On January 22, the American Chinese United Association (ACUA) held its annual awards ceremony at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Angelo Puppolo, head of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, presented the International Women and Children's Education Achievement Award to Yinjun Zhang, the founder of the AIDS Prevention Education Project for Chinese Youth (APEPCY) and president of the Beijing Changier Education Foundation, in recognition of her and her team's outstanding contributions as global Chinese representatives in the field of HIV/AIDS education and women and children's education.

Representatives from ACUA and MA Chapter, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, State Senator Jake Oliveira, State Representative Aaron Saunders, Springfield City Council President Jesse Lederman, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame CEO John Doleva and other dignitaries attended the ceremony. Jianxin Lin, President of ACUA, and Feng Xie, Co-Chairman of ACUA and President of MA Chapter, gave an award speech,

Madame Yinjun Zhang, a prestige charity figure in China and abroad, initiated the AIDS Prevention Education Project for Chinese Youth (APEPCY) and Beijing Changier Education Foundation after she resigned from the Ministry of Health. For 20 years, she has made outstanding contributions to the protection of women's and children's rights in China and around the world. The "Aids prevention model through sex education" she led has been highly praised by UNAIDS as a "social vaccine" to prevent HIV infection among young people. The APEPCY under her leadership has set up "Changier Hut" and "Parents' Class" (now developed into "Mother's Love Academy") specialized in AIDS prevention education in 1,243 schools and colleges in 29 provinces and cities across China, directly benefiting 30.3 million people, and making public welfare programs available to 2.5 billion people. She has led the development of Chinese herbal medicine to treat AIDS, which has achieved remarkable results in China and other African countries and regions such as Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Moreover, she set up a special fund to provide strong support for Chinese Canadians to promote the popularization of autism integration education in China. She has been working in remote areas such as Yunnan, Sichuan, Tibet, and Qinghai to help poor families and AIDS orphans, helping them to go to school and get out of poverty, benefiting 34,800 people. For this reason, she was invited to attend the National Poverty Alleviation Summary and Commendation Conference held in the Great Hall of the People. The Red Ribbon School in Linfen, Shanxi, which she launched and funded, is the only school in Asia dedicated to adopting and educating AIDS orphans, making them accessible to effective treatment and loving families. Besides, most of the first students have gone on to university. She has been credited with pioneering and leading the way in China in promoting government policies and legislation to protect the right to life and health of women and children in urban and rural areas, and in promoting the inclusion of sex education and HIV prevention in the national education system. She has actively participated in international conferences such as the Conference on Dialogue of Civilizations, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, working to defend the dignity of women and mothers, and promote gender equality and women's participation in politics. She is also the leader of the "Mothers Take Their Children to Read and to Protect the Earth" family environmental protection initiative, encouraging children to start small and educating them about "people and nature" and good environmental habits. Due to the outstanding performance of Madame Zhang, and the organization she founded, the APEPCY has become a banner in the field of youth AIDS prevention and education in Asia and the world, and Beijing Changier Education Foundation was granted special consultative status with ECOSOC in 2019. The leaders of UNAIDS, UN Women, UNESCO and other international organizations have spoken highly of Madame Zhang's leadership in women and children's philanthropy and youth humanistic education in Asia.

Also receiving the award was Puppolo, Massachusetts' senior congressman (Lifetime Achievement Award), in recognition of his 25 years of dedicated and persistent support to the Chinese community. The Association also presented the Tyson Award, the Mulan Award, the Eagle Award, and the Community Contribution Award to outstanding representatives of the Chinese community in the United States for their outstanding contributions in various fields. This award marks the first one since the establishment of ACUA and Madame Zhang is the only foreign (Chinese) woman among these awards. Madame Emma, a Chinese in the U.S., received the trophy on behalf of Madame Zhang, who was stopped from attending by the pandemic, and the APEPCY.

The award ceremony was held on the first day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, with 550 representatives from mainstream society, the Asian community, and Chinese folks living in Massachusetts and Connecticut, highlighting the strong sentiments of Chinese Americans from all over the country.

This Chinese New Year Celebration and award ceremony marked the first time Asians held a grand event at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the first major event for Asians in the Hall's 55-year history, which is of great historical significance. MA Chapter Honorary President Qiuhui Chen, General Counsel Hai'an Lin, Secretary General Xinxin Guo, Vice President Jingxu He, and Chinese representatives from all walks of life shared the occasion in Kirin Hot Pot and Lai's Oracle, demonstrating the unity and strength of the Chinese in the U.S.

(Contributed by ACUA MA Chapter)