Community Service Awards
PCDC Community Service Award Recipients
During PCDC’s 60th Anniversary Celebration, we will honor eight individuals with the Community Service Award for their many years of service and meaningful contributions to Chinatown and the broader Chinese community!
Their dedication has helped shape who we are today, strengthening PCDC and building a more resilient community.
These recipients include:
- Friar Thomas Betz (Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church & School, Saint John the Evangelist Church);
- Mabel Chan (Chinese Benevolent Association);
- Special Friend;
- Andy Eng (Luen Fong Food & Produce Co.);
- Sandi Foxx-Jones (The Abstract Company);
- Mary Graham (Children’s Village Child Care Center);
- Harry Leong (Chinese Christian Church & Center, The Philadelphia Suns); and
- Andy Toy (City of Philadelphia).
Learn more about our recipients below!
Friar Thomas Betz
Fr. Tom, a native of Western Pennsylvania, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Psychology from St. Fidelis College in 1979. Four years later he graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pittsburgh with a Juris Doctor degree. He practiced law in Pittsburgh, specializing in litigation, until 1986 when he began studies for the priesthood. He received a Master’s Degree in Theology from the Catholic University of America in 1990 and was ordained a priest in 1991.
Father Tom came to St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Philadelphia as parochial vicar in 1991 and served in that position until 1995. From 1991 until 2016 he served as Coordinator of the Chinese Apostolate for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia which included responsibility for Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church and School.
Fr. Tom served for 24 years on the Board of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation and was actively engaged in the building of 75 units of housing for Chinatown. He served as President of the Board for many of those years.
From 1995 – 2003, Fr. Tom served as Director of the Office for Pastoral Care for Migrants and Refugees for the Archdiocese, supervising all of the pastoral work of the Catholic Church among immigrants. This work included legal assistance and advocacy as well as significant work organizing immigrant communities.
From 2003-2016, Fr. Tom was the Vocation Director for the Capuchin Province of St. Augustine. During this time, the number of young men in various stages of formation for the priesthood and brotherhood has increased from 10 to nearly 40.
Father Tom was elected provincial minister of the Province of Saint Augustine on June 1, 2016. In this capacity, Father Tom was responsible for the Capuchin Friars in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Papua New Guinea and Puerto Rico.
Father Tom’s term as provincial minister ended in May 2022, and he was appointed pastor of Saint John the Evangelist Church in Center City, Philadelphia and Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church in Chinatown.
In 1991 Father received the Distinguished Service Award from the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Volunteer Program for the Indigent. In 2001 he received the Distinguished Service Award for Ethnic Ministry from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. In 2003 Fr. Tom received the Benemerenti Medal from Pope John Paul II and in 2009, the St. Thomas More Award from the Catholic Lawyer’s Thomas More Society.
Mabel Chan
Mabel “Chi” Chan, born in Fujian, China and raised in Hong Kong, immigrated to Philadelphia in 1974 to reunite with her father and began working in his North Philadelphia restaurant. After years of hard work, she and her family transformed a former warehouse into Joy Tsin Lau, which opened in 1983 and became a cornerstone of Chinatown’s business and community life. For decades, Ms. Chan operated the restaurant as both a successful enterprise and a vital gathering place, while supporting small businesses, mentoring future restaurateurs, and serving the community through philanthropy, cultural programming, and leadership, including as the first female president of the Chinese Benevolent Association.
Special Friend
Andy Eng
Andy Eng was a warm and familiar presence in Philadelphia’s Chinatown, known for his friendly spirit and deep connection to the community he loved. He cherished his family above all and was equally beloved by friends and neighbors, who remember him for his kindness, generosity, and welcoming nature. Andy could often be found in Chinatown, where he built lasting relationships and contributed to the neighborhood’s sense of togetherness. His legacy lives on in the many lives he touched and the community he helped strengthen.
Sandi Foxx-Jones
Sandi Foxx-Jones is an entrepreneur and longtime champion of Chinatown and the broader Philadelphia community. Sandi founded The Abstract Company in 1987, building a title company rooted in personalized client service, and now serves as its President and Owner. For over 30 years, Sandi has been a dedicated supporter of PCDC. Sandi worked closely with founder Cecilia Moy Yep to help community members secure homes at Hing Wah Yuen, an affordable housing development created in response to displacement from the Vine Street Expressway. Inspired by Cecilia’s leadership, Sandi has remained committed to preserving Chinatown’s vision and vibrancy. She is also an active supporter of the Asian American Women’s Coalition and other AAPI-serving organizations. A mentor to many, Sandi is known for breaking barriers and turning challenges into opportunities. Sandi also loves spending time with her two sons, two daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren.
