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Mission

The Chinese Railroad Workers Descendants Association is a national, membership based, charitable organization which seeks to preserve, promote and protect the contributions made by Chinese railroad workers to the United States. Through our educational and philanthropic efforts, we support academic research, historic preservation and artistic projects that further the understanding and appreciation of the sacrifices, struggles, hardships and contributions made by generations of Chinese and Chinese Americans to the United States.

LEADERSHIP

Lotus Fong
Stephen Zhou
Steven Lee
Rick Eng
Kenny Yee
Frank Yee

Hon. Raymond Uno, Ret.
Sue Lee
Lee Liu Chin
Connie Young Yu
LeLand Wong
Eddie Yee
William Yu
Patrick Yee
Kitson Yu
Shue HaiPei
Li Ju
Alan Yee

Margaret Yee, Chairwoman
Karen Kwan, President
Patrick Santee, Secretary
Yu Li Lin, Treasurer
Siu Lin Santee

Edith Mitko
Eunice Lane
Rick Lam
Terry Chen
Dean Hirabayashi
Faye Mitsunaga
Jim Eng

Wilson Lee

Qiwei Chen

Samantha Tse

Shiya Zeng

J.R. Gao

Elizabeth Kwan

Advisory Board

Board of Directors

Ambassadors

Katrina Nhan
Rachel Yee
Kyle Nhan

Volunteers

Chairwoman

Margaret Yee is an energetic life force that has dedicated herself to serving the Asian community for over 55 years. She has brought the Asian community together to celebrate their culture and heritage through various events, as well as, to gain recognition for their achievements (both historical and present). She has served on numerous boards and committees at the Federal, State, and community levels.
In addition to her extensive community involvement, Margaret Yee is a successful business woman, conducting business internationally, as well as co-owning the iconic Jade Café for 56 years.

Margaret Yee

President/CEO

Karen Kwan is proud to follow in the footsteps of her brother, Judge Michael Kwan who was co-founder and first President of CRWDA. Karen and her husband, Travis, have 3 daughters, 2 sons-in-law, and, the most spoiled of all, their granddaughter.
Karen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology both from Pepperdine University. She has a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Utah. She is a full Professor of Psychology at Salt Lake Community College, where she was named the SLCC 2014 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer.
Karen has always been passionate about serving her community and has served selflessly through various community and civic engagement organizations. She worked as program assistant at the Asian Association of Utah and Adviser at the Center for Ethnic Student Affairs at the University of Utah. She was co-founder and first executive director of OCA-Utah and served on the Governor’s Asian-American Council. In 2016, she was elected to the Utah House of Representatives. Rep. Kwan is proud to be the first Chinese-American in the Utah Legislature but hopes she will be the first of many.
As a member of the Utah State Legislature, Rep. Kwan serves on leadership as Minority Whip and avidly works on legislation to support immigrant and refugee communities, language access, local businesses, invest in quality education, enhance the care of senior communities, preserve family values, and advance equality for all Utahns. She is grateful for the opportunity to represent Utahns and to serve our communities.

Karen Kwan

Secretary

Pat Santee joins us after a long career working in public and private non-profits. As an educator and administrator, he worked to support low-income immigrant and refugee children and their parents in a variety of programs using city, county, state, federal, and private grants to improve their skills in English,
the path to citizenship, their mental health, intergenerational support, and physical well-being.
Along the way, he has consistently volunteered in the community being a valued member in many
organizations. Among those, he has held support positions in the Utah Organization of
Chinese Americans, and now, with us at CRWDA.

Pat Santee

Treasurer

YuLi Lin currently serves as the treasurer for CRWDA and also served as a board member for Utah Indochina Benevolence Society, Chinese Association for Science and Technology-Utah Chapter, United Chinese Association of Utah and Utah Organization of Chinese Americans.
YuLi graduated from QuanZho YongChun Vocational College in China and taught at Yongchun Shi Yan Elementary for two years before coming to the United States. She has taught at Hwa Kwang Chinese School for 27 years.
YuLi and her husband live in Utah where they own and manage the restaurant- China Grill. They have 6 wonderful children.

