Tribute to Councilor Tony C. Wong
Dear friends who had worked hand in hand with Councilor Tony Wong in various committees and organizations in serving the community. Dear friends who had benefited directly or indirectly from Councilor Tony Wong’s involvement in different projects and services to bring a better living to the society. Dear friends who had felt the warmth and love Councilor Tony Wong delivered through his enthusiasm and dedication in advocating for the less privileged. You may or may not know the person standing or sitting next you. But, today we have gathered here for one cause. We have gathered here to celebrate the life of a common friend. We have gathered here to pay tribute to a wonderful person who had done so much to make the society a better place for us.
My name is Dr. Gerald Ho. I am a personal friend of Tony and Ellie, and I am the pediatrician of Tony and Ellie’s beautiful daughter Daphne. I am also the vice-president of Spirit of Life, a voluntary charitable organization dedicated to helping individuals with developmental disabilities, connecting them to appropriate services, and raising public awareness about the many challenges these individuals face.
Five years ago, I received a phone call from Tony, asking me to attend a meeting to discuss issues regarding individuals with developmental disabilities. It was on short notice. It was a mere two minutes conversation. I did not ask too much details about the purpose of the meeting, who was going to be attending etc. I agreed. Because I knew Tony was a man with passion for the less privileged. Tony was a man with vision who saw what people needed. Tony was a man with leadership and dedication whom anyone would love to work with. Whatever Tony asked you to do was surely something worth doing. This had been my personal experience when I had previously worked with Tony in an anit-tobacco smoking campaign within the Chinese community.
During the following few months, I attended a series of meetings and sat in with a number of devoted individuals. Tony chaired all the meetings, led discussions on various issues regarding the challenges faced by individuals with developmental disabilities, their needs and existing service gaps, cultural and language barriers encountered by new immigrants from China and other ethnic groups. Subsequently, Spirit of Life was established. Over the years, an increasing number of clients, the majorities of which are of Chinese origin, have received services provided by the organization. Throughout these years, Councilor Tony Wong continued to be our honorary advisor and never failed to provide thoughtful and valuable support to the organization.
In the words of Albert Einstein, “Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us, our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life.”
Today, may I say, Councilor Tony Wong lives on in the hearts of each and every one of us, in those who have worked with him and have been inspired by his whole-hearted dedication in serving the community, in those whose lives have been influenced for the better because of his advocacy for the less privileged, and in those who have only just heard of his deeds and can already feel the warmth and love that exist in the society.
In closing, I would like on behalf of the board of directors and volunteers of Spirit of Life, to pay a sincere tribute to Councilor Tony Wong, for all the wonderful things he has done to the community.
Thank you.
Dr. Gerald Ho
On behalf of Spirit of Life
