Connecting with Community
Come, join us to meet old and new friends for an evening of stories, games, food, and fun!
This is not a fundraiser but rather an opportunity to meet with old friends and hear stories of activism in ID.
Each table has 10 seats. Tickets can be purchased online. To buy your tickets, create an account or sign in here.
Event Details
What: Connecting with Community- Dinner
When: October 12, 2019; 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Where: Joyale Seafood Restaurant
900 S Jackson Street, Seattle, WA 98104
Ticket: $25 per person,
Registration: Create an account or sign in
For ticketing questions, email Pinky Gupta, pgupta@interimcda.org or call 206 624 5132 x 332
We hope to see you at the event!
InterIm's Corner: WILD creates documentary film about the fear of displacement in CID among residents
By Andrea Say
On June 27th, Interim CDA’s Wilderness Inner City Leadership Development (WILD) youth program hosted a mini-documentary screening called People vs. Profit: The Truth about Displacement. Around 45 people attended the screening, hosted at Gordon Hirabayshi Place in the Donnie Chin Community Room.
Attendees included various environmental and racial justice activists, residents of Gordon Hirabayashi Place and the Chinatown/International District (C/ID) concerned about development, youth and their families, and City Council District 2 candidate Tammy Morales.
The mini-documentary, an eight-minute film directed by youth, explores how displacement and gentrification are affecting C/ID residents, disproportionately impacting low-income Asian elders.
Attendees mingled together around the large food spread, which included dim sum donated by Joyale Seafood Restaurant. Sabrina Buparat, a recent graduate of Summit Sierra High School located in the C/ID, contextualized the mini-documentary. “We [youth at WILD] contribute to the development and safety of the Chinatown/International District. We have deep and informational discussions about problems in the community, including climate change, police brutality, and housing discrimination and how they are connected to racial and environmental justice.”
Kevin Choi, WILD member, introduced the film as the primary cinematographer and editor. He added, “We were inspired to make this documentary after learning about the history of displacement and how these new luxury developments will significantly change the culture and feel of the C/ID.”
Choi and other WILD youth referenced these developments in their speeches and in their film, which referenced Koda Condominiums. The specter of the Koda Condominium development loomed over the event, as Koda recently broke ground next door to Hirabayashi Place.
In the film, Henry Liu, community organizer at Interim CDA commented on luxury developers’ attitudes: “[The CID] is a landmark not based on the history and culture of the place, but its value in relation to the water and downtown.”
This attitude is reflected in Koda’s promotional material online, as they describe Koda’s location in the Chinatown/International District: “Just outside the windows of KODA rests the city’s waterfront: the point of entry for the area’s first settlers that residents now look back upon in aspiration. An astonishing view of this extraordinary expanse demonstrates that you’re truly in the center of it all.”
Throughout the event, a shared feeling hung in the air of trepidation and fear that the luxury developers will not change the C/ID in ways that help traditional C/ID residents: Asian elders, low-income people, and recent immigrants.
Zhu Huang, C/ID resident and elder, spoke about her fears about displacement in the film: “others are younger, work, and have money. They’re not scared if prices rise… but us elders don’t have any jobs. The government gives us hundreds monthly, but hundreds isn’t enough.”
Elders in this community lack the money and resources to have access to new market-rate developments in the C/ID like Koda condominiums, where $400,000-$600,000 is the range for a one-bedroom, which prices them out of new, affordable developments like Thai Binh, which cost $1,168 a month for a one-bedroom.
Reflecting on the event and the program, WILD participant Edgiemeh Dela Cruz stated, “Our research and mini-documentary focused on the C/ID, but displacement is more than just a neighborhood problem. Displacement of communities of color will continue as the city grows and gentrifies, but that doesn’t mean that we [young leaders] will back down. In fact, the future of anti-displacement activism in the C/ID will continue through the WILD program at Interim CDA.”
This content is sponsored by InterIm CDA.
InterIm’s Corner: InterIm CDA hosts 44th annual summer community pig roast in the Danny Woo Community Garden – July 12-13
The Danny Woo Community Garden was founded in 1975 by Uncle Bob Santos and is in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District at 620 South Main Street. What once was a barren hillside rife with weed and sticker bushes is now a 1.5-acre garden cultivated by elderly Asian immigrant residents of the neighborhood.
