed a lot more help because so many lives had been lost due to a lack of training in life support skills. At that point he decided to go back every year and he eventually created Code 3 Angels, an organization that has provided free pediatric and adult emergency medical training to communities in Armenia and Lebanon that have been affected by the region's violent conflicts. What Joe has done to help people in these countries is absolutely incredible. For example, when the people of Beirut, Lebanon were impacted by a massive explosion in August 2020, Joe, who was born in Beirut, knew he had to do something and immediately began organizing a drive to collect medical equipment, diapers, powdered milk, and other supplies that were sent directly to Lebanon. And later that same year, when the conflict in Artsakh erupted in 2020, Joe closed his business for 3 weeks and used his office to sort and load 20 trucks full of supplies that included surgical and medical equipment, mobile X-rays, hospital beds, sleeping bags, mobile generators, warm clothes and much more. But not only did Joe send critical supplies, he and his team also flew to Armenia and provided much needed trauma courses. And in order to further help the families that were affected by the violence, Joe and Code 3 Angels financially supported 650 people in 6 different villages with all aspects of basic living expenses for an entire 6 months! It's clear that Joe's humanitarian work and commitment to training people to be prepared for emergencies has saved countless lives. He's not just a businessman, he is a hero.

3. Planned Parenthood Pasadena & San Gabriel Valley – Community Activist of the Year

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, we were angry but many of us were not shocked. That includes Planned Parenthood Pasadena who have been fighting to keep abortion legal for many years and were already prepared for the worse. In the days and weeks following the Supreme Court decision, they have seen a rise in out-of-state patients, especially from Texas, and they predict that California will see a 3,000 percent increase in these individuals seeking care.These are women with ectopic pregnancies, women who already had children and could not afford to care for more, women who are victims of rape and incest. So, these staffers help patients connect with resources that break down roadblocks and help cover the cost of housing, transportation and services. And these staffers help calm the frayed nerves of women desperate to have the freedom to make choices over their own bodies. I have also heard from these advocates that they are not afraid of this fight. In preparation for this struggle, they have hired additional staff and established the infrastructure needed so that nobody gets turned away and that everyone has access to abortion. They have also embarked on an education campaign that destigmatizes abortion, addresses misinformation, and shows the nation that abortion is health care. But the fight for abortion rights is just one aspect of the work that Planned Parenthood Pasadena engages in. For many women, Planned Parenthood is their sole source of healthcare. In the last year alone, they had 62,000 visits to their health center and offered patients a variety of services including HIV testing, pap smears, mammograms, cancer screenings and COVID vaccines. They also created a new Transcare Program that finally helps address the huge gap in transcare health. And for foster youth in the San Gabriel Valley who don't have parents to turn to, they provide education on reproductive health. I cannot thank enough the leaders at Planned Parenthood for what they have done for our community. They are trusted partners who for many patients is the only place they feel comfortable going to get nonjudgmental health care. They fight hard to advocate for our reproductive rights, and in the months and years ahead I know that they will be successful in restoring our right to an abortion. Planned Parenthood Pasadena is proof that our journey to reclaim our reproductive rights starts here in California.

4. John Smith & Neighbors Empowering Youth – Educator of the Year

Over 20 years ago, John Smith founded Neighbors Empowering Youth or NEY, and, as its executive director, created an after-school program where underserved youth could be exposed to career fields that they never could have even imagined, and all for free. The significance of this is tremendous. Not every school in the Pasadena Unified School District has a STEM program, so NEY is a program that any student from any school can attend. One of the most popular programs is Robotics Team 2404, where a team of young students compete in the national engineering contest known as the FIRST Robotics Competition. This is where teams from across the world have 6 weeks to design, build, and test their robots to compete in a unique game challenge that changes every year. I was also impressed to learn that they weren't alone in their journey because John was able to get mentors that train these students from some of the most prestigious science and engineering-based organizations in the world, including JPL, Caltech and Lockheed Martin. Because of John and NEY, these young people not only developed new computer science and engineering skills, but they were also introduced to industries that they could strive to be a part of. And I'm proud to say that Robotics Team 2404 has had a lot of success over the years, receiving awards like the Rookie Inspiration and Regional Finalist Awards. NEY provides refurbished computers to low-income families, training both parents and students on how to use some of the basic programs, while also teaching them how to keep these computers updated and safe from viruses or hackers. They also offer ongoing tech support to many of these families, and the best part is that some of the tech support is provided by students! John also helps families obtain low-cost internet and is using the additional funding that was made available in the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill to expand broadband across the country. NEY is an educational force that offers a wide range of afterschool programs including computer repair, graphic arts, 3D printing, laser cutters, computer programming, and so much more.

