Scholarship & Awards Banquet
May 15, 2017
BOISTEROUS BANQUET. Amanda
Shannahan of Unit Souzou (top left photo) en-
tertains the crowd at The Asian Reporter Foun-
dation’s 19th Annual Scholarship & Awards
Banquet. Other performers at the gala event in-
cluded the Mandaue Children’s Choir (middle
photo) and the Lee’s Association Dragon & Lion
Dance Team (right photo). In addition to cultural
entertainment, the evening featured the 2017
Most Honored Elder awards, recognition of area
Exemplary Community Volunteers, the issuing of
Asian Reporter Foundation scholarships (bottom
left photo), dinner, and a silent auction.
AR Photo/Jin Huang
AR Photo/Jan Landis
AR Photo/Jin Huang
AR Photo/Jan Landis
Page 8 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
The AR Foundation’s annual gala celebrates community
By Kathleen Liermann
The Asian Reporter
he Asian Reporter Foundation recently celebrated
its 19th annual scholarship and awards banquet.
More than 325 people enjoyed an evening of
dancing, cultural entertainment, awards, and a silent
auction at the TAO Event Center in northeast Port-
land.
Attendees mingled with old friends while meeting new
ones, bid on numerous silent auction items — from gift
cards and weekend getaways to acupuncture treatments
and backpacks — witnessed members of the community
receiving numerous awards, and dined on a delicious feast
of lumpia, yakisoba noodles, Korean chicken, Portuguese
sausage, Korean ribs, stir-fried veggies, macaroni salad,
and rice, catered by Bamboo Grove Hawaiian Grille.
Zeke Smith, the evening’s master of ceremonies, opened
the festivities and introduced the Lee’s Association
Dragon & Lion Dance Team, which performed onstage
before filtering out among the tables of banquet-goers.
People pulled out their smartphones to snap photos of the
vivid red, gold, and white lions winding around the tables
of the banquet hall. At the conclusion of the performance,
Asian Reporter publisher Jaime Lim welcomed everyone
and thanked them for their support of the annual event.
While diners filled their plates and sipped beverages,
T
the Mandaue Children’s Choir, who the day before had
just arrived in the U.S. from the Philippines, took the
stage to entertain the crowd. The young people, decked
out in shiny red tops and black pants, wowed the audience
with their harmony and choreographed movements.
Attendees were mesmerized by the young singers, who
ranged in age from seven to 16 years old.
After the performance, the first awards were presented
to this year’s Most Honored Elders. For 2017, they
included Benny Avecilla and Christine Chin Ryan, two
incredibly involved individuals.
Avecilla, who immigrated to the United States in 1977
from the Philippines, has been involved in the
Portland-area Filipino community for about four decades.
Ryan, who came to the U.S. in 1966, has been an advocate
for the Asian Pacific American community and small
businesses for three decades.
The commitment of Avecilla and Ryan were recognized
by the hundreds in attendance, who gave them an
enthusiastic round of applause.
The next performance featured members of Unit
Souzou — Michelle Fujii, Amanda Shannahan, Scott
Miyako, and Gregg Humphrey — who energized the
crowd. The group engaged everyone in the room and also
invited a few lucky audience members to join them on
stage to try out their taiko drumming skills.
Awards were then given to this year’s scholars. The
2017 Asian Reporter Foundation scholars included Ryan
Horiuchi, Phuong Nguyen, Nancy Nguyen, Whitney
Warth, Dawa Gyalpo, Ayush Kumar, Yan-Tung Choi,
Phuong Thao Ly, and Vivian Duong, who each re-
ceived awards for college ranging between $2,000 and
$2,500.
Following the Asian Reporter Foundation awards were
the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon
(PACCO) scholars — Brittney Pioquinto and Maria
Schaljo — who were each awarded $500 scholarships.
The final awards of the evening — recognition given for
an Exemplary Community Volunteer Effort by an
organization — were then handed out. The three groups
— Aguman Capampangan Northwest U.S.A., the Chinese
American Citizens Alliance (C.A.C.A.) - Portland Lodge,
and Lac Hong Vietnamese School — have contributed to
the Asian community for a combined 130 years.
From medical missions and leadership conferences to
community-service projects and language classes, each
group possesses a unique history as well as many years of
accomplishments and contributions.
After the final auction tables closed, people claimed
their treasures. The evening ended with music, dancing,
and more mingling. The foundation extends many thanks
to this year’s attendees and invites everyone to join the
20th anniversary celebration, which will take place in
April of 2018.
The Asian Reporter Foundation extends many thanks to our banquet sponsors.
Without them, this annual event would not be possible.