Betty Kwan Chinn (關惠群) is a philanthropist who lives in

Eureka, California Eureka (Wiyot: ''Jaroujiji'', Hupa: ''do'-wi-lotl-ding'', Karuk: ''uuth'') is the principal city and county seat of Humboldt County in the Redwood Empire region of California. The city is located on U.S. Route 101 on the shores of Humboldt ...

. She has helped the

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

—including the mentally ill, disabled veterans, runaways, and drug abusers—since the 1980s. She won the 2008 Minerva Award. She used the $25,000 grant as seed money and worked with the

Society of Saint Vincent de Paul The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP or SVdP or SSVP) is an international voluntary organization in the Catholic Church, founded in 1833 for the sanctification of its members by personal service of the poor. Innumerable Catholic parishes have ...

to establish the homeless a bathroom and kitchen.

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

awarded her and 12 others the

Presidential Citizens Medal The Presidential Citizens Medal is an award bestowed by the President of the United States. It is the second-highest civilian award in the United States and is second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Established by executive order on Nov ...

on August 4, 2010 at

the White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

. The Betty Kwan Chinn Day Center opened November 16, 2013 offering a variety of services for the poor and homeless. In 2020, the Betty Kwan Chinn Foundation has stopped receiving donation items due to the coronavirus pandemic. The foundation offers 100 free packed meals on weekdays at its

Eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...

-based center.

References

External links

BettyChinn.orgMinerva-Award-Winner-Betty-Chinn Oprah.com: Minerva Award Winner—Betty Chinn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinn, Betty Kwan American philanthropists American people of Chinese descent Presidential Citizens Medal recipients People from Eureka, California Living people Homelessness activists Year of birth missing (living people)