The garden is also home to a children’s garden, chicken coop, outdoor kitchen and fruit tree orchard, where children from preschool to high school learn seed-to-plate and environmental education. As the largest green space in the Chinatown/International District and Little Saigon area, the Danny Woo Community Garden is an essential place for the surrounding community to engage with nature, access safe and healthy food, and build cohesion with neighbors.
The pig roast
As the foundation of the Danny Woo Community Garden was being laid, Uncle Bob Santos concocted the brilliant idea to construct a roasting pit in the center of the garden. Prior to building the garden, Uncle Bob would host an annual pig roast for friends, family, and community members in his own backyard. With the new roasting pit now at the Danny Woo Community Garden, ICDA hosted their first Pig Roast on July 18th & 15th, 1975. 44 years later, the tradition lives on.
Hosted every second Friday of July, this event is truly community-centered. Gardeners, neighbors, staff and long-time community members of the CID gather around the pig to share stories and food. The event begins Friday evening when the pig is prepped and mounted onto the spit. For the next 12-15 hours, through the wee hours of the night and into Saturday morning, volunteers take shifts rotating the pig over the fire.
The 2019 Pig Roast begins Friday, July 12th at 6:00 PM. We will have delicious food donated by CID businesses and restaurants and drinks available for volunteers and guests. The community celebration commences the next day, Saturday, July 13th at 12:00 PM. This is a potluck lunch, so please bring a dish to share. Volunteers are needed for Friday’s event, overnight pig roasting, and Saturday’s community gathering.
Try your hand at turning a whole pig on a spit at this free annual community potluck that’s been going on since 1975—bring a tasty dish of your own to share.
Meet Our 2018-2019 WILD Fellows!
The WILD Fellowship was created in order to provide a culturally-responsive, experiential leadership development program for youth ages 16-18. The purpose of the program is for youth to learn more about Asian Pacific American (APA) history, process current events, and ultimately make a positive impact on the Chinatown-International District. In addition to learning how to facilitate and lead groups of peers (and elders), Fellows develop advocacy skills, learn about local APA activism and movements, plan outdoor trips, and work together on a community-based environmental justice project. Upon completion of the program, Fellows are then qualified to move on as WILD interns.
This year, the Fellows chose to help construct a retaining wall in InterIm CDA's Danny Woo Community Garden to benefit our elders who garden there. They will also be painting an art mural with an environmental justice focus for the Children’s Garden toolshed. Meet our 2019 Fellows:
An Vu is a recent graduate of Summit Sierra High School.
" I like to eat, play League of Legends and sleep. I will be studying at the University of Washington this fall with the focus of getting a degree in Bioengineering."
Anqi Li is a sophomore at Franklin high school. She’s full Chinese and knows four Chinese dialects.
“I joined wild because I wanted to learn more about my community and what’s happening in the CID because I’ve always been in the CID (mostly because of food and drinks..., and I want to make some positive impact to our community.”
Calvin is a recent graduate of Garfield High School.
"I like sad music, but WILD helped me be happier. I am a recent graduate of Garfield High School and will be going to University of Washinton- go Huskies!"
Darius Wade is a Sophomore at Cleveland STEM High School. He is half Black, half Lao and Thai.
"I joined the WILD fellowship to get a good experience with helping the community in Chinatown. I also wanted to get more information on the displacement not ONLY happening in Chinatown but in the Soufend as well. I loved the opportunities we had to further help Chinatown out."
Edgiemeh Dela Cruz is a recent graduate of Summit Sierra. She is Filipino.
"I joined WILD because I wanted to feel more connected to a community that I was going to be in the majority of my time. In this years fellowship, the highlight is actually the times when we just have random out spurts of laughter which made us bond so much more."
Haben Fasil is a junior at Franklin High School.
"I am an Eritrean. I’ve been in the WILD program for two years now."
Justin Chau is at Cleveland High School. He is also known as JC.
"I am 16 years old and my birthday is Oct 7th. I hate coconuts."
Kevin Choi is a recent graduate of Garfield High School and is Chinese.
“The WILD Fellowship has surprisingly been something I always look forward to every week. We explore real and relevant social issues, but we actually do something about it for our community. I’ll miss each and every person I’ve met here, like a lot.”
