By Cynthia Koons
From Feb. 5 to Feb. 12 about 20 old photos will be on display in the mall as part of an exhibit called “Flushing Movement.”The neighborhood, first colonized as a village in the 1630s, was predominantly a European settlement until late last century, when Asian immigrants began moving into the area. Now Flushing is more than 50 percent Asian, with a large Korean population around Northern Boulevard and the Chinese residents concentrated around Main Street and the Kissena Park Corridor.This exhibit is sponsored jointly by the mall and Flushing Development Center, a group headed by former Flushing Chinese Business Association President Fred Fu.”The times are changing and from this change we can predict what we will be,” Fu said.The Development Center and mall held a news conference Monday to announce the exhibit. They also handed out 1,200 meal vouchers for area senior centers.”The Asian tradition is always, always respect the elders,” Fu said, adding that winter was the appropriate season to be giving to seniors.Senior centers like Nan Shan, the Benjamin Rosenthal and the Taiwan centers, all in Flushing, came to collect the vouchers.Michael Wang, director of Nan Shan, a predominantly Chinese senior day center, has experienced two consecutive years of financial headaches because he has more mouths to feed than the city budget funds.He said he currently needs about $100,000 to keep feeding seniors daily lunches until July, when the new fiscal year begins and he receives next year's money. Through a private fund-raising effort, he has been able to collect $40,000 more to pay for meals. He expressed gratitude for the meal vouchers because he consistently has about twice as many people coming to lunch than he has money for.Representatives of state Assemblyman Jimmy Meng (D-Flushing) and Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) came to promote the exhibit and commend the meal donations.”Assemblyman Meng has been in Flushing for 25 years and has persistently seen Flushing grow as a place of history, culture and beauty,” Sandra Ung, a spokeswoman for Meng, said.Reach reporter Cynthia Koons by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 141.
