Chinese American Heritage Foundation Gets Hundreds of Helping Hands from the Asian American Community to Bring Its 2019 Rose Parade® Float to Life

    LOS ANGELES, CA, December 29, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Chinese American Heritage Foundation (CAHF), a nonprofit Boston-based organization, in conjunction with sponsor, Union Pacific Railroad (UP), one of America's leading transportation companies, and the creative development firm, PANGEA, and premiere float builder, Fiesta Parade Floats, has received tremendous interest locally for its 2019 Rose Parade® float, Harmony Through Union. Commemorating the Sesquicentennial (150th) Anniversary of the completion of the transformative Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, which was primarily built by an immigrant workforce, CAHF's float is coalescing enthusiasm and support from greater Los Angeles' notable Asian American and Asian Pacific American communities.

Companies such as Bank of America have dedicated 200 local employees to volunteer for the decorative finishing touches to Harmony Through Union, including members of the bank's Asian Leadership employee network. Bank of America Merrill Lynch's global banking executive, Alexander Eng, is among those dedicated to helping CAHF communicate the historic significance of the Transcontinental Railroad to the public — himself a direct descendent of one of the countless original railroad workers who helped build America 150 years ago.

"We are blessed to have Bank of America on board our Harmony Through Union project," states Wilson Lee, the visionary and co-founder behind the CAHF concept. "In addition to their robust support and immersion into our project, I discovered that I have a brotherhood bond with Mr. Alex Eng, who is, like myself, a descendant of Chinese rail workers. There were 14,000 Chinese, and a diverse mix of other immigrants, who all worked together to build the revolutionizing Transcontinental Railroad."

CAHF offered the prestigious honor of having Alex Eng as one of the float riders. "We have descendants representing the Chinese, Irish, German, African, Mexican, and Mormon railroad workers from that period, all riding on the float together," notes Lee. "It's a righting of history: the famous photograph taken by Andrew J. Russell of the hammering of the final golden spike at Promontory Point, Utah, on May 10, 1869, showcased mostly railroad executives, bankers, and politicians. A handful of workers were available, but most were of European descent. With our Harmony Through Union float, we are truly personifying our nation's motto, e pluribus unum, out of many, one. Having a Chinese American banker aboard the float is evidence of the success that has risen from the toil and tenacity of those immigrants who built America."

"The mission of the Chinese American Heritage Foundation and the message of this year's float — Harmony Through Union — aligns so well with Bank of America's guiding belief that we are all better when we are connected," says Alex Eng. "For over 100 years, Bank of America has been investing in Los Angeles' diverse communities and was founded by an immigrant in Northern California, so diversity is an important pillar for all we do. We are thrilled to have 200 employees help bring Harmony Through Union to life for the world to see."

About Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses, and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 67 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,400 retail financial centers, approximately 16,100 ATMs, and award-winning digital banking with more than 36 million active users, including nearly 26 million mobile users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking, and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions, and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. For more information, visit www.bankofamerica.com

About the Pasadena Tournament of Roses®
The Tournament of Roses is a volunteer organization that hosts America's New Year Celebration® with the Rose Parade® presented by Honda, the Rose Bowl Game® presented by Northwestern Mutual and a variety of accompanying events. 935 volunteer members of the association will drive the success of 130th Rose Parade themed "The Melody of Life," on Tuesday, January 1, 2019, followed by the 105th Rose Bowl Game. For more information, visit www.tournamentofroses.com. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About Union Pacific
Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP). One of America's most recognized companies, Union Pacific Railroad connects 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail, providing a critical link in the global supply chain. From 2008-2017, Union Pacific invested approximately $34 billion in its network and operations to support America's transportation infrastructure. