© 2020 Torontoartsandevents.
The Ball
The Yee Hong Community Wellness Foundation held its 31st annual Dragon Ball on Saturday January 25, 2020 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to raise money to build new residential hospices in the GTA . Cynthia Mulligan and Adrian Ghobrial from City News hosted the gala. According to organizers, approximately 1,200 guests attended. This Ball was supported by thirty corporate sponsors and nine restaurants.
Cuisine:
The Gala started with the fabulous grand reception which included delicacies from Gushi; Crown Jewel Fine Dining; Bean House; Hamona fresh coconut; specialty drinks from Hey Sugar; Japanese cheese cakes; macarons from Daan Go Cake Lab; Marathon Cafe, KobeTeppanyaki, Yu Steam Pot, Liuyi shou Hot Pot, Akasaka Japanese Restaurant, and Kanvas.
The delicious four-course dinner started with a great appetizer of local smoked duck, fresh citrus, followed by a double chicken broth with braised pork belly, leek & mushroom sauté, and wilted greens; followed by the main course of seared beef and Atlantic salmon and desert was coconut pandan crème caramel with more deserts such as Japanese cheesecake available.
Yee Hong Expansion
Dr. Joseph Wong,Yee Hong Founder and Foundation Chair, said, “… this year is … the beginning of a new era. Later this fall, Yee Hong will open the first residential hospice in Scarborough, the first to be developed by the Chinese community in Canada.” The Ontario Government had awarded its first allocation of new long-term care bed licenses in 20 years. Yee Hong was granted 800 new bed licenses in Scarborough, Markham and Mississauga. Building three new long-term care homes is a huge challenge for Yee Hong. The estimated total construction cost is $300 million, of which $80 million is to be raised by Yee Hong in the next few years.
VIPs
The VIP guests in attendance included Senator Victor Oh; the Honourable Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility; Toronto Mayor John Tory and Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti; Ms. Hong Hong, Deputy Consul General of China ;Ms. Emily Mo, Director of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office(Toronto), federal MPs Majid Jowhari, Ms. Jean Yip, Ms. Salma Zahid and Han Dong and Hazel McCallion, former mayor of Mississauga.
Auction:
This year’s auction consisted of more than 250 items, including exquisite wine, a pair of court side tickets for the Toronto Raptors vs. Milwaukee game , an 18 karat Yellow Gold Diamond Bracelet from Royal de Versailles ,a pair of Air Canada Business Class tickets to anywhere in the world, and a coins set from Coin Market
Entertainment:
Guests enjoyed great Entertainment: a specially choreographed Lion Dance at the opening, over 40 young female dancers transformed the stage into a Han Dynasty setting by performing a spectacular Ethereal Murals Inside the Caves of Dunhuang dance, Mandy Wu, a former Cantonese opera actress from the Guang dong Cantonese Opera Theatre, sang a medley of Chinese New Year songs. Also, Angela Zheng and her daughter Piaopiao Huang, sang Chinese and Italian Opera songs.
The Dragon Ball was a great event for a worthy cause! Be sure to put this event on your calendar for next year!!
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