Kudos to Wendy Jang and the Richmond Public Library, Champions of SUCCESS in Richmond, 2015. Wendy Jang, Coordinator for Chinese Services, Richmond Public Library shared that our partnership started in 1994 when S.U.C.C.E.S.S. held a Chinese Book Donation Campaign to solicit 2,000 Chinese books for the Richmond Public Library. Following the success of the book donation campaign, the Richmond Public Library Services Promotion Group of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. helped develop Chinese language programs, including author talks and the Cantonese Reading Club, in the library.
As a result of increased immigration and many immigrants visiting the library shortly after their arrival in Richmond, the library started working with S.U.C.C.E.S.S.’ Immigrant Settlement & Integration Program to offer a New Immigrant Orientation Program series in 1998. This series provides information on local resources to help new Canadians settle into the community, and continues being offered every Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m. in the library. In the meantime, the library and S.U.C.C.E.S.S. also worked together to offer many other programs, such as job fairs, English Conversation Circles, and the Canadian Citizenship Conversation Circle.
In addition, the library has worked with the Volunteers and Friends Youth Services Group from the Richmond office of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. to offer anti-bullying workshops, safe driving programs, and programs to promote reading. The Reading for Success ESL Book Club, which combined fundraising computer classes with an ESL reading club, won the Merit Award from the BC Library Association, as well as the Highsmith Library Innovation Award from the Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association.
Thank you Wendy and the Richmond Public Library for your support with the Immigrant Settlement & Integration Program in Richmond for all of these years!