2019年8月31日下午，波士顿地区莱克星顿华协在镇上举办了“以心迎新，欢迎新居民入住莱镇茶话会”。华协服务社区委员会主任匡鹂瑛主持本次活动。此次迎新聚会旨在为新老居民提供交流平台，让新居民了解莱克星顿社区 华协及各项资源平台，通过与华协及老居民的交流，帮助他们尽快适应在美国的学习、生活和工作。参加聚会的新老居民约80人，其中新居民家庭30多家逾60人。

华协会长王华在活动中特别向新居民介绍了华协的发展历史和使命，他说：“在华协成立的36年里，一直在为莱克星顿社区做贡献，为争取华裔和整个社区更好的生活环境做贡献。”他特别用华裔为图书馆十几年来改建翻新等踊跃捐款为例，阐述了华裔为社区做出的卓越奉献，让其他族裔居民更加了解华裔。确实，经过36年华协的努力，华裔在镇上事务的参与越来越多，话语权越来越大，华裔在这里生活的也越来越好。Read full report

六月二十三日下午，莱克星顿华协CAAL特别为义工举办答谢会，感谢义工为社区做出的贡献，共有近90名义工参加活动。
此次活动专门安排在政治家Hancock 故居举行，莱镇历史协会前会长Bill poole 也亲自出席，与大家见面。
夏日的阳光如义工的心通透炙热，义工Ginny的鲜花在一片绿意央然中娇艳妩媚，晓湄选播的动人音乐在空气中缓缓流淌，陈宣亲手做的果盘，再一次惊艳众人！而美食，春卷、饺子、寿司、鲜虾……每一样你都无法拒绝，聊口渴了，还有宵红的自制茶水，包您好喝到停不下。这一个又一个细节都尽显华协的用心，处处在表达对义工的感谢。华协主席王华在现场发言：“做义工的都是源于心里有爱，华协感恩大家传义工之爱，创最美社区  ”。是的：谢谢你！谢谢你，在社区需要的时候出钱出力出才出智；谢谢你，给社区爱与温暖，奉献热情热心。
现场义工尽情交流，欢声笑语组成了那么难忘的午后。很多义工都在说，感谢华协这次活动，即使在镇上生活多年，都没有参观过Hancock故居，借此机会，不仅了解了Hancock 和美国历史，更加进一步了解了莱镇的历史和文化。还有一些家长，带着孩子来参加活动，体会社区义工文化，他们以身作则，教会孩子“付出”这一门课。
身为莱镇居民，是幸福的，不仅历史悠久，有文化底蕴，这里的居民更是有大爱懂付出。大家都纷纷表示要好好爱这个社区，进一步投身社区建设！
都说，善良是内心的高贵和坚守。是仰不愧天，俯不怍地的坦坦荡荡。那么有这么多善良的义工不计回报为社区付出，我们在莱镇的生活一定越来越美好！
再次说一句：谢谢你！

CAAL members joined the Lexington Education Foundation’s annual fundraising gala on June 15th. Good food, music, fun and conversations for a great cause!

From the Lexington Education Foundation Facebook page:

The June 6th’s meeting sponsored by CAAL with Dr. Julie Hackett and Dr. Eileen Jay was a real success. Our parent representatives presented 4 recommendations on after-school program, homework, curriculum and Project Based Learning. Both Julie and Eileen provided their perspectives on these issues and were very receptive to these suggestions. Our parent representative Helen Yang also raised concerns about college admission and school ranking and a lively discussion followed. For people who missed this successful meeting, it is captured on video. Please take a look and hear for yourself about the directions LPS is working towards.

Retired Major General William Chen, the first two-star general in the U.S. Army of Chinese descent, gave a presentation on the legacy of Chinese Americans in the Science Lecture Hall at Lexington High School on June 15.
Chen’s lecture, titled “Opening of Opportunities – CRW & CAWW2,” was attended by more than 100 people. Read the full report

The videos of the talk can be accessed through CAAL YouTube Channel: General Chen’s Talk

LexMedia made this beautiful video (link below) for CAAL to share with the Community. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/pSsQN2D7u4U

This year, Lexington’s Patriots’ Day Parade had a new addition. Among the American flags and colonial attire, a giant red dragon wove between floats, attracted audiences of all ages.

 “Here it comes, the dragon is interacting and sending blessings to the kids.”  Dragon is a symbol of power, strength, and good luck in Chinese culture. Operated by members of the Chinese American Association of Lexington (CAAL), dragon showcased Lexington’s vibrant and active Chinese community. 

 The Dragon team members have practiced for a couple of months to prepare its debut on this Patriots Day. The CAAL marching unit was led by an American flag, an elegant CAAL banner, and accompanied with drum and nice performance by CAAL Youth Music Ensemble. Following the dragon were the marchers holding small American flags, some wearing Chinese costumes.

 Lexington is a particularly open and welcoming place. With support from the town and active participation from the community, Chinese Americans have increased their representation in town government and school affairs. We are delighted and proud to be part of the social fabric here and an integral part of the increasingly multicultural Lexington community.

150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad and on the heels of the May Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

More details of the presentation can be found here.