Natalie is a recent graduate. She is at the University of Washington.
"I was initially in the Cooking Club then I joined WILD’s Fellowship Program!"
Sabrina S. Buparat is a recent graduate of Summit Sierra High School and is Lao, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Hmong. She takes part in teaching in a traditional Lao music and dance foundation.
“I joined the WILD Fellowship because I wanted to learn and contribute to my community in the Chinatown/ International District. While doing so, I learned so much more about the CID than I knew existed, and not only was I able to connect and understand more about the community, I also gained skills in leadership.”
Zhuo Rong (Andy) Ruan Zhao, and was born in Colombia, Bogota.
"I am a friendly person, positive energy, quiet, humble, hard-working person. "
44th Pig Roast - Danny Woo Community Garden
Join us at 44th Annual PIG ROAST in the Danny Woo Garden July 12-13, 2019
The 2019 Pig Roast begins Friday, July 12th at 6 PM. We will have delicious food donated by CID businesses and restaurants and drinks available for volunteers and guests. The community celebration commences the next day, Saturday, July 13th at 12 PM. This is a potluck lunch, so please bring a dish to share. Volunteers are needed for Friday's event, overnight pig roasting, and Saturday's community gathering.
Interested to volunteer, click on the link:
50th Anniversary InterIm CDA Gala LIVE AUCTION!
Get a sneak peek of what will be in our live auction on May 4, 2019, and get that bidding arm ready! We have unique experiences, a restaurant frenzy, an exotic vacation package and much more! (Items may not be in this order the night of the gala.)
Mariners’ baseball cleat owned and signed by Edgar Martinez
Former designated hitter for the Seattle Mariners and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, Edgar Martinez, has donated a signed cleat. After 18 stellar years, the Mariners retired Edgar’s uniform number and inducted him into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame. Edgar Martínez was also recently elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019 and will be inducted this July! This is your chance to own a piece of history! #legacy #halloffamer #rarememorabilia
VALUE: Priceless
Donated by: Jerry Lee & Charlene Lee
Art piece by Tori Kirihara
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Artist Tori Kirihara was born and raised in Seattle and attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles. Her passions include many forms of art combined with community service and bringing people of different cultures together. This beautiful portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama. This is your chance to own a piece of femme history!
VALUE: $1,000
DONATED BY: Tori Kirihara
East Indian Feast for 10 guests at Seattle Storm Co-Owner, Dawn Trudeau’s penthouse, Co-hosted with Dr. Sutapa Basu
Ten friends will share an unforgettable evening with Dawn Trudeau, Co-Owner of the three-time WNBA Champions, Seattle Storm. Join her and Dr. Sutapa Basu, Director of UW Women’s Center, for a freshly prepared East Indian gourmet multi-course meal at Dawn’s Queen Anne penthouse with a panoramic view of Puget Sound. Converse about the Storm’s amazing championship team, current women's issues, and delicious traditional East Indian recipes from the Land of Five Waters cookbook.
As an added bonus, you and 3 others can cheer on the Storm with 4 tickets to one of their regular season home games!
Donors: Dawn Trudeau, Dr. Sutapa Basu, Elaine Ikoma Ko, Inter*Im Board Member, Seattle Storm
RESTRICTIONS: This dinner must be scheduled during Seattle Storm's basketball off season. Tickets must be redeemed by August 25, 2019
Samoan Getaway
Talofa! Escape to a tropical island that most adventurous travelers have not even seen. Far from the hustle and bustle of urban life, the Island of Ofu in American Samoa is remote, unpopulated and quiet. The beach at Ofu stretches for just over 2 miles, but the sheer beauty of this curve of sand and the relative emptiness of its shores make it one of the best beaches in the world. Fly from American Samoa to this special island and spend seven days at the Manu’a Hotel. Enjoy complimentary breakfast, lunch and dinner and a boat tour of the island!
VALUE: $1,100
DONATED BY: Howard Deenah Molipe, Ieremia Atuatasi & Loretta Seigafo
RESTRICTIONS: Travel dates July - October
Poker Party for 20 @$100 Buy-In
Put on your best poker face and ante up for the big poker party of the year! InterIm Board Chair Andrew Liu will be your host for the evening in his lovely Magnolia home overlooking Seattle. Three of a kind friends Jerry Lee, Downtown Freddie Brown and Perry Lee will help deal out the fun. Feeling lucky then bid high and win this hand!
