Dear fellow Tsung Tsin members,

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I hope this letter will find you in the best of physical, mental and spiritual health and enjoying our beautiful Canadian summer.

 

In the remote possibility that you are not aware, Tsung Tsin has finally held our first AGM in 3 years and conducted elections in April 2023, to start a new term of office. The timing was a bit off due to the Pandemic, but the elections were carried out successfully resulting in a new President, Executive Board, Management and Supervisory Boards.

 

I am deeply honoured and thrilled to have been elected President, by acclamation, to a third, non-consecutive, term of office. It is a privilege and great honour to have been entrusted with this office once again and, as with my past terms, my commitment and dedication to hold this office to the highest-level of integrity and service to you and our Hakka community, have not diminished.

 

I extend my sincere thanks to out-going President, Jennifer Chin, and the executive and board members for their past outstanding service to our association while wholeheartedly welcoming the new.

 

As our collective confidence grows, we have quietly and with much optimism, begun to emerge from our protective and fearful state of COVID. Tsung Tsin has now hosted 3
in-person events since the start of 2023, with each event accommodating approximately two hundred people. That is indeed an encouraging start in our recovery and return to our pre-COVID levels of activity.

 

It is now our collective duty to mitigate the damage inflicted by the Pandemic by doing our utmost to restore and build on the past great success that Tsung Tsin had achieved.

 

The success of an association like ours, ultimately rest with its governing body, including all its volunteers and especially its members.

 

With much foresight, dedication and hard work, our founding members have laid a strong and impressive foundation for our generation to build on. However, nothing lasts forever. The role that our founding members have played in creating and building our beloved association has diminished significantly, due to the inevitable effects of time and age-related issues. It is now in the hands of our generation to ensure that we pick up and carry the torch they have entrusted to us.

 

It has always been my steadfast belief that Tsung Tsin serves an important role for our members and our Hakka community; to provide support and help to our members and friends in times of need; to provide a place to call home, away from home where we can come together to share with one another much needed camaraderie; to provide some relief from the rigours of daily life by offering a vast array of activities for every taste; to provide a place where we continue to preserve and promote our Chinese heritage and culture by hosting important events such as Chinese New Year celebrations, Mid Autumn Festival celebrations and our Hakka heritage day.

 

We are truly fortunate to have inherited our cherished clubhouse from our founding members where we can continue to observe and promote these ancestral practices.

Much sacrifice in terms of time, energy and money will be needed from all of us to ensure we can properly maintain and up-keep our club house.

As a not-for-profit association, we must depend on our members and friends for their generosity to fulfill our financial obligations.

 

As with our founding members, there will come a time when we are no longer able to continue to fulfill our task and mandate of TTA. We are always in search of new members and volunteers. Please feel free to speak with me, the executive, or any member of our board members about a role you can play in ensuring the continued success of your Hakka association.

 

Wishing you a most enjoyable summer.

 

Sincerely,

Clive Yapsam

 

President

Tsung Tsin Association of Ontario