Amy Wong Mok, self-proclaimed grandmother of Austin's Asian-American Cultural Center, helped usher in the center's sixth birthday Saturday.
Several hundred volunteers and community members marked the center's anniversary with Asian music, dance performances, food and jewelry, clothing, and informational booths.
Mok, president and chief executive officer of the center, said she wants to blend the cultures of America and Asia.
"We want to be the bridge from the East to the West," she said.
The festivities were celebrated in conjunction with the annual Harvest Moon Festival. Mok said in Asian cultures the harvest moon symbolizes unity. Participants also recognized victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and natural disasters, such as the 2004 Southeast Asia tsunami.
"The harvest moon signifies the fullness of life, of family and of union," she said. "We are extending our family to global family."
Karen Boyer, center volunteer and the festival's emcee, hosted events for audience members in Chinese and English.
Boyer worked in China for four years, teaching students ages 5 to 70 about business and the English language.
She said after returning to the United States, she worried she would forget the Chinese language she learned abroad.
However, she says the center provided her a place to give back to the community while helping her retain the language.
"It's a link back to my memories and things I've done," Boyer said.
In addition to events, the Asian-American Cultural Center, located on Jollyville Road, provides language classes and is home to the Magic Dragon preschool and other children's organizations.
The University chapter of China Care, which has worked closely with the center, also helped celebrate the center's birthday. The organization raises funds to help orphans in China receive necessary surgeries and aids families in adoption costs, said Plan II sophomore Sherry Yao.
Stephanie Truong, playgroup director of UT's China Care chapter, coordinates play dates for adopted Chinese children and their families in Austin.
"We always have cultural activities for the kids," said Truong, an applied learning and development sophomore. "This center has a sense of culture built in, and it just fits with what we are trying to do."
John Raymond said he and his wife adopted their two daughters, 4-year-old Hannah and 2-year-old Rachel, from China. The family attends center events. His daughters participated in China Care last year, he said. Upon recognizing Truong at the celebration, Hannah grabbed her hand and asked Truong to play with her.
"My wife and I wanted them to have as much contact with the country they are from," Raymond said.
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