Chinese Free Masons Athletic Club

#ChinatownMuralProject is a collaboration between activist Karlin Chan and artist Peach Tao who are installing culturally appropriate murals that locals and visitors alike can relate to in and around the Manhattan Chinatown area. They are creating Instagram and selfie spots in hopes of drawing people into the Chinatown area which has been hit hard by the pandemic through Art for Recovery. Your donations go towards supplies for future installations and artist stipends.     We hope to host free drawings in the future for anyone who tags or posts a selfie collage of all our murals and tag #ChinatownMuralProject on our Facebook or Instagram.  Winners will be picked randomly and win a dinner at a Chinatown restaurant.  All funds raised will be applied to this project ONLY and NOT for The Freemasons. https://thevillagesun.com/the-art-of-reopening-chinatown-murals-aim-to-boost-visitors

***UPDATE***

Yesterday we completed the AAPI 50-mile Run for Representation, running across 3 boroughs throughout multiple Asian communities. Some of the areas we traveled through were: Sunset Park, 18th Ave, 86th Street, Avenue U, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Bayside, Flushing, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Koreantown, Little Tokyo, and finally Chinatown. 

If you haven’t done so already, please consider donating $1/mile ($50), or whatever you are able to, to help fulfill Corky Lee’s mission to establish the Chinatown Organization for Media Awakening (COMA).

THANK YOU!

 

On Saturday May 29th, Coach Kai Ng and I (Leland Yu) will embark on a 50-mile journey around NYC, passing through the Chinatown neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. We will be running in honor of renowned late photographer Corky Lee, the “self-proclaimed undisputed unofficial Asian-American photographer laureate.” 

We will be fundraising for the Chinatown Organization for Media Awakening (COMA), formed by Corky Lee and fellow Chinatown activists Victory Huey and Karlin Chan, to address the negative stereotyping of Asians in media and cinema, and to promote and ensure true representation in mainstream media.  

With his neighborhood friends picking up the mantle and forging ahead, the funds will help establish an operating budget, and initially go toward installing a mural of the famed Asian-American photographer and toward producing a documentary about his life. 

Any support is greatly appreciated and if you are not able to financially, spreading the word helps all the same.  Stayed tuned for more details and updates. Check out @runforchinatown and @runcoachkai on Instagram to follow the journey.

Thank you all for your continued support!

***RESULTS UPDATE***

On Monday March 22nd, I completed the Virtual United Airlines NYC Half Marathon with a pace of 7:44 minutes/mile. According to the rules of the challenge, I am now asking friends, family, and whoever is down for the cause to contribute $16, or anything within your means, to the Chinatown Block Watch. If you are not able to contribute financially, no problem. Sharing the story and the cause helps all the same!

Thank you for all of your support!

_____________________________________________

Hello all!

On Monday March 22nd, I will be racing in the Virtual United Airlines NYC Half Marathon. I will be fundraising for the Chinatown Block Watch.

The Chinatown Block Watch was started over a year ago during the onset of the pandemic to provide a visible deterrent to attackers and friendly face to neighbors. The group was started by Karlin Chan, longtime Chinatown resident and community member, who is also behind other initiatives including the Chinatown Mural Project, "founded to promote the installation of murals around the Manhattan Chinatown area," and The Big Sweep, a weekly Saturday morning street cleaning event. The block watch started out with just a handful of friends but has grown to a group of 20-30 members.

As with all of his projects, he has mostly been paying out of pocket for whatever is needed to get the job done. With the recent uptick and spotlight on Asian hate crimes, the Chinatown Block Watch is needed now more than ever, and I hope to raise funds to provide them with uniforms, supplies, and equipment so that they can safely keep an eye out on the neighborhood. 

Now comes the running challenge part! Rather than distance, I will be going for speed. I am asking for a donation of $1 for every second under 8 minute/mile pace that I run. For example, if I complete the half marathon with a pace of 7:50 minute/mile, you donate $10, if I finish with 7:40 minute/mile pace, you donate $20 (this pace will be quite fast for me). 

Results will be posted on this page and on IG @runforchinatown.

Thank you for reading and all of your support! 

Leland & Karlin



Check out the links below to learn more about the Chinatown Block Watch:

PBS Interview 

Bloomberg Interview 

Mr Chuen Kwok was murdered along with Anthony Manson, Florecio Moran and Nazario Vasquez-Villegas on Oct 5, 2019 in a horrific crime that rocked Chinatown, NYC and the country. While I had arranged for his burial all expenses paid by the CELESTIAL LOVE FOUNDATION it did not include a gravestone which the "family" bears the cost of. Mr Kwok affectionately known as "Uncle Kwok" to many who saw him on the streets of Chinatown did not have family. I am asking that YOU be a part of his family and make a donation to cover the cost of a headstone. I feel no person should be left in an unmarked grave. All remaining funds will be equally distributed to feed and homeless and The Celestial Love Foundation.