[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 67 (Thursday, May 19, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1021]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     TRIBUTE TO THE LATE EINEZ YAP

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                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 18, 2005

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the late 
Einez Yap.
  Einez Yap, who passed away unexpectedly on May 18, 2005, was a 
quintessential community activist who went about helping others in a 
quiet and dignified manner. Her passing is tragic, not just to her 
family, but to all those who knew her.
  She was the visionary behind the establishment of LEASA Industries in 
1977, when it began as a small family-owned business. Since its humble 
beginnings in Liberty City, the company has grown to become one of the 
largest growers of bean and alfalfa sprouts and one of the largest 
manufacturers of tofu and suppliers of fresh fruits and vegetables in 
the state of Florida.
  A dutiful partner and wife to George Yap, President/CEO of LEASA 
Industries, Einez was a doting mother and proud grandmother. Her 
business acumen was instrumental in enabling LEASA Industries to become 
a recipient of the prestigious National Minority Manufacturer of the 
Year Award for 1997-1998 and the acknowledgement of LEASA Industries as 
one of Florida's fastest growing private companies by the University of 
Florida's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
  The tremendous success that Einez enjoyed in business, however, was 
secondary to her impact as a community leader. A member of several 
community organizations, Mrs. Yap was the resilient president of the 
Chinese Cultural Foundation and founder of the Organization of Chinese 
Americans, as well as the untiring entrepreneur spearheading the annual 
celebration of the Chinese New Year Festival in Miami-Dade County for 
the past decade. Additionally, she served on the Board of the Asian-
American Federation of Florida, as well as Advisory Council of the 
National Alliance to Nurture the Aged and the Young (NANAY), Inc. She 
has been the patroness and benefactress of many more community 
organizations that are at the forefront of seeking equality of 
opportunity for minority groups; and she has been a featured leader for 
the Miami-Dade Community Relations Board as it deals with the challenge 
of inclusion of the disenfranchised and the underrepresented in our 
community.
  Her contributions to our community were recently acknowledged in 
March of 2005, when she was honored as a Pioneer at Miami-Dade County's 
``In The Company of Women'' Awards--a distinction previously bestowed 
on the likes of former Congresswoman Carrie Meek and U.S. Attorney 
General Janet Reno, among others.
  Her Catholic faith was the source of inspiration and motivation for 
her reaching out to the downtrodden--as evidenced by her commitment 
early on at LEASA Industries to employ hard-to-place and at-risk 
residents.
  ``They're God's people, too--and are in need of a second or third-
chance in life . . . if we can't help them, then who will . . .'' is 
often the stance that defined her commitment to the community she so 
loved.
  Einez Yap was truly a woman of active compassion and a leader in our 
community, and her passing is a heavy blow to our community. I know I 
speak for all my colleagues in extending our deepest sympathy and 
condolences to her husband, George Yap, and son Andrew.

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