Yu Li Lin

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Our commitment and gratitude to our sponsors and donors is unyielding.
Information concerning the award of public funding is based upon desire for transparency on the award, use and accounting of all public funds.
Except where required by law, private donors can be assured that their information is never sold, used or disclosed without their express permission. You will be contacted before any disclosure of your data is made.
We do not sell, barter, trade or lend data collected in the course of the operation of organization.
We do use aggragated data to support the application and financial reporting of grants. This data does not utilize or disclose personal information such as name, address, contact information or email address.

The Board of Directors are keenly aware that because CRWDA receives funding from public entities, corporations, private individuals and foundations, we have a responsibility to operate with transperancy, accountability and integrity. We are committed to making a full and complete accounting of all public funds and have filed all required reports to all funding agencies as required.

We also recognize our responsibility to the privacy of our private donors and foundations. We do not disclose the identity of our donors without their express permission, subject to the requirements of law. We do not sell, transfer, barter, trade or provide the information and data generated from the operation of the corporation without permission. We do disclose aggregate financial information which does not disclose personally identifiable information in order to provide transperancy in the operation of the corporation and the provision and advancement of our charitable mission.

That said, CRWDA provides the following financial information. We will maintain this information on this website for no less than five years and no more than ten years. Requests for data older than 10 years may be honored.

CRWDA does not now, nor has it ever, accept donations from any foreign governments, agencies, departments or agents.

2018

100% of CRWDA's income from 2017 were utilized for charitable purposes in 2018.
2018 incomes will likely exceed $125,000
2018 expenses will likely be less than $80,000
CRWDA received or will receive funding from corporate sponsors, private foundations, public entities, individual donors and a direct appropriation from the Utah Legislature.
CRWDA filed all accountings and financial reports required by our funders.
- No exception, items of interest or areas of improvement were noted in any financial reviews.
Our 2018 income will require us to file a 990 in 2019. We will post a copy of our 2018 990 when available.
Fiscal management includes an annual budget, a board level treasurer and independent certified public accountant.
- Fiscal management is supervised by the President who reports to the Board Chair.
An independant audit of our 2018 fiscal management. A copy of the audit will be posted for public access on this website when release is authorized by the board. We anticipate that the audit will be completed in July 2019.
We anticipate that 100% of the members of the Board of Directors will be donors to the organization.

2017

After nearly 30 years serving the community unincorporated, a group of descendants of the Chinese railroad workers and committed friends and supporters realized that with the 150th Anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad to occur in 2019, they needed to formalize their efforts and incorporate.
In 2017, CRWDA was formed under the laws of the State of Utah and received recognition as a tax exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. IRS regulations.
100% of the original members of the original Board of Directors were also donors.
Total income for 2017 was less than $1,000.
CRWDA had no expenses in 2017.
Because its income did not exceed statutory thresholds, CRWDA was only required to file FORM 990-N for 2017 and did so in 2018.
CRWDA paid no salaries, had no employees, contractors or vendors.
No audit was performed for 2017 as no monies were spent.

Coordinating Organizations

JACL Olympus Chapter
Mayor’s Office of Diversity Affairs -Salt Lake County*
OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates National
OCA Asian Pacific Islander American Advocates Utah*
Pilipino American Association of Utah*
Salt Lake Chinese Choir
Salt Lake City & Keelung Sister City
Taiwanese Association of the Greater Salt Lake*
United Chinese Association of Utah
U.S. China Railroad Friendship Association
U.S. National Park Service
Utah Asian Chamber of Commerce*
Utah Cultural News
Utah Indo-China Chinese Benevolent Association*
Utah Office of Multicultural Affairs*

*2014 Golden Spike Consortium Member

Asian Association of Utah - Refugee & Immigrant Center
Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association
Box Elder County Visitor and Tourism Bureau
Chinese American Citizens Alliance - Boston
Chinese American Citizens Alliance - Los Angeles
Chinese Heritage Foundation
Chinese Historical & Cultural Project
Chinese Historical Society of America
Chinese Performing Arts
Chinese Railroad Workers Descendants Association
Chinese Senior United Association of Utah
Coalition of La Raza
Corky Lee Photography
Indian Cultural Center of Utah*
Italian Center of the West
JACL Salt Lake Chapter*

The CRWDA is honored to have the following organizations as members of our Consortium for Golden Spike activites.