A Year for Taking up Challenge, Without Fearing Change, Kensou Hidaka

Happy New Year to all of you. I hope you celebrated the start of 2020 in good spirits, and I wish that this Lunar New Year brings happiness and prosperity.

2020 marks the 24th anniversary of VAHMS founding. Throughout these years, we have made sure to fulfill our mission of recognizing Asian Canadian participation as an integral part of Canadian society. We believe in the power of community and are determined to continue promoting cultural understanding, diversity, respect, and inclusion.  The 2020 explorASIAN Festival’s theme, Pan-Asian Cultural Connections, opens more opportunities to expand National Asian Heritage Month celebration to more cities in Metro-Vancouver. Our signature VAHMS Connections & “Interconnected Project” initiatives are aimed at bringing galleries and cultural organizations to partner and cross-promote events with us. Thanks to the hard work and generosity of our board members, advisors, partners, donors, sponsors, volunteers and your continued support, we are looking forward to producing another exciting explorASIAN Festival.

I would also like to welcome our new Board Members and Festival Coordinator Jasper Sloan Yip. Please continue to check our website, and like us on Facebook to see what we have in store for you this year.

Best Regards,

Leticia Sanchez
VAHMS President 2020