Houston Chinese Community Center

Houston Chinese Community Center had its grand opening ceremony today 8/18. With more than 400 people on hand to honor this special occasion, notable guests included Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Rep. Al Green, and Houston City Council members Gordan Quan, Mark Ellis, and M.J. Khan. Shern-Min Chow from KHOU-11 News was the master of ceremonies.
Today was a very special moment for me. Back in the late 1980's, I was a student at the Houston Chinese Community. I participated in all of their events, their youth organization, and activities. It was a fun place to be, to learn, and to meet people. I recollected back then, when the building was small and so were the classrooms, there were a handful of students and teachers. Some of my teachers were on hand today and I felt really proud to be part of this event. To see the center grow as big as today is extraordinary. I am able to retain my Chinese heritage and language through the Houston Chinese Community and I will cherish it forever.
Today's speakers talked about how big the Asian community has grown since the beginning of the 1900's. From a population of five to a quarter of a million today, it is just extraordinary. The honorable Sen. Hutchison made it possible for the Chinese Community Center to be what it is today with generous funding and donations. And with prominent influence from local politicians, Chinese Community Center has flourished and succeeded in fulfilling its mission. Of course we cannot forget the hard work of Nine-Min Chen, the directors of Chinese Community Center, and everyone who made today possible. They made it happen.