Scarsdale Chinese Association Rallies to Join in the Fight against COVID-19

This letter was submitted by Jennifer Hong in response to a request from 10583 to learn more about the Scarsdale Chinese Association’s efforts to help in the fight again COVID-19.

I am a member of the Scarsdale Chinese Association (SCA). I am not writing this on behalf of the SCA but as a volunteer who has helped in this donation effort. This is not an official SCA statement but rather what has taken place from my perspective. Thank you to Scarsdale 10583 for your willingness to highlight our effort.

A team of volunteers from the Scarsdale Chinese Association collaborated and, with a concerted effort, were able to purchase and have 5000 masks shipped directly from China. 3000 masks were donated to the first responders and essential workers in Scarsdale Village. Thanks to Dara Gruenberg for helping coordinate with the Village and distribute the masks. The remaining 2000 masks were donated to White Plains Hospital, Westchester Medical Center, and two New York City hospitals. I, along with many members of the SCA, volunteered in this effort. Biggest thanks goes to Kiki Hong, Dr. Jun Xu, Dr. Ru-Liang Xu and Dr. Hong Su.

SCA also turned to our members for donations of their own masks to help alleviate the hospitals’ urgent needs. As you may be aware, China has a problem with smog and air pollution due to rapid industrial growth. Many families in Scarsdale buy masks to wear when they or their relatives go back to China. Ever since COVID-19 first broke out in Wu Han, we have been monitoring the development closely, and some residents bought masks as a precaution. We know how grim the situation has been in China and how contagious the virus is. SCA was able to collect 1000+ different kinds of masks from its members and has delivered all of them to nearby hospitals. Although some of these mask are anti-fog, not up to the stringent medical standards, the hospitals took them with great appreciation. Local families here have exhausted the supplies we have in our homes. Lauren Yang, SCA President, Lisa Tan and other volunteers spearheaded this effort.

What inspired SCA to initiate this effort was that Dara Gruenberg sent some of our members an email asking for donations to provide funding for meals to the Emergency Department staff at White Plains Hospital (WPH). SCA immediately stepped up to donate, and Han Zhou volunteered to lead this effort. SCA members, who are doctors at Westchester Medical Center (WMC), after hearing about the contributions to White Plains Hospital, reached out to us about the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) at WMC. We learned that many hospitals were in the same dire situation. This gave the SCA the idea to expand our efforts to help, in addition to the meal donation initiative. SCA quickly started a campaign to assist hospitals on many fronts: Lisa Tan made a portal page for SCA members to donate money directly to WPH and WMC; to donate masks; and to donate towards a fund for purchasing PPEs for hospitals.

Many in SCA are pursuing leads of PPE donations or trying to help hospitals purchase directly from China. Ailun Yang and I are working with a charity foundation in China to donate masks and gowns directly to hospitals here.

Besides those mentioned above, Judy Yang, Ellen Sun, Yin Lao, Leon Xin, as well as so many others, are helping. Several SCA members are asking friends and family back in China to send PPEs to us directly. I feel so proud of my fellow Chinese Americans and Chinese.

We, Chinese Americans, are standing together with every Scarsdale resident in unity and solidarity. Many of us are US citizens. We are firstly Americans with Chinese heritage. This is our country too. When we see our neighbors and friends at the frontlines combating the potentially lethal virus without enough protection, our hearts sink at the risks they are taking so we are doing everything we can to help. We hear the battle cry from Governor Cuomo and are joining the fight against this vicious disease.