George Chan, the current leader of the Chinese Newcomers Service Center in San Francisco, shares his personal story of how the organization helped him navigate the challenges of settling in the U.S. from Hong Kong. After struggling to find work in the tech industry, Chan found himself in a grocery store job, overwhelmed by taxes. He turned to Chinese Newcomers for help, and his experience led him to volunteer for the organization, eventually becoming its director.
He also says he knows firsthand how a little help from the Chinese Newcomers Service Center, which he now leads, can change a life.
Chan took him up on the offer during tax season the next year, when Chinese Newcomers offers free tax preparation help. It was the beginning of an association that continues to this day.Chinese Newcomers first opened its doors in 1969, in the wake of the 1965 Immigration Act, which liberalized the nation’s immigration policies and greatly increased the number of Chinese people who could come to the U.S.
And in addition to offering free tax-preparation services, it offers a legal service that helps low-income residents navigate tax disputes with the IRS. “It does a lot of work, helps the community immensely, provides so many broad services to immigrants and newcomers,” said Rita Mah, who preceded Chan as Chinese Newcomers’ executive director, about the nonprofit. “But yet they operate on a very modest budget.”
That’s largely because of its ability to recruit volunteers, she said. It attracts dozens, even hundreds of them for its food drive and tax preparation work. Chinese Newcomers had recently endured a big budget cut and was looking for an accountant, he said. Wanting a stable job to help his mom and younger brother move out of the crowded room they were living in, he applied — and was hired for the post.
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