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Gordon honoured for ensuring history is preserved by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver Artscene 31 | Friday, December 11, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" A t the heart of the Oakville Chinese community is its passion to give back to others. That's why the Oakville Chinese Network (OCN) is donating proceeds from its 2016 New Year Charity Show to the new Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, which is opening this Sunday (Dec. 13). The charity show is to be held on Saturday, Jan. 16 at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. A press conference was held last Sunday at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre (QEPCCC) to provide details, highlights and cultural background of the presentation. The performance is called Heart of Thanksgiving, and will showcase the Oakville Chinese community's charitable efforts. "We know that the new Oakville hospital has already been fundraising for years. This year, we would like to help out and increase awareness of the Chinese community in Oakville to give some contribution to the local populace," said Rena Lu, OCN president. The network will also accept financial contributions for the hospital at the celebration show, which will consist of nearly 150 minutes of musical and theatrical performances. She hopes to raise $5,000 from donations and ticket sales, which is "just the beginning," Lu said, as OCN calls on Chinese residents to continue fundraising in the future. "We have the heart to give back to the community. We call on the Chinese community to come out and make a contribution to Oakville, especially for the new hospital," said Lu. The hospital was chosen as a recipient of the donations because it needs more financial assistance, Lu said, noting Canada and China has differences in their governmental roles to provide funding. "Inside the hospital comes from contributions from the community. We need to let the Chinese residents know, especially newcomers, it is a totally different system from China. It really relies on fundraising from the community," said Lu. "In the last three years, different communities in Oakville have already made a lot of contributions to the new hospital." Meanwhile, the performance will be directed by dancer Jenny Xu and will feature Zhenguo Zhang, national music composer, Chunjie Wang, flutist and professor at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada, martial artists Tianyun Luo and Zhenglun Wang and lutanist Lan Ye, among others. "We will use the songs, dances and art Performers involved in the Oakville Chinese Network's 2016 New Year Charity Show, taking place Saturday, Jan. 16 at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts, showcased their talent at a media briefing last weekend. The gala will benefit the new Oakville hospital. Pictured, from left, are: Lily Zhang, Lydia Zhang and Wendy Zhao. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) We have the heart to give back to the community. We call on the Chinese community to come out and make a contribution to Oakville, especially for the new hospital. Inside the hospital comes from contributions from the community. We need to let the Chinese residents know, especially newcomers, it is a totally different system from China. It really relies on fundraising from the community. Rena Lu Oakville Chinese Network president performances to express this theme (Heart of Thanksgiving). We invited the famous artists in the community. They've been famous since they immigrated to Canada. They're very popular in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area)," said Lu. Michelle Kerby, Oakville Hospital Foundation (OHF) community fundraising officer, told the Oakville Beaver that the OHF is thrilled to have OCN support, "not just from its aspect, but from all aspects of Oakville." "As the new community members move in, we're there as a hospital for them. We're there to provide some of their students and youths opportunities as far as volunteering go," said Kerby. "We're looking at this as a true partnership with each other to foster their development as they're moving forward in the community." Funds from the show will go to "a number of things that we can do," Kerby said, including IV poles, wheelchairs and blanket warmers. "There is nothing better than being able to receive a nice, warm blanket. Let's say you're coming in for surgery and your anxiety level is up a little bit. A warm blanket sort of helps you calm down and relax before you go into surgery," said Kerby. "We've worked with the Chinese community in the past. It has a lot of youths who are looking into the medical side of things, so we're happy to work with (OCN)." Heart of Thanksgiving will start at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016 at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts, 130 Navy St. Tickets cost $20 until Jan. 10 ($25 as of Jan. 11), and can be purchased online at www.oakvillecentre.ca.