Fixed Price: $100/Ticket
DONATED BY: Andrew Liu, Nancy Ko, Liana Woo
Cocktails & Conversation with Angela Rye, ESQ, CEO & CNN Political Commentator
Twelve lucky guests will have a very special experience featuring Ms. Angela Rye. Guests will be delighted by engaging conversation, panoramic penthouse views of Puget Sound while enjoying both cocktails and delicious heavy hors d’oeures.
Born and raised in Seattle, Ms. Rye will share her broad and incisive analysis of current political and global issues as she regularly does on CNN, HBO, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, BET and TV One. She was nominated by the NAACP, along with Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey, for their 50th Anniversary Image Award. This will be an extraordinary time!
DONORS: Elaine Ikoma Ko, Eddie Rye, Jr., Dawn Trudeau
RESTRICTIONS: Dates TBD in Summer or Fall
Hilton Honor Points
InterIm Board Chair Andrew Liu has donated 250,000 Hilton Honor Points! These Honor Points can be redeemed to book ANY room, ANY time, ANY where at over 5,000 locations in 100 countries and territories! No blackout dates! Imagine yourself in London, Sydney, Paris, Rome, or Dubai! Have you always dreamed of discovering the Bahamas, Fiji, Brazil, or French Polynesia? This is your chance!
VALUE: $2,500
Donated by: Andrew Liu
Handcrafted textile art with iconic International District theme
Textile artist, Colleen Seymour Hoernlein, created and produced this one of a kind hanging quilt, along with friend Claudia Vellandi. This piece of art is an assembly of ink drawings that were converted from paper to canvas, so it could be combined with other fabrics that will stand the test of time. The pictures depict the Chinatown/ International District of the past by Artist & Architect Curtis McGuire. This original design should be hung and appreciated as it triggers memories of some favorite places for citizens of the CID. It is meant to honor a place many call home and a way of life that InterIm CDA strives to support and maintain.
VALUE: $1,500
Original Designers: Colleen Seymour Hoernlein & Claudia Vellandi
Print Artist/Architect: Curtis McGuire
Week Stay in San Diego w/ Southwest Airline Tickets
Fly to sunny San Diego on Southwest Airlines and enjoy a week’s stay at the lovely Worldmark San Diego – Mission Valley. You’ll be stone’s throw from the world-famous San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Old Town, and Balboa Park. Catch a beautiful sunset in La Jolla, tour the enchanting Hotel del Coronado, and explore the magic of Del Mar. Wind, surf, and sun will be all yours to enjoy in “America’s Finest City”.
VALUE: $2,800
DONATED BY: Andrew Liu
RESTRICTIONS: Dates November 01, 2019 – November 08, 2019. Mandatory Fees: Mandatory Security deposit is 100.00 U.S. dollars. Only Credit Cards accepted. Hold deposit for incidentals, fee subject to change without notice. Resort Fees: WI-FI fee is 4.95 U.S. dollars. Cash or Credit is accepted. Per day for two devices.
Hot Pot for 10
InterIm Board Chair Andrew Liu will again be your host for one of his famous hot pot parties! Due to popularity, dinner will be at their beautiful home with an amazing view of Seattle. Dinner includes Andrew’s special dipping sauce! A Chinese tradition for over 1,000 years, this hot pot party is sure to impress all of your foodie friends. You’ll gather around a steaming hot pot of savory broth, and choose your own ingredients from a wide selection of thinly sliced meats, fresh vegetables, and noodles.
VALUE:$800
DONATED BY: Andrew Liu
RESTRICTIONS: Date to be mutually agreed upon
Himalayan Dinner for 10
Mustard seeds, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek seeds, nutmeg, saffron, cardamom… let these aromatic herbs transport you to a region far away. InterIm’s Executive Director, Pradeepta Uphadhyay, will prepare for you and 9 guests a Himalayan feast that draws from the cuisines of Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan. Her selections of appetizers, soups, dumplings, curries, and breads will satisfy your senses and warm your soul. Two special celebrity guest joining you and your guests that evening will be Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos and Sophia Danenberg, the FIRST African American woman to summit Mt. Everest. Hear firsthand about her adventures with sherpas, blizzards, and hiking at high altitudes.
