Happy Chinese New Year

HP helps Yee Hong Centre welcome the Year of the Rooster at the Dragon Ball

As Regal Sponsor of Toronto’s renowned Dragon Ball, HP Canada supports both cultural diversity and the community

The Year of the Rooster in the Chinese Zodiac, 2005 will be a year of striving for the best, being surrounded by vibrant personalities and a life infused with excitement under this extroverted sign – in other words, business as usual for HP Canada! What’s new to HP this year is our sponsorship of a spectacular event ushering in the Rooster: Dragon Ball 2005.

First held in 1990, Dragon Ball is one of Toronto’s foremost fundraising galas, taking place this year on February 5 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The proceeds support the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care, an innovative long-term care provider with four caring communities serving more than 800 residents in the Greater Toronto Area. While its focus is the Asian community, Yee Hong serves a culturally diverse group of residents and has a stellar reputation for a personal, home-like approach.

Dragon Ball is also the largest annual Chinese New Year fundraising celebration in North America, and this year, HP Canada is a leading sponsor. The cause and support are a natural fit, considering HP’s conviction that cultural diversity and inclusion are key drivers of creativity, innovation and invention.

“Supporting Dragon Ball is a wonderful occasion to demonstrate HP’s community support and belief in diversity, and to express our very best wishes for a Happy Chinese New Year,” says Paul Tsaparis, President and CEO of HP Canada.

Dragon Ball Spotlights HP Technology

“This is HP’s first year sponsoring Dragon Ball,” explains Alex Pascual, who is responsible for HP Canada’s corporate sponsorships, enterprise and public sector advertising and brand identity. “Supporting Dragon Ball is an ideal way to become more involved in the local community, reach out to a diverse audience and showcase our technology at a high-profile event at the same time.”

In addition to financial sponsorship of the event, HP has also donated products for an auction and raffle:

• The auction includes both HP’s top-of-the-line wireless hx4700 iPAQ and an “instant digital photographer” package – Canada’s best-selling five megapixel digital camera, the HP Photosmart R707, plus dock, HP Photosmart 8450 Photo Printer and HP premium plus photo paper.
• The raffle prize is an HP Photosmart 945 digital camera, named Best Camera 2004 by the Digital Imaging Marketing Association, with a HP Photosmart 7710 printer.

“All the products will be displayed at our booth at the event, where we’ll use our latest digital technology to take and immediately print pictures of guests,” adds Alex.

Dragon Ball Welcomes HP Support

The key to Dragon Ball 2005 and raising the target $1.5 million is to minimize expenses. A crew of about 300 volunteers run the event, but it’s sponsors like HP who keep the Dragon Ball rolling. Funding is now focused on programs that aren’t supported by the government, including cancer and palliative care services and mental care programs such as pet and music therapy.

“Our sponsors play a huge role, and we’re pleased to have HP as a sponsor this year,” says Jenny Yuen, project manager for Dragon Ball 2005. “We’re very impressed with the wide variety of services HP provides and we hope the relationship will be long-term and fruitful for both organizations.”

Organizers of Dragon Ball 2005 have not ignored the desperate need of survivors of the December tsunamis in South Asia. The Chair of Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care and Yee Hong Community Wellness Foundation, Dr. Joseph Wong, also chairs Canadians for Tsunami Relief. This new organization helped organize and recruit multilingual volunteers for a telethon on January 8 and to staff shopping centre donation kiosks. During the first week, the campaign raised over $620,000, a figure that increased to more than one million dollars on January 11 due to the Canadian government’s donation matching program.