5. Chinatown Service Center of LA – Non-Profit of the Year

Over the last 50 years, Chinatown Service Center has done so much to uplift vulnerable communities facing difficult challenges. Whether you speak Cantonese, Mandarin, English or Spanish they will do everything they can to provide you with support. And at no time was this more important than over the last two years of COVID-19. Chinatown Service Center took huge steps in helping close that gap by providing critical services at all of its health centers, including Alhambra, San Gabriel, and Monterey Park. Not only did they provide COVID testing and vaccines, but their services also include access to family medical care, such as treatments of common illnesses or referrals to specialists. Patients also have access to dental care, which includes comprehensive oral exams and help with fillings, dentures, and root canals. And they also provide much needed behavioral health services such as counseling on depression, substance abuse or domestic violence. In addition to health care, Chinatown Service Center or CSC, has provided a wide array of social services to ensure that families and individuals have a safety net. This includes delivering hot meals to seniors, and helping families apply for benefits such as CalFresh, Medi-Cal, or unemployment. CSC has also been a leader in building up our communities through its economic development programs. Whether it's through free tax preparation or financial management classes, they have done a lot to ensure that clients develop pathways towards financial well-being. The amount of support that CSC has given to us in the San Gabriel Valley is just astounding. And the truth is that there is so much more because I haven't even talked about their workshops to protect people from AAPI Hate or the scholarships and tutoring they provide at their Youth Center. Few organizations have changed so many lives and had such a profound impact on our community.

6. La Casa de San Gabriel Community Center – Non-Profit of the Year

Since 1946, La Casa has served as a resource center to help meet the educational and social needs of disadvantaged children and families. They have an incredible array of programs designed to help the entire family climb out of poverty. Their most popular program is their amazing preschool, which provides children with a multicultural learning experience that includes breakfast, lunch and a developmentally appropriate curriculum. And they welcome all students regardless of culture, language or ability to pay. In fact, they are the only preschool in the area that charges tuition on an income-based sliding scale so that no matter what income level you are, families can afford to give their children an early education.During the Pandemic, La Casa reopened its preschool in September 2020. Many of the people who take advantage of the center's resources are families whose parents are front line workers at grocery stores and restaurants, men and women who couldn't work from home. So when the preschool reopened under strict COVID protocols, parents knew they could leave their children in a safe space while they went to work. They created partnerships with the LA Regional Food Bank and several local organizations, and in a short time were providing residents with large amounts of good quality food every single week, while also giving away essential supplies like masks, sanitizers, hygiene products. Because of La Casa, hundreds of families were able to obtain food, supplies and resources at a time when people were unemployed, lacking information, and unable to afford the basic necessities. La Casa has served our communities for more than 75 years and has become a critical part of the region's identity.

