Toronto, January 5, 2023 – The 34th annual Dragon Ball benefit gala of Yee Hong Community Wellness Foundation will make its long-awaited in-person return on Saturday, January 21, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (255 Front Street West, Toronto). Details were revealed today at the media launch held at the head office of Tridel, one of Canada’s leading homebuilders, and a long-standing Yee Hong supporter.
Dr. Joseph Wong, Founder and Chair of Yee Hong Foundation remarked, “The gala raises funds for Yee Hong to keep our four long-term care centres, hospice residence, and services for 15,000 seniors running, and provide the financial resources to add immediately at least 224 beds to our current capacity of 805 long-term care beds.” He thanked all sponsors and supporters for their steadfast commitment during these challenging times (list of business leaders and major sponsors appended).
Honorary Patron Jim Ritchie, CEO of Tridel Group, commented on the corporate relationship with Yee Hong for over 30 years. “Our shared passion for providing homes that offer an excellent quality of life and building community is why we have supported Yee Hong all these years and will continue to do so,” he said.
This year’s Dragon Ball falls on the Lunar New Year’s Eve. Yee Hong Foundation President Stephen Siu highlighted the theme of the gala that symbolizes the rebirth of the Dragon, emerging from the pandemic, stronger, smarter, and more powerful. He said, “The gala will be an unforgettable evening with fascinating lineup of activities and entertainment to celebrate the Dragon’s resilience and spirit when leaping forward into the Year of the Rabbit together with some 1,000 guests.”
The pre-dinner reception will feature hors d’oeuvres prepared by a group of young, accomplished Chinese-Canadian chefs that will tantalize the tastebuds of the gala guests with their new concept of “from memories to creativity”.
With the support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Toronto), the evening’s entertainment will feature an amazing magic show by Louis Yan, an internationally recognized champion magician who is also known as the David Copperfield of Hong Kong. He has been one of the few selected magicians in the world honoured with a “Best Stage Performer” Merlin Award. Our seniors with Parkinson’s disease participating in the “I Can Dance” fitness program will debut at the gala to demonstrate the joys and benefits of dancing. The attractive costumes and beautifully choreographed dance by Kulkat Entertainment will captivate guests as well.
Guests will have the opportunity to bring home auction items as New Year gifts for relatives and friends. In addition to a diamond bracelet worth $18,500 donated by Royal de Versailles Jewellers, live auction items include a pair of roundtrip business class tickets to any destination around the world that Air Canada flies; a hand-crafted luxury mattress from Hästens; and a dinner set for 10 at The Chef’s House at George Brown College. There will also be an array of silent auction items including gift certificates of various popular restaurants; fine wines; consumer electronic devices; paintings and autographed prints of award-winning landscape photos; fashionable accessories; and much more. Guests can also join the lucky draw raffle to win a European vacation tour package.
Yee Hong’s success is the result of the collaborative efforts of everyone in the community. Dragon Ball tickets (regular $600 each and VIP $800 each) are available online at www.YeeHongDragonBall.org. For enquiries, please call Yee Hong Community Wellness Foundation at 416-321-0777.
The Yee Hong Community Wellness Foundation is the fundraising, communications and public relations arm of the Yee Hong community, which raises funds to cover the operational expenses of services and programs of the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care, and the capital to build three new centres in the near future. Please visit yeehong.com/foundation for details.
Yee Hong Community Wellness Foundation gratefully acknowledges the following business leaders and major sponsors of Dragon Ball 2023:
Honorary Patrons:
• Helen Ching-Kircher, Dealer Principal, President, and CEO of DFC Auto Group
• Jim Ritchie, President & CEO of Tridel Group
Honorary Co-Chairs:
• Winson Chan, Shouyi Ma, Kenny Wan and Lenny Wong
Milestone Sponsor:
• TD Bank Group
Bauhinia Sponsor:
• Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Toronto)
Dragon Sponsors:
• Air Canada
• Audi Uptown
• Hanson Canada
• MediSystem
• Tridel
Gold Sponsors:
• BMO
• Desjardines
• Fotile
• Hästens
• HSBC
• Kenny Wan Chartered Accountant
• Ocean Packers Inc.
• RBC
• Royal de Versailles Jewellers
• Scotiabank
• Sun Life
Community Sponsors:
• Best Deal Graphics & Printing
• Cheelo Graphics
• Congee Queen
• Dell