YMCA’s Lam Honored As Chair of Asian Heritage Month

This month, Denise Lam is helping provide more than fitness opportunities to the public; she’s bringing the arts, cooking, festivals and thought-provoking issues of Asian-American communities, too.

Lam, the group vice president and executive director of Niles’ Leaning Tower YMCA, was appointed Chair of the City of Chicago’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, under the auspices of outgoing Mayor Richard M. Daley.

The Heritage Month includes almost daily activities during May, from Hawaiian music concerts to Indian dance performances to Chinese opera to an Asian American Festival to Korean language and Japanese cooking classes.

“I definitely encourage people to go to next week’s (May 16-20) festival at Daley Plaza—there will be booths set up with Asian food, information and merchandise,” Lam said.

Lam, who was born in southern China, moved to Hong Kong with her parents while a baby and came to the United States as a teenager, got involved in the Asian community through her previous job.

“Prior to me working at the Y, I was the executive director of the Chinese Mutual Aid Association,” she said. “I was involved in immigrant and refugee issues that communities face—especially the Asian community.”

She was asked to join the Mayor’s Advisory Council for Asian American Affairs about six years ago, she said, and became chair last year.

“Every year, the Chicago mayor puts together Asian Pacific American Heritage Month,” Lam said, explaining the Advisory Council for Asian American Affairs plans the receptions and events for Heritage Month.

Lam also sits on the Board of Commissioners of the Chicago Commission on Human Relations,  which is centrally involved in Heritage Month.

Mayor Daley was scheduled to attend the Heritage Month reception on May 3rd, but had to cancel at the last minute when his wife Maggie went into the hospital that day.

“We presented him a hand-crafted statue from Vietnam of the god of compassion, which represents 1,000 arms and 1,000 eyes,” Lam said. “He was granted 1,000 arms to help people who are suffering. He also needs extra eyes to see the people who are suffering so he can help them.”