Lilian To, one of the driving forces behind the immigrant aid organization S.U.C.C.E.S.S. before she died in 2005, was honoured with ‘Lilian To Way’ street monikers at the entrances to Shanghai Alley, as well as a commemorative plaque, during a ceremony Friday. It's the first street moniker in Vancouver named after a Chinese Canadian.
To, who was born in Guangdong, China, and raised in Hong Kong, immigrated to Vancouver in 1974. She worked for S.U.C.C.E.S.S. for two years and later rejoined the organization in 1987 as its executive director and then CEO.
Her legacies include the S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Social Service Centre, Simon K.Y. Lee Seniors Care Home, Chieng’s Adult Day Centre, operation of the Harmony House Assisted Living Residence, international accreditation and service expansion such as the airport reception service for new immigrants inside Vancouver International Airport, and the launch of employment programs, according to the organization.
She also earned many honours during her lifetime, including the Courvoisier Leadership Award for Public Service, the Citation for Citizenship by the federal department of Citizenship and Immigration — a national honour is handed to individuals or organizations that help newcomers integrate — along with the 1991 Vancouver Multicultural Society's Distinguished Service Award in the area of public service and the 1999 YWCA Women of Distinction award in the category of management, professions and trade.
During her tenure, she turned down raises because other staff members couldn’t be offered similar percentage increases.
Mayor Gregor Robertson, one of several city, provincial and federal politicians at Friday’s event, called To’s passing in 2005 “a great loss” and said the street moniker and plaque, which are written in both English and Chinese, are a reminder of the impact she had in Vancouver and will help her legacy live on.
“Vancouver has a longstanding commitment of welcoming and embracing immigrants and helping them start a new life here. That’s what our city is really all about. As a trailblazer and advocate for immigrant rights, Lilian will be remembered for her extraordinary contributions to this work and for making Vancouver a more welcoming city,” he said. “We’re here to recognize that legacy and that extraordinary leadership. As the CEO of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. for nearly three decades, Lilian was the one who grew the organization from a small initiative into the multi-service, multi-lingual, international organization that it is today. Her leadership was really the key ingredient in that.”
Robertson said city hall is trying to build on To’s work through efforts such as the Vancouver Immigration Partnership, which has brought together more than 65 organizations, including SUCCESS, to create a Vancouver immigrant settlement and integration strategy.
S.U.C.C.E.S.S. board chair Grace Wong said for many people the names Lilian To and S.U.C.C.E.S.S. are almost synonymous.
“I think both names [stand] for commitment to supporting immigrants and newcomers to Canada and building multi-cultural harmony in our society,” she said.
“All of us who had the good fortune to know or work with Lilian would use words like tireless, passionate, compassionate and humble to describe her. We benefitted from these personal traits and her professional expertise in social work and her work experience with hospitals, school board and [the] health department."
Wong described To as a pioneer in immigrant services, who brought cross-cultural understanding and who advocated for access and support for newcomers.
“Much of what S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is today began with Lilian’s efforts and, of course, with the support of the staff and the directors of the time,” she said.
S.U.C.C.E.S.S. patron Maggie Ip, one of its 15 founding members, echoed similar sentiments.
She said To brought the spirit of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. to life through her dedication to serving the community.
“The spirit of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. was fully manifested through her words and actions and also the way she carried herself until the day she left us just over 11 years ago,” Ip said. “It is the spirit of mutual help, volunteerism, good citizenship and willingness to serve, which are embedded in the S.U.C.C.E.S.S. constitution upon which the organization was founded.”
At the close of the ceremony, To’s son Daniel accepted a duplicate sign for the family.
He called the commemoration a great honour and said because his mother was an immigrant, she understood the plight of immigrants. He urged others to continue helping both immigrants and refugees.
“This [recognition] is not something our family has advocated for publicly. But I think it’s great. We’re really humbled by the honour. This is something that’s permanent and we’re honoured by that in this great city that we grew up in,” he told the Courier.
“Hopefully, it serves as a reminder of the work that needs to be done moving forward, especially as we get more and more refugees coming and more immigrants coming. We have to continue on with that work to serve these vulnerable populations.”
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