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<\/p>\nASM, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
November 01, 2026<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Photo courtesy: Fred Lee<\/p>\n
VANCOUVER, British Columbia \u2014 The Vancouver Chinatown Foundation raised approximately C$2.6 million at its 10th annual Autumn Gala, bringing together business leaders, philanthropists and public officials to support affordable housing, local businesses and cultural preservation in the historic neighbourhood.<\/p>\n
Held Thursday, October 29, at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, the sold-out fundraiser drew more than 800 guests for an evening celebrating the foundation\u2019s work and its plans for Chinatown\u2019s revitalization.<\/p>\n
The event, presented by RBC, was led by Vancouver Chinatown Foundation chair Carol Lee, with Fred Lee and Sophie Lui serving as hosts.<\/p>\n
Among the guests were British Columbia premier-elect Lorne Doerkson and Vancouver mayor-elect Pete Fry, both attending following their victories in the October provincial and municipal elections.<\/p>\n
The foundation initially raised more than C$2.55 million during the evening and subsequently reported a total of approximately C$2.6 million, with fundraising still ongoing.<\/p>\n
Major donation supports fundraising effort<\/p>\n
A C$500,000 contribution from Claire and John Nicola helped drive the evening\u2019s fundraising, according to an account shared by event host Fred Lee.<\/p>\n
The gift was announced during the paddle raise, when guests were invited to make donations toward the foundation\u2019s work.<\/p>\n
Organized with event producer Soha Lavin of CountDown Events, the gala featured a gold-themed ballroom, entertainment, live fundraising activities and stories about the community\u2019s development.<\/p>\n
The celebration also marked a decade of the annual fundraiser, which has become an important gathering for supporters of Vancouver\u2019s Chinatown.<\/p>\n
Beyond the donations, the event provided an opportunity to recognize the individuals, businesses and organizations contributing to the neighbourhood\u2019s preservation and renewal.<\/p>\n
A decade of investment in Chinatown<\/p>\n
The funds will support the foundation\u2019s ongoing efforts to improve housing, strengthen local businesses and preserve Chinatown\u2019s cultural heritage.<\/p>\n
Established in 2011, the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation has focused on addressing the neighbourhood\u2019s physical, economic and cultural needs through partnerships with government, businesses and community organizations.<\/p>\n
Its projects have helped create 351 affordable homes through Bob & Michael\u2019s Place and the May Wah Hotel.<\/p>\n
The organization has also supported more than 100 businesses through the Chinatown Impact Fund, which assists shops with physical improvements, marketing and other initiatives.<\/p>\n
On the cultural side, the foundation has collected more than 10,000 historical artifacts and documents connected to Chinatown\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
Its annual Light Up Chinatown! festival welcomed approximately 26,000 visitors in 2026, reflecting continued efforts to attract people to the neighbourhood and support its businesses.<\/p>\n
Building support for Chinatown\u2019s future<\/p>\n
The anniversary gala also recognized the City Builders Endowment Fund, led by the Jack & Darlene Poole Foundation, as part of efforts to secure long-term support for housing, cultural preservation and economic revitalization.<\/p>\n
For Carol Lee and the foundation, the event brought together supporters whose contributions help sustain projects beyond the annual celebration.<\/p>\n
The C$2.6 million raised adds to that work, supporting programs intended to preserve Chinatown\u2019s historic character while addressing the needs of residents and local businesses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ASM, Philippine Canadian InquirerNovember 01, 2026 Photo courtesy: Fred Lee VANCOUVER, British Columbia \u2014 The Vancouver Chinatown Foundation…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":954307,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194298],"tags":[49,48,326288,10758,55,326289,326290],"class_list":["post-954306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-vancouver","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-carol-lee","tag-headline","tag-vancouver","tag-vancouver-autumn-gala-2026","tag-vancouver-chinatown-foundation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/954306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=954306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/954306\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/954307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=954306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=954306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=954306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}