It’s the personal stories of new Canadians who found hope and happiness through the help of SUCCESS that proves to Tung Chan — the Vancouver organization’s CEO — that his tenure has been of consequence.
Chan announced his upcoming retirement earlier this month and said all members of the organization should be proud of how it’s evolved.
SUCCESS launched 37 years ago to help newcomers from China integrate.
It now has 29 offices around British Columbia, with programs in dozens of languages helping immigrants, at-risk youth, seniors and the First Nations community.
One woman from China spoke at a fundraising event for the organization’s depression hotline and nearly brought Chan to tears.
“This woman had postpartum depression. By chance she saw an ad for that hotline,” Chan said.
She called the number, spoke with volunteers and found help.
“She came back and worked as a volunteer with us, made friends and she now has a happy life. That makes me feel it’s worth my time to do what I do.”
Chan’s also proud that, under his leadership, the board of directors has gone from all Chinese to a multi-cultural panel.
“That shows that my (mission) to make SUCCESS a more multi-cultural organization reflecting the cultures of the people we serve (has been realized).”
Chan will retire on Nov. 1.