Mary Graham
Executive Director, Children’s Village
A passionate early learning advocate, Mary Graham has dedicated her career to ensuring all children have access to high-quality early care and education. Over the last 50 years under Ms. Graham’s leadership, Children’s Village has provided families in the Chinatown community with access to nationally accredited preschool and out of school time programming, family support services, and year round inclusive child care.
Receiving the PennAEYC Voice for Children Distinguished Career Award in 2015, Ms. Graham is frequently tapped locally, regionally, and nationally to share her expertise, experience, and perspective as a practitioner. She has been appointed an Honorary Life Director of the Pennsylvania Child Care Association, currently serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion subcommittee of the Governor-appointment ECE State Advisory Council, and is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC’s) Strategic Planning Committee.
Ms. Graham’s and the Children’s Village staff’s commitment to providing equitable access to early childhood education has been recognized by the PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s Equity in Early Childhood Education Champion Award in 2022, and by Philadelphia’s Office of Immigrant Affairs’ Welcoming Award for Education Excellence in 2023.
Harry Leong
Harry Leong is a life-long resident in Philadelphia’s Chinatown. He is passionate about seeking peace and prosperity in the community.
Harry serves as Community Outreach Director at the Chinese Christian Church and Center. He leads programs focused on transforming and building-up the community. Programs include: a summer day camp, SAT preparation class, recreational sports, youth groups, and varied caring services which help those in need.
He is the President of The Philadelphia Suns, a grass-roots non-profit youth and young adult group. The Suns seek to promote, organize and support athletic, cultural, recreational, service, and educational opportunities for youth. The active membership includes over 300 members, and over 200 alumnae. Although sports, (basketball, lion dance and volleyball) is the primary focus, we have used that as an opportunity to build up responsible young people. The Suns have played an instrumental part in the life of the local community by offering positive youth development programs throughout the year. These programs include our sports mentorship, college scholarship, tutoring, seasonal cleanups, and community service.
Harry is a Board member of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, serving in various roles but has been in the Planning Committee.
Andy Toy
Andrew (Andy) Toy is the Home Appraisal Bias Program Director for the City of Philadelphia. In this new role, Andy is working to undo systemic and unfair appraisal biases that undervalue Black and Brown homeowner properties. The undervaluing of properties robs owners of their wealth, which can be lost generationally, and the ability to use the equity in their property for borrowing or starting a small business. Andy is excited to be a part of this important effort for the Parker Administration.
Andy was most recently the Policy Director for the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations (PACDC) whose mission is to work with CDCs to create an equitable city where every Philadelphian lives, works, and thrives in a neighborhood that offers an excellent quality of life. Andy previously served as the Community Development and Communications Director for SEAMAAC (Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition), whose mission is “to support and serve immigrants and refugees and other politically, socially and economically marginalized communities as they seek to advance the condition of their lives in the United States”. Andy led the Conceptual Plan for Mifflin Square Park towards implementing $4.2 million Park improvements. Andy and his team also managed the SoPhiE (South Philly East) Food Truck immigrant chef incubator that connects community through food and culture.
Before, Andy was the Managing Director of the now-built Crane Chinatown Community Center project, a $77 Million mixed-use community development. Andy is recognized as a thought leader and innovator when it comes to community and economic development, building a model Commercial Corridor Initiative at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, supporting minority businesses as Director of the Retail Resource Network at The Enterprise Center and before that building Philadelphia’s Brownfields Program bringing millions in new investments in quality job creating projects.
Andy is currently President of the Philadelphia Committee on City Policy and on the Boards of the Union Benevolent Foundation, the PA Downtown Center, PIDC’s Community Capital Advisory Board, as well as an active Member of AAPIP Philadelphia. Andy is a founder of the Philadelphia Public School Giving Circle and United Voices for Philadelphia and was an appointee on the Philadelphia Zoning Code Commission. In 2006 Andy was selected as one of the top 101 Connectors in Philadelphia and in 2021 selected as a PA 50 Over 50 by City & State.
Andy holds a B.A. in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Public and Urban Policy, both from the University of Pennsylvania. In his spare time he likes to listen to and create music, watch the Eagles win, eat and cook a variety of cuisines, and play with his grandkids.