Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Hamilton Madison House invites you to join the 33rd Annual Chinatown Banquet April 20th '12


PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO about the great work Hamilton Madison House does and why it is such a vital part of New York City, especially for those in the two bridges community downtown.
Here's your invitation, you can print this by clicking the printer icon at the bottom of the image:

Donations and reservations here, you can print this by clicking the printer icon at the bottom of the image:


I’ve been on the board of Hamilton Madison House for over three years now and I am constantly amazed at the work that the “House” does every day. I learned about Hamilton Madison House through my mother June who has been a board member for over  three decades. June now enjoys  Emeritus status  on the Board and I can only hope to add as much to the House as she has over these many years.
June Lee was instrumental in founding the Chinatown Banquet Fund raiser for Hamilton Madison House thirty three years ago. The HMH Chinatown banquet is not only an evening full of culinary delights, it’s a celebration of the hard work that the House does every day in providing
·         300 men and women E.S.L. , and citizenship classes each week.
·         4,500 people with case management, wellness and counseling services at the Chinatown Resource Center
·         1000 children and adults with bilingual clinical services, including gambling addiction
·         6500 seniors with care at the City Hall Senior Center, Helen Harris Center, knickerbocker Village,Smith NORC,  and Southbridge Towers
·         Social Adult Day where HMH provides the only program of its kind in the City for Chinese speaking seniors with Alzheimer’s disease.
·         Caregivers that provide services and support to Chinese and Korean speaking families caring for an elderly family member.
·         300 Children and teens with after school, Summer Day Camp, Saturday WISE, Music school, Tween and Teen programs
·         and to help every child we care for develop their self-esteem while acquiring the skills to succeed in school and at home
and much much more.
I hope you will join me at the 33rd Hamilton Madison House Annual Chinatown Banquet and help us raise necessary funds to keep our programs going at a time when our community needs us the most.
I believe very deeply in the “House” and from my experience I can see my dollars and my time benefitting a great number of people in need in the most immediate sense.
Hamilton Madison House - "Never turn away".

Thank you

Jan Lee, Board of Directors HMH

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Press conference - Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund - possible legal action regarding preemptive taxation of property owners in Chinatown


Chinatown property owners with Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund attorney Bethany Li and communications coordinator Ujala Sehgal held a press conference today 

to Protest Thousands in Illegal "BID" Fees Charged by Department of Finance

On March 20, 2012, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), the Property Tax Payers' Association, and small property owners in Chinatown held a press conference to protest the illegal and excessive fees that the New York City Department of Finance has charged small property owners in Chinatown.
Last year, the City Council voted to require property owners in Chinatown to pay additional fees by creating a Business Improvement District (BID), despite vigorous protests from property owners that the BID fees would put them out of business and lead to increased gentrification of their community.
Now that the Chinatown BID is in place, the Department of Finance has charged the same property owners fees for being within BID boundaries for months before the BID even existed. Property owners were charged fees on their property tax statements for the full fiscal year of 2011-2012, even though the Chinatown BID did not exist until January 31, 2012.
"Chinatown property owners should not be retroactively charged a period of time for an entity that did not even exist until just a month and a half ago. The Department of Finance must take immediate corrective action," said Bethany Li of AALDEF, which is representing the Property Tax Payers Association, a group formed to protect the rights of small property owners in Chinatown.
"Hundreds of property owners objected to the BID and now the City is charging us for something we didn't want, for a period before the BID even existed." said Jan Lee, a property owner in Chinatown.
AALDEF is prepared to file a lawsuit if the Department of Finance does not correct the unlawful assessment for the Chinatown BID.


To see the Sinovision story click here

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Madison Square Garden Network sponsored Knicks Game viewing party - Lucky Plaza restaurant last evening. Cheers from fans of all ages.




Madison Square Garden network sponsored the second Chinatown Knicks game viewing event with Julie Huang of Kaimen public relations, organizers of Chinatown Restaurant Week, last evening. Nearly a hundred people spent their rainy Wednesday in the company of fellow Knicks fans munching on delicious egg rolls and noodles and listening to thumping beats from the professional DJ and M.C. provided by MSG networks. Two members of the famed Knicks City Dancers were present posing for photos and greeting fans. The Chinatown Community Young Lions were excited to be at the party and wore their trade mark red sweatshirts to support the occasion and their hero Jeremy Lin. Tickets to Knicks games were raffled off as well as posters and a prized sneaker signed by Jeremy Lin!