Every swing and every hit here is a point in Sokie Lee’s heart.
“It’s about the process of playing,” she said. “I think the playing thing is more important than winning.”
What You Need To Know
Sokie Lee donates her time to projects throughout Manhattan
A big focus for her at the moment is her volunteer work with PingPongParkinson and the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House
She also teaches tai chi and helps people kayak in the Hudson River
Lee is a volunteer with PingPongParkinson. The organization holds sessions for people with Parkinson’s disease to get moving.
“Ping-pong is good for cognition, flexibility and coordination,” she said.
The cause is close to Lee’s heart — her mother had atypical Parkinson’s.
“That’s always been in the back of my mind because I love my mom and I miss her,” Lee said.
It isn’t the only place where the Kips Bay resident volunteers her time. She’s involved in six organizations and initiatives throughout the city.
“Volunteering is something very positive that I can do; that I’m actually helping people in my own small way,” Lee said.
She has been volunteering with the Downtown Boathouse, getting people on the water, for two decades. Lee also started a trash pickup group during the pandemic.
She and her partner, Ken Gray, also lead free tai chi classes in Madison Square Park.
“It’s easy in New York to kind of put yourself in a cocoon and not do anything,” Gray said. “And this is a way to reach out.”
A little farther uptown, Lee teaches Chinese mahjong at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House’s older adult center at Saint Peter’s Church.
“It’s called ‘mahjong therapy’ because it’s therapy for the mind,” Lee said. “Therapy for the- therapy for the social aspect of it.”
Like PingPongParkinson, the mahjong sessions also hold a special meaning for Lee. After losing a number of friends during the pandemic, the classes gave her new people to play with.
“I really wanted to play mahjong,” she said. “There was nobody to play, so I decided to teach, like, my neighbors to play.”
It is something the Neighborhood House participants welcome whenever they see her.
“She’s very inspiring because she gives and she gives,” said Oymie Martin, a participant at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. “I really admire her, and it’s really a great opportunity to learn from her,” she added.
“I don’t have as much money to give,” Lee said. “What I give, I think, is even more valuable myself and my time interacting with people.”
For dealing her city a winning hand, Sokie Lee is our New Yorker of the Week.