Local Hero: Pauline Tong, the Leaside resident who has helped raise millions for seniors’ care

Pauline Tong, Leaside resident and former Yee Hong Community Wellness Foundation (YHCWF) president, returns every year to volunteer her time to the charity. “The Dragon Ball is in my blood,” she said.

The Dragon Ball benefit, orchestrated by YHCWF,  is moving into its 27th year and has become an annual tradition for many people in Toronto since it was first conceived in 1990. Scheduled around the Chinese New Year, the event has raised approximately $26 million for “culturally appropriate” senior care to date. Tong has been there every step of the way, helping grow the event to the mainstream behemoth it has become today.

Paying respect to one’s elders is a core pillar of Chinese philosophy — one on which the event is built, Tong said.

“We need to pay respect to our parents and grandparents in some special ceremonial way,” she said. “[Our seniors] have supported us all our lives … without them, we are nobody.”

All funds raised by the event will support the care and services provided by Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care to seniors in the GTA. Four long-term care centres provide language services, cultural programming and more.

“We don’t just serve Chinese seniors; we serve other cultural groups as well,” Tong noted, before calling attention to different wings in each facility that are allocated to South Asian, Filipino and Japanese seniors.

The event will be held on Feb. 6, at 255 Front St. W., and is expected to raise $1 million. But with over 4,000 seniors on the waiting list to get in, Tong said it’s never enough.

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