Piedmont Local Hero Honored During Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

From Union Bank:

In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Union Bank partnered with KQED to honor four extraordinary individuals — which included a man from Piedmont — as local heroes.  

David Lei, Co-Founder of Chinese American Community Foundation was honored in the Local Heroes program, which was celebrated at Yoshi’s in San Francisco on May 1. It was attended by hundreds from the Bay Area community. 

The awards ceremony also highlighted the exceptional contributions of the other following Asian Pacific Americans as part of the Local Heroes program:

• Evelyn Nakano Glenn, Ph.D., Ethnic Studies and Gender & Women’s Studies Professor, University of California Berkeley
• PJ Hirabayashi, Artistic Director, Emeritus, San Jose Taiko
• Hyon-Chin (HC) Lee, Executive Director, The Link to Children

“Every year, the local heroes we celebrate are so inspiring, and this year’s Asian Pacific American honorees are no exception,” said Union Bank Senior Executive Vice President Pierre P. Habis, head of Community Banking.  “Through their leadership and dedication, they are making a difference in our communities. We applaud their ongoing commitment.”

The celebration also featured special performances by ukulele artist Jake Shimabukuro, pianist Matt Wong, and the Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company.

The Asian Pacific American Celebration, a broadcast of the awards ceremony, premieres on KQED 9 Sunday, May 19, 2013, at 7 p.m. with repeat airings on KQED 9 Thursday, May 23 at 11 p.m. and Saturday, May 25 at 6 p.m.; on KQED Plus Sunday, May 26 at 5 p.m.; and on KQED Life Friday, May 24 at 10 p.m. and Sunday, May 26 at 8 p.m.

To view the videos profiles of each honoree and to get more information on the wide range of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month programming KQED offers in May, or to nominate a future local hero, visit kqed.org/heritage/. 

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month nominations for 2014 are now open. For more information about the Local Heroes Awards, please also visit unionbank.com/heroes.