[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 23727-23728]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



      CELEBRATING A DECADE OF A COMMUNITY APPROACH TO ELDERLY CARE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CONSTANCE A. MORELLA

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 19, 2000

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 10th anniversary 
of the founding of the Chinese American Retirement Enterprises (CAREN). 
This Saturday, more than a thousand CAREN members will celebrate this 
milestone occasion with its founders and friends at the CAREN Co-op 
House in Adelphi, Maryland, near the College Park campus of the 
University of Maryland.
  It is hard to believe that it was just a decade ago that a group of 
concerned and committed citizens from the Washington, DC area founded 
CAREN to aid senior and disabled Chinese Americans by providing 
programs and opportunities for affordable housing and elder care. CAREN 
is dedicated to five service goals: (1) housing and transportation, (2) 
learning and recreational activities, (3) assisted living and bilingual 
care, (4) security and a sense of belonging, and (5) happiness through 
voluntary contribution and labor. Additionally, CAREN promotes lifelong 
learning and the preservation of Chinese culture to be passed on to 
future generations.
  As a strong supporter of CAREN's mission, I am very pleased to have 
been involved with the organization since its inception. Since its

[[Page 23728]]

founding 10 years ago, CAREN has founded six outstanding services and 
facilities. In 1992, the CAREN Senior Self-Help Center was created to 
sponsor a Saturday activity program for more than a hundred seniors and 
volunteers. Realizing the vital need for better elderly housing, the 
CAREN Development Company was developed in 1994. This company provides 
housing specifically designed to fit the needs of elderly and disabled 
persons.
  Its first project, the CAREN Co-op House, was completed in 1997 and 
holds 89 apartment units designed for independent living. In 1998, in 
order to increase opportunities for lifelong learning the Charles B. 
Wang Senior Center, established through a $3 million grant from the 
Charles B. Wang Foundation, was added to the facilities at the Co-op 
House. As a part of the senior center, CAREN College was created to 
provide daily activities and learning. The latest project for this 
motivated group is the CAREN Bilingual Care Home. This project, begun 
in 1999, will turn four floors of the Co-op House into an assisted 
living facility with bilingual staff to allow its residents to ``age-
in-place.''
  Since having hatched from merely just an idea to its present reality, 
CAREN has attracted more than three hundred volunteers from the 
community who have contributed to this unique project. It continues to 
enlist new volunteers under the leadership of Dr. Jeffrey T. Fong, 
Founding Chairman and Chairman of the CAREN Development Co., Mr. David 
J. Lee, CAREN Chairman, Dr. Ho-I Wu, CAREN Vice-Chairman, Mr. James 
Wang, CAREN President, Mr. Wayne Chang, CAREN Co-op Chairman and 
President, and Mr. Han H. Tuan, CAREN Co-op Vice Chairman. I would also 
like to recognize the recipients of the CAREN 10th Anniversary Awards 
who will be honored on Saturday. They include: Mr. Charles B. Wang, Mr. 
Ching-Ho Fung, Ms. Pauline W. Tsui, Ms. Rosa Hum, Dr. Guan-Hong Zhou, 
Ms. Charlotte Shen, Ms. Elizabeth Fong, Mr. Jack K.C. Chiang, Ms. Jean 
P. Li, Ms. Lee N.K. Mark, Mr. Ku-Hua Shih, Rev. Elen Mu-The Sun, Dr. 
Joseph Yu-Hsu Wang, Ms. Yi-Hwa Shieh Lu, Mr. Shao-Sun Lu, and Mr. Chia-
Ming Phua.
  Mr. Speaker, CAREN is a true model for community participation and 
involvement that has enhanced the quality of life of the senior members 
of our Asian American community. I applaud CAREN for its dedication, 
its commitment, and its prosperity since 1990. Each day, CAREN's 
success is reflected in the happy smiles of each of its residents. I 
congratulate CAREN on a job well done in the past decade and I wish the 
organization continued success in the years to come.

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