Last Thursday was the 10^th Anniversary APA Holiday Toy Drive & Reception and it was such a great event! Each attendee was asked to bring a new unwrapped toy worth at least $15 or minimum donation of $15. I haven’t received a final count on the toys, but I did peek into the toy distribution center and saw boxes and boxes of toys!

We had the toy drive & reception at the beautiful Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo. The floor to ceiling glass windows and modern architecture was the perfect venue for the event. I had afun time along with my friends. There were delicious gourmet food catered, delectable desserts that   satisfied my sweet tooth and an amazing mix of entertainment. There were also fabulous raffle prizes, including a wine & cheese basket, hotel gift certificates, Lawry’s dinner for two and many more!

The talented Helen Ota emceed the event and did a fabulous job. Lawry’s The Prime Rib catered their popular meatballs, creamed corn and creamed spinach. Panda Inn Restaurant brought an assortment of Chinese food and my favorite, white chocolate dipped fortune cookies (I’m eating one right now). Morris Architects was kind enough to provide freshly baked dessert items. There were also free flowing drinks from Hpnotiq, Singha Beer and Starbucks. Throughout the night the crowd enjoyed the sounds from local talent: Fujazz, Clarissa Park and David Choi. David was also generous enough to donate 50% of his CD sales to the Toy Drive! (If you haven't already, go youtube David Choi). At the end of the night, all attendees took home a goodie bag filled with Maggi Seasoning bottles and See’s Candies.

There are 12 beneficiary organizations that are this year’s toy recipients: Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), Asian Pacific Women’s Center (APWC), Asian Youth Center (AYC), Center for Pacific Asian Family (CPAF), Chinatown Service Center (CSC), Korean Health Education Information & Research (KHEIR), Koreatown Youth & Community Center (KYCC), Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC), Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA), South Asian Helpline & Referral Agency, Thai Health & Information Services, and Western Justice Center Foundation.

THANK YOU to the following co-sponsoring organizations & volunteers: Asian Business League (ABL), Asian Pacific American Bar Association (APABA), Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance (APAWLA), Asian Professional Exchange (APEX), Japanese American Bar Association (JABA), Korean American Bar Association (KABA), Organization of Chinese Americans Greater Los Angeles (OCAGLA), Philippine American Bar Association (PABA), South Asian Bar Association (SABA), Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association (SCCLA), and Taiwanese American Lawyers Association (TALA).

THANK YOU to the following Corporate Sponsors, listed below:

On a side note, before the December 3^rd event, there was a toy drive from November 16 – December 1 at participating Southern California HSBC bank locations. We’ve collected over 250 toys from the bank locations and congratulations to the HSBC Diamond Bar branch for collecting the most toys!

Thank you again to everyone who was involved and attended the 10^th Anniversary APA Holiday Toy Drive & Reception. We wouldn’t have collected so many toys and bring smiles to the children’s faces without your love and support. Thank you.

{ UPDATE } 

Notable Highlights:

-  Close to 2,000 toys were donated

-  Monetary donations from Asian Bar Association, APEX, HSBC & David Choi - $7,430

-  Gift cards donated to beneficiary organizations - $2,485

-  Over 400 attendees

-  In addition to the toys, each beneficiary organization will receive $100 Target Gift Cards

-  First year for toy drop-off in a retail setting at HSBC's 17 participating branches

   Volunteers organize over 2,000 toys collected        Volunteers help serve food donated by Lawry's & Panda Inn  David Choi - popular local talent performs a few songs | www.davidchoimusic.com