On March 27th, You Dao successfully held the 12th Mr. Willis Charity Dinner.
Dr. Warren Kinne welcomed the guests and kicked off the dinner with an opening speech.
You Dao chairman Compton Tothill also spoke and thanked all of the guests for coming and their continued support. You Dao Treasurer and Shanghai Magnolia Silver Award winner Bud Pratt gave the guests an overview of You Dao’s activities. You Dao’s two female board members, Alice Xie and Vivien Lee, also gave speeches.
Alice talked about her own story; her parents were migrant workers and raised her and her two siblings. Her story was very moving and the guests and waiters were all very emotional.
Vivien also shared a story about a migrant grandmother and her hardships of being a migrant worker and raising a family. She spoke about how You Dao is able to help these families and get them the support they need. She encouraged others to join You Dao and support the mission.
The Brass Quintet Orchestra provided the dinner’s entertainment. The group played the Overture of William Tell and the guests moved to the music.
Dr. Kinne and Mr. Tothill gave a special thank you to Mr. Willis the founder and host of Mr. Willis Restaurant. They said that without Mr. Willis and his support there would be no You Dao. They thanked Mr. Willis for donating all of the revenue from these dinners every fall and spring to support You Dao. They also provided a very special thank you to all of the waiters and support staff at Mr. Willis Restaurant to donate their time to support the event.
The charity dinner was a great success and raised money for 14 scholarships to support impoverished migrant children in their pursuit of a better education. In addition, many of the guests showed a strong interest in volunteering with You Dao in the future.
You Dao hopes to let more migrant children know there is a strong community that loves and supports them. We hope to help more children understand this love and to grow up and become more independent, responsible, and loving people.