VALUE: $1,000
DONATED BY: Pradeepta Upadhyay
RESTRICTIONS: Date to be mutually agreed upon except for the month of August
Week stay at Kona Wyndham Hotel
Your escape to a tropical paradise awaits you! Fly on Hawaiian Airlines directly to the Big Island of Hawaii and enjoy one week at the charming Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Resort. When you stay at Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Resort in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island's west coast, you will feel as if you are stepping back in time to a more simple, unspoiled era. Every detail has been designed to re-create the charming traditional Hawaiian island ambiance found back in the '30s, with all the modern amenities and activities you would expect in a tropical resort. Situated within walking distance from the beach in the charming Big Island town of Kailua-Kona, you will find yourself within easy reach of waterfalls, gorgeous lookouts, museums, golf courses, volcanoes, and a multitude of shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Learn all about the coffee making process at the Royal Kona Coffee Mill and Museum, or go whale watching and swim with the dolphins when you visit Waikoloa Village.
VALUE: $4,300
Donated by: Hawaiian Airlines & Wilfred James
Meet Our Gala Performers: Massive Monkees Team
Massive Monkees is an award-winning breaking dance crew that formed when a group of adolescent b-boys joined forces in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood in 1999. Evolving from over 20 years of friendship, competing/performing/and teaching across the globe, the group now spends much of their time cultivating new generations of dancers, giving back to the same communities from which they came. Performing today at the gala will include students of Massive Monkees’ Extraordinary Futures youth program
BOB SANTOS LEADERSHIP IN SUSTAINABILITY AWARD
DONNIE CHIN
The sound of a siren, the race of an ambulance down Jackson. A common enough sound and sight in the International District. For decades, Donnie Chin would be at the end of each emergency call, attending to a sick grandma or overdose victim. It did not matter who, but Donnie was usually the first to that call.
The khaki cladded figure with radios and other public safety paraphernalia strutting from call to call was a common sight in our community. If you worked in the ID for a couple of years, you might be exposed to his gruff exterior, an aloof smirk, a grumble of a few words. But once you got to know Donnie, you learned that he was much more than the community public safety officer, the emergency responder, the founder of the ID Emergency Center.
He was the “son” that would visit a sick grandma living in one of the neighborhood’s decrepit buildings making sure she had enough to eat. He was the “older brother” that would pluck kids running in the streets and give them purpose and a sense of direction. He was a friend that would walk you to your car, when the streets turned dark and unsafe. He was the eyes and ears, the running legs and helping hands, the heart of the International District.
Donnie.
Our hero.
Meet Our Gala Performers: Mata’ala Dance Team
Mataala Dance Group, a non-profit community organization consisting of high school students within the Pierce County area. The instructor's team consist of community volunteers coming together to teach about the Polynesian culture through music, dance, and education. For the past three years, we continue to grow to reach out to students from various schools in the area. Providing a safe space where Pacific Islander students can feel comfortable in their own identities and educate non-Pacific Islanders on our authentic culture.
Meet Our Gala Host & Auctioneer: Harold S. Taniguchi & Ron Hippe
Harold S. Taniguchi: Harold supervised and managed various agencies in King County government. In 2002 he was appointed Director of the King County Department of Transportation. After over 35 years of public service, he retired in 2018. Harold is currently enjoying the transition to his next phase of life by doing what he can to improve the lives of others and exploring new opportunities. He enjoys mentoring and coaching individuals in various stages of their professions, remains active in community affairs, and is pursuing his interests in voice acting and cabinetry. He graduated from Pomona College and has a Master’s degree in Public Affairs from the University of Washington.
Ron Hippe: For over 25 years Ron Hippe has been a Seattle actor, musician, improviser, emcee, and auctioneer. He has acted on Broadway in NYC, appeared on television shows, played with several bands including the popular kids band Caspar Babypants, voiced countless video games and commercials, and improvised across the globe with members of Who's Line is it Anyway? He is proud to call Seattle home with his wife and two sons.