“I never look behind, always ahead,” says Yim Mui (Gina) Kwok, a senior in our Center for Balanced Living. Gina ran the New York City Marathon this year–a dream of hers for decades. Gina was not a runner until after she retired. “I remember seeing the marathon on TV, and I said to myself, ‘Wow, I would love to do that someday.'” After Gina began training, she discovered her best motivation is watching other runners.
“When I see that they don’t give up, I don’t give up,” Gina explains.
This has been a theme for most of Gina’s life. She moved here from Hong Kong in 1972 and began working as a seamstress. When her children were old enough to go to school, she enrolled them in Educational Alliance’s Head Start program. Gina took English classes, which helped her become a citizen, and then obtain her GED. Today, she is the proud mother of a doctor and a school administrator, and she has five grandchildren.
This fall, Gina decided to ask older adult members at our Manny Cantor Center to sponsor her run. Nearly 150 members contributed, raising over $600 for Educational Alliance!
Educational Alliance is a resource for tenacious folks like Gina who achieve ambitious goals like running 26.2 miles AND successfully navigate the challenges of building a life in a new country while raising two children.
Educational Alliance has been there with Gina every step of the way, celebrating each milestone and finding ways to persevere through each challenge together as a community.
Make a gift today to build on Gina’s contribution to older adult programs at the Manny Cantor Center and for #GivingTuesday. Like Gina, we can all go that extra mile (or 26.2)!
Many thanks,
Executive Director, Manny Cantor Center
