Embedded Files
"Diversity is an issue that hits home for me. Seeing the changes in our community means we need to be proactive in how we program, advertise and invite citizens to our programs."
Ken Wong as quoted in the Redmond Reporter, 2011
1971: Rubin Yu moved to the Untied States from Taiwan to pursue urban planning. When he joined Redmond's planning department, he was also preparing to graduate from University of Washington with his masters degree. As a Senior Planner, he witnessed extraordinary growth in Redmond, which at the time was the fastest growing city in King County.
2002: Helen Zhong joined the Redmond library’s page staff through a federally funded program for new immigrants, and has over thirty years experience as a foreign languages librarian in China.
2009: Ken Wong honored as the Outstanding Teen Professional at the Washington Recreation and Park Association's (WRPA) conference in Spokane. he established the Redmond Youth Partnership Advisory Committee (RYPAC) at Redmond’s Old Firehouse Teen Center to give local youth and adults opportunities to work collaboratively.
Community Groups: Chinese Information and Service Center
Though headquartered in Seattle, Chinese Information and Service Center's (CISC) presence on the Eastside has been essential in supporting Redmond’s immigrant communities and helping the city become more inclusive.
CISC first expanded their services into Redmond in the early 2000s. Through partnerships with schools, libraries, and local government, they helped build culturally and linguistically accessible services, focusing on family support, youth development, and civic engagement.
Their team provides translation support in languages such as Mandarin, Russian, Ukrainian, and more, making it possible for immigrant families to better navigate healthcare systems, education services, and legal resources.
CISC also provides community classes, such as English as a Second Language (ESL) and Chinese calligraphy, which not only support skill-building but also foster cultural pride and intergenerational learning.
A group of fan dancers perform at the Redmond Senior Center during their Lunar New Year event, in partnership with the Chinese Information and Service Center.
Redmond Reporter, 2015
One of CISC’s most impactful contributions in Redmond has been their community outreach efforts, which include participating in events like Redmond Derby Days, where they’ve hosted booths on topics like healthcare access, voter registration, anti-hate education, and more. These events serve not just as informational platforms but as powerful symbols of belonging, where families from all walks of life see themselves reflected in the civic life of their city.
-- Yaya L.
Little Masters Club Volunteer
Faith Communities: The Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple (Lei Zang Temple)
The Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple (also known as Lei Zang Temple) was established in 1985 by Living Buddha Lian Sheng Grandmaster Lu (original name: Sheng-Yen Lu). The Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple (Lei Zang Temple). After traveling around the world, Grandmaster Lu chose to settle in Seattle, along with eight disciple families.
Together they purchased a piece of land in Redmond. As a practitioner of Feng Shui, he saw a uniquely ideal alignment of features: “a prominent “dragon head” or hill with a solid backing, a bright “water mirror” in front (Lake Sammamish), protective arms on either side, and a beautiful “table mountain” reflected in the water.
Initially the Redmond community voiced concerns about the lighting, the noise of bells and drums, increased traffic and other worries. Ultimately the plans for the temple were reduced in size, but approved.
Over the years, the temple has supported organizations such as Disabled American Veterans, the Seattle Fire Department, Kin On, Chinese Information and Service Center, the Sun Yat-sen Chinese School, and the University of Washington's East Asian Library.
Since 1997, the has also temple has joined the annual Walk for Rice fundraiser for the ACRS Food Bank. And, they offer a variety of health lectures, educational programs, cultural exhibitions, and community fairs.
Grandmaster Lu is also a romantic and diligent poet, writer, and artist. To date, he has written 306 books, including poetry, prose, essays, and reflections on Buddhism. Stacked together, these books would reach a height of 4.2 meters (13′9″)—a level that many people could never hope to attain in a lifetime.
-- Meiling H.
Little Masters Club Volunteer
Faith Communities: Evangelical Chinese Church
The Evangelical Chinese Church (ECC) formed in the 1960s, as a a Bible study group. for Chinese students and immigrant families near the University of Washington.
ECC expanded to the Eastside in 2002 and during the first few years, Sunday worship services were held in borrowed school facilities across the, including Sherwood Forest Elementary, Stevenson Elementary, and Odle Middle School.
Soon, attendance at Eastside services grew from just over 60 people in the beginning to several hundreds.
By 2012, the congregation officially moved into its current location, formerly part of a commercial seafood factory.
ECC Redmond Campus offers Sunday worship services in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, meeting the different needs of people from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Mainland China, as well as both new and long-time immigrants.
According to church records, more than 6,000 Chinese people have visited the ECC Redmond Campus.
Currently, about 1,300 attend worship services there each Sunday, including roughly 600–800 Mandarin speakers.
Although most current disciples are Chinese, ECC Redmond Campus upholds an open and inclusive vision, welcoming people of all ages, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds
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