New Asian American Advisory Committee Launched in Mount Hope

A new advisory committee was announced on June 18 to connect the growing Asian population with local resources in the Town of Mount Hope and surrounding areas.

Mela Wu, president of Mount Hope Chinese Association, unveiled the committee along with several local officials during the Dragon Boat Festival at the town park.

“This is exciting. This has been in the works for quite a few months,” Wu said. “I am so honored and so grateful for the wonderful support I get.”

Local resident Luis Abramson suggested the idea to Wu, who then got support from Otisville village trustee Lance Davoren, Village Mayor Brian Carey, and Mount Hope Supervisor Matthew Howell.

Mela said the committee would not only inform new Asian immigrants of available resources but also encourage participation in local affairs to give back to the community.

Howell said at the announcement, “It is great that we can bring our community together, learn from each other, and make everything in the area a better place for everyone to live.”

Councilwoman Amanda Davis is the town’s liaison to the advisory committee.

Carey said he and village liaison Davoren looked forward to working with the committee members to help with the needs they might have.

Four inaugural committee members were also announced at the festival: Mount Hope resident Chris Cheng, Port Jervis resident Sean Lin, and Middletown residents Li Li and Jim Zhang.

Cheng, a senior leader in acquisitions and corporate development at multinational conglomerate 3M, has lived in the United States for 22 years and moved to Mount Hope about two years ago.

He told The Epoch Times that aside from the language barrier, he also wanted to help new immigrants—especially those from vastly different countries such as communist China—learn the cultural and social norms of a free society.

A corporate strategist at AT&T, Li Li came to the United States more than 30 years ago and moved to Middletown in 2019.

She said she would introduce Asian newcomers to education and workforce development resources and local government mechanisms such as town hall meetings.

Jim Zhang, the owner of Home2Suites in Middletown and vice president of Gan Jing World, a fast-growing online platform, moved to Middletown from Canada two years ago.

“This is our home. We want to work together to build a better community together,” he said.

Sean Lin, a former U.S. Army microbiologist and an assistant professor at Feitian College in Middletown, said that Dragon Boat Festival was a fitting occasion to announce the committee.

“To make a dragon boat race successful, you need a very united team effort,” he said. “Hopefully, through our joint efforts, we can better serve the community.”

A Chinese tradition, the Dragon Boat Festival is held each spring to commemorate the ancient poet and patriot Qu Yuan and often features a dragon boat race.

Instead of a boat race on water, a running race among teams carrying handmade dragons was held at the Dragon Boat Festival at Mount Hope Town Park this year.

The festival had about 70 vendors and attracted over 1,000 visitors, according to Wu.