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Henry Liu helps elders stay in community with each other throughout pandemic

By Stacy Nguyen, journalist, designer, and community member

Simplified Chinese

Traditional Chinese


For Henry Liu, it’s all about bringing people together.

Henry has been a community organizer ever since graduating from college. In particular, Henry is passionate about serving the Chinatown International District (CID) — and connecting with people over perhaps the greatest commonality we have as humans: a love of food. 

This is why Henry jumped into action when the state’s COVID-19 stay-home order was implemented. Being familiar with the CID, Henry knows that many of the seniors who live in the neighborhood tended to live in small apartments in old buildings (many of which were originally designed as single room occupancy apartments to house near-exclusively male Asian immigrants who came to Seattle to work as laborers). Most of us struggled emotionally and psychologically with being unable to leave our homes, but imagine being unable to leave a small dorm-style room, not speaking English, and also not having access to technology.  

Anticipating the harmful effects that isolation would have on CID senior residents, Henry proactively started a project delivering culturally appropriate groceries and providing internet services to over 800 vulnerable seniors and families living in Chinatown.

He also distributed thousands of face masks, translated and facilitated water and air quality workshops for neighbors in Cantonese and Toisanese, and partnered with InterIm CDA to host weekly exercise classes. (One of the concerns that seniors voiced at the time was about health and no longer having access to green spaces.) 

Perhaps the most fun of all, Henry also hosted a WeChat group with senior residents who live in different apartments around the CID to update them on food delivery and mental health opportunities. (WeChat is a Chinese instant messaging app.) 

The WeChat group morphed into more than information exchange. It became a hot spot for socialization, connection, and friendships. Henry was so pleasantly surprised at how well his elders were using technology! WeChat allowed residents to do live virtual cooking classes together, and it also allowed for a bunch of chatting, laughing, and lots of emoji exchanges.

How to connect with Henry

Send him an email!

Henry is now a City of Seattle employee. He was previously a community outreach coordinator and today he is a strategic advisor at Seattle Police Department. He’s down to have you email him, so feel free to connect with him at henry.liu@seattle.gov.

Follow him on LinkedIn!
If social media is more your speed, Henry can be found on LinkedIn. Follow him!

This blog is part of our Support Your Neighbors in the CID series, which spotlights amazing folks in the Chinatown International District, nominated by their neighbors for doing cool and impactful work around community safety. 

疫情大流行期间Henry Liu帮助耆老通过微信平台留在社区彼此相伴

By Stacy Nguyen, journalist, designer, and community member

作者:Stacy Nguyen,记者、设计师和社区成员

本文由西华报翻译

对 Henry Liu 来说,这一切都是为了能让大家聚在一起。

Henry大学毕业后一直是社区组织者。特别是Henry 热衷为华埠国际区 (CID) 服务,并与大家建立联繫,走在一起的另一原因也许是我们作为人类最大的共同点:对食物的热爱。

这就是为什麽Henry在华州实施COVID-19 居家令时立即採取行动的原因。熟悉华埠的Henry知道,许多附近的耆老们大多数都是住在旧建筑的小公寓里(其中许多公寓最初设计为单人间的入住房型,以容纳来西雅图作为劳力工作且近乎专属男性的亚洲移民者)。 我们大多数人在疫情期间已经因居家令无法外出,情感和心理上都在挣扎。那麽想像一下这些住在公寓楼里的耆老们,他/她们无法离开宿舍式的小房间,不会说英语,也无法使用网路科技与外界联络的无奈和苦闷。

A digital meeting space with multiple faces in squares

考虑到居家隔离对华埠长者们的不利影响,Henry 主动启动了一个为居住在华埠 800 多名的弱势长者和家庭,提供符合文化背景的食品杂货和互联网服务项目。

他还分发数千个口罩,用粤语和台山话为邻居翻译和协助用水和空气质量研讨会,并与InterIm社区发展协会(InterIm CDA) 合作举办每週体能锻练班。(长者当时表达的担忧之一是健康,以及不再能够进入大自然的绿色空间活动。)

也许最有趣的是,Henry还与住在华埠周围不同栋公寓的老年居民建立了一个微信群,向他们更新有关食品配送和心理保健机会的信息。(「微信—WeChat」是一款中文即时通讯应用程序的社交平台网站。)

微信群不仅仅是信息交流。它成为社交、联繫和友谊的热点。Henry对这些长辈们使用技术的能力感到非常惊喜!「微信」让居民们可以一起做实时的虚拟烹饪课,还可以一起说说笑笑和使用大量表情符号交流。

如何与Henry联系

请给他发送电子邮件!