7. Pasadena Senior Center – Non-Profit of the Year

The Pasadena Senior Center was actually the first nonprofit senior center in Southern California and one of the first in the nation. It's so popular because not only does it offer endless opportunities to enrich the lives of our seniors, but it literally became a lifeline for so many of them during the pandemic. In fact, the Pasadena Senior Center was such an essential service that they were the only senior center in Southern California that never closed its doors during the pandemic. For the last two years, they have delivered around 250 meals a week, which was in addition to the food that was available at the center for pickup. They also made it a priority to call thousands of seniors to conduct wellness checks and to ask whether they needed any help. COVID also caused many critical agencies like Social Security and IRS to shift their services online, which made it much more difficult for seniors to communicate with these agencies. So the center stepped in and provided direct assistance to seniors by helping them get online and apply for benefits or obtain their stimulus checks. The center was also critical in keeping seniors connected, fighting the loneliness and depression that many experienced during the lockdowns. They accomplished this by offering a variety of classes and seminars via Zoom throughout the day with topics ranging from COVID updates, health care resources, lectures from the Carnegie Institute, classes on making cocktails, and virtual coffees with staff. The center also offered technological trainings so that seniors could learn how to use Zoom or Facetime to keep in contact with loved ones such as their children and grandchildren. The Pasadena Senior Center has been a vital institution in the region, and during the pandemic it became a critical source of comfort and essential services for our most vulnerable population. Over the years they have ensured that our seniors can age with dignity, and their resiliency, creativity, and resourcefulness during the pandemic saved the lives of many.

8. Madhatter Knits Foundation – Volunteers of the Year

Madhatter Knits Foundation started when Tiffany Chang learned how to knit. She was so proud of her new skill that she immediately demonstrated how to knit a hat to her sister, Kimberly, and her two cousins, Christie and Kathryn Huang. At the same time, Christie was volunteering at the San Gabriel Medical Center in the postpartum ward and helping at the NICU. She shared with the others the challenges that parents and children faced when they needed to be at the NICU. The group soon realized that they could provide some help because the knitted hats were the perfect size for a preemies' head, which helps the baby stay warm and maintain a stable temperature. So they decided to knit hats for these babies and made their first donation of 160 hats to the Children's Hospital Los Angeles during Christmas in 2014. The hats were so popular that the girls decided they wanted to keep helping and giving to the community, so they created the Madhatter Knits Foundation. While it wasn't easy to get the organization off the ground and recruit new members, they persisted and eventually established an official non-profit that now has 13 chapters in California, and several other chapters across the United States and around the world, including in South Africa, Ecuador, Germany, Costa Rica, Uganda, India, Taiwan, and more. In total, they've donated over 57,000 hats to local hospitals! During the pandemic they pivoted their operations and designed a face shield for newborns, started making maternal protection care kits, and started a podcast called "Born to Bump" that discussed a variety of different topics including maternal health care and new technology in neonatology. These conversations were really informative and engaging, and you can listen to them yourself on Apple, Spotify and Google podcast! I am truly amazed at what these four young women have been able to do together, and how much comfort they have provided to families facing difficult times. They each have a heart of gold and I cannot wait to see what incredible things they will do in the future.

9. Millie Liao – Youth of the Year

Millie Liao lives in a largely Asian American area where hate crimes and hate incidents were happening at least once a month within a mile of her home. She no longer felt safe being Asian American and feared for her family and friends. At first, she and a group of friends gathered together to find ways to show solidarity with the rest of the AAPI community, and to share their own experiences of discrimination at school. These meetings eventually grew larger, and Millie decided to establish Youth Against Hate, a coalition of AAPI teens that collaborates with national organizations to work for racial equity and understanding in their communities. Since then, Millie has single handedly built coalitions with individuals and organization at the top of their fields and she used her resources to spearhead a major rally in downtown LA against anti-Asian hate crimes in May of last year. The rally drew over 500 students and more than 35 different media outlets where they were able to hear stories from 20 hate crime survivors and create a safe space for community healing. Today the Youth Against Hate coalition is a state-wide coalition of hundreds of organizations that uplifts youth voices and stories and ensures they have a place in the greater national conversation. In fact, they used their voices to successfully negotiate with the LA Unified School District to establish bystander intervention training and increase access to mental health resources in Asian languages. They also mobilized students up and down the state to help pass the API Equity Budget, which guaranteed $150 million in funding for AAPI hate crime prevention and restorative justice education. And her coalition continues to be active by advocating for legislation that protects people of color, as well as spearheading initiatives that close the generational gap and help youth better communicate with their parents about gender identity, social justice activism and mental health. In just a short time, Millie has uplifted the Asian American community and given a voice to AAPI youth who were afraid and felt like no one was listening. Her strength and perseverance has created a coalition where young people can express themselves and advocate for policies that are most important to them.

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