Pictured (l. to r.); Tai Nin Wang, Liu Tee Shu, Kevin Chu, Councilmember Peter Koo, Raman Patel and Grace Jungsook Yoon.In recognition of Asian Heritage Month, Councilmember Peter Koo honored local community leaders by presenting each with a New York City Council Proclamation. “May is when we celebrate Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, a time to reflect upon the countless Asian and Pacific Islanders in the United States whose enduring legacies have woven the very rich fabric of our nation,” Koo said. “All Americans are heirs of this extraordinary progress. As we remember the myriad of significant sacrifices they have made in the name of freedom and justice, we also call attention to the great individuals who strengthen our community today. It is my honor to recognize these outstanding individuals for their selfless dedication to our community.”
The honorees are:

Liu Tee Shu
Shu is an active supporter and contributor to Flushing senior centers, the Chinese American Cancer Society, Queens Botanical Gardens, Fire Department, Boy Scouts and scholarship foundations. Due to her enthusiastic support in community service, she was awarded Minority Retailer of the Year from the Department of Commerce and Outstanding Business Woman of Overseas Chinese from the Commission of Overseas Affairs of the Republic of China and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Shu founded the Chinese American Commerce Association which has become a symbol of commitment in improving the rights and welfare of women.
Shu is president and on the board of directors of the Flushing Chinese Business Association (FCBA), whose mission is to foster commercial and economic development, to serve community businesses and to promote harmony among ethnic groups. Since her tenure on the board, FCBA has sponsored the Dragon Boat race in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and actively supported the China Pavilion at the Annual Queens Festival.

Tai Nin Wang
Wang, an accountant by trade, serves as vice president of finance for WAC, a firm she and her husband founded, where she has raised money for victims of Hurricane Katrina, the Indonesian Tsunami, 9/11 and many other campaigns.
In 2007, she received the Rotary Gift of Life International Humanitarian Award for helping save many lives of Chinese children born with heart defects. Also in 2007, Wang received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for her contributions to America’s national identity while preserving the distinct values and heritage of her ancestors.  In addition, she works with the Alliance for Smiles organization, helping to provide corrective surgery for children in China, who are born with cleft lips and palates.
Wang is a board member of LaGuardia Community College’s Foundation where she received the Innovative Leadership award.  She is a founder of the Hope School at Ziang-Xi, and is overseeing the sixth year of the WAC Scholarship Program in China to help top students who cannot afford the best college education.

Grace Jungsook Yoon
Yoon is the executive director of the Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC), a leading nonprofit organization committed to preventing and ending domestic violence and relationship abuse, and creating a violence-free society.  As the development director, Yoon led the expansion of the agency by securing and stewarding nearly $2 million in grants.
Prior to that, she worked with the Korean American Women in Need, a domestic violence agency in Chicago, as community outreach coordinator. 
She also served on the boards of several grassroots and professional organizations including Leadership Center for Asian Pacific Americans, National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP-Chicago), Song-A Literature Foundation and the Chicago Korean Cultural Festival. Currently, she is an executive committee member of the Korean American Association of Queens as well as the Korean American Human Service Providers Association.

Raman D. Patel
Patel is the founder and executive of Gujarati Samaj of New York, an organization dedicated to preserving the Gujarati Heritage since 1974.
Gujarati Samaj sponsors an annual health exposition, and institutes innovative and creative programming for senior citizens.