Henry现在是西雅图市的一名僱员。以前是社区外展协调员,现在是西雅图警察局的战略顾问 (strategic advisor)。他很希望你能给他发电子邮件,并随时通过 henry.liu@seattle.gov与他联系。

请在 LinkedIn 上关注他!

如果社交媒体更适合您,可以在 LinkedIn 上找到 Henry 并关注他!

该博客是「在华埠国际区中支持您的邻里」(Support Your Neighbors in the CID) 系列的一部份,该系列重点介绍华埠的杰出人士,由于他们在社区安全方面做了出色且有影响力的工作而被邻里提名。


疫情大流行期間Henry Liu幫助耆老通過微信平台留在社區彼此相伴

作者:Stacy Nguyen,記者、設計師和社區成員

本文由西華報翻譯

對 Henry Liu 來說,這一切都是為了能讓大家聚在一起。

Henry大學畢業後一直是社區組織者。特別是Henry 熱衷為華埠國際區 (CID) 服務,並與大家建立聯繫,走在一起的另一原因也許是我們作為人類最大的共同點:對食物的熱愛。

這就是為什麼Henry在華州實施COVID-19 居家令時立即採取行動的原因。熟悉華埠的Henry知道,許多附近的耆老們大多數都是住在舊建築的小公寓裡(其中許多公寓最初設計為單人間的入住房型,以容納來西雅圖作為勞力工作且近乎專屬男性的亞洲移民者)。 我們大多數人在疫情期間已經因居家令無法外出,情感和心理上都在掙扎。那麼想像一下這些住在公寓樓裡的耆老們,他/她們無法離開宿舍式的小房間,不會說英語,也無法使用網路科技與外界聯絡的無奈和苦悶。

A digital meeting space with multiple faces in squares

考慮到居家隔離對華埠長者們的不利影響,Henry 主動啟動了一個為居住在華埠 800 多名的弱勢長者和家庭,提供符合文化背景的食品雜貨和互聯網服務項目。

他還分發數千個口罩,用粵語和台山話為鄰居翻譯和協助用水和空氣質量研討會,並與InterIm社區發展協會(InterIm CDA) 合作舉辦每週體能鍛練班。(長者當時表達的擔憂之一是健康,以及不再能夠進入大自然的綠色空間活動。)

也許最有趣的是,Henry還與住在華埠周圍不同棟公寓的老年居民建立了一個微信群,向他們更新有關食品配送和心理保健機會的信息。(「微信—WeChat」是一款中文即時通訊應用程序的社交平台網站。)

微信群不僅僅是信息交流。它成為社交、聯繫和友誼的熱點。Henry對這些長輩們使用技術的能力感到非常驚喜!「微信」讓居民們可以一起做實時的虛擬烹飪課,還可以一起說說笑笑和使用大量表情符號交流。

如何與Henry聯繫

請給他發送電子郵件!

Henry現在是西雅圖市的一名僱員。以前是社區外展協調員,現在是西雅圖警察局的戰略顧問(strategic advisor)。他很希望你能給他發電子郵件,並隨時通過 henry.liu@seattle.gov與他聯繫。

請在 LinkedIn 上關注他!

如果社交媒體更適合您,可以在 LinkedIn 上找到 Henry 並關注他!

該博客是「在華埠國際區中支持您的鄰里」(Support Your Neighbors in the CID) 系列的一部份,該系列重點介紹華埠的傑出人士,由於他們在社區安全方面做了出色且有影響力的工作而被鄰里提名。