By Wang Bianzhi
When the Asian seniors at SunnyDay Adult Day Health Care learned that terrorists had hijacked aircraft on September 11, 2001, and struck the two World Trade Center towers in New York—killing thousands of workers and some rescue personnel—they grieved deeply, condemned the inhumanity of the attacks, and felt an even stronger determination to love and support the United States. Amid her sorrow for the innocent victims, SunnyDay director Daly Chin began considering how this group of seniors, many around eighty years old, could express their patriotic feelings to the wider community. She quietly began planning with many others.
The Asian Seniors’ Support for America and Thanksgiving Celebration was scheduled for November 17, just before Thanksgiving, at the Rosemead High School auditorium. At about eight that morning, my wife and I brought copies of SunnyDay’s second-anniversary publication and other materials to the center, where buses transported members to the venue. The magnificent auditorium was already filling with seniors in orderly lines. SunnyDay staff greeted everyone warmly and distributed the anniversary publication and small American flags. The seniors took part enthusiastically in this opportunity to express their support for America.
Before the program, I read in SunnyDay’s second-anniversary issue that Governor Gray Davis, Secretary of State Bill Jones, Assemblymember Judy Chu, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, and numerous mayors and elected representatives had sent commendations and congratulatory letters. These honors showed that SunnyDay’s service to Chinese older adults had earned broad recognition. Along with gratitude for government support, heartfelt thanks were due to every staff member for sincere and devoted service.
At ten o’clock, the two masters of ceremonies took the stage and introduced the guests. The program was hosted by Ms. Lin Hui-Hui and Ho Nien-Tan, an art professor at SunnyDay Elderly Community College, who introduced public officials and community guests. Speakers offered their greetings, and Daly Chin thanked the visitors and staff. In a solemn atmosphere, everyone sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The choir then performed several folk songs, while women dressed in the colors of the American flag danced gracefully to a fan-dance melody, revealing the seniors’ youthful vitality.
Singer Hu Ching-Ni and SunnyDay music instructor Wu Hang-Chien followed with a duet of “Autumn Cicada.” SunnyDay’s Chinese Opera Club then appeared: four men provided instrumental accompaniment while two women performed excerpts from “Fishing for the Golden Turtle” and “The Phoenix Returns to Its Nest.” Their resonant singing recalled classic performances of earlier years. This presentation of a treasured Chinese art form in Los Angeles stirred the audience and earned warm applause.
The oldies group continued with “Not Going Home Today,” “My Love,” “The Moon Represents My Heart,” “River Water Flows East,” and “New York, New York.” SunnyDay’s Mandarin and Japanese oldies clubs followed with favorites including “Springtime at West Lake,” “The Youthful Me,” “A Little Umbrella,” and “Fight to Win.” The songs awakened memories of youth and homeland. The finale was a massed chorus of “God Bless America,” followed by “The SunnyDay Song.” At the end, the hosts led the entire audience and staff in waving their small flags and calling, “AMERICA, AMERICA, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU.” With flags flying and patriotic voices filling the hall, the celebration came to a successful close.
As everyone departed, SunnyDay presented each person with a boxed meal, and members returned on the center’s buses. In every respect, this was a deeply meaningful occasion: a splendid program of song and dance and a gathering of a thousand people that achieved a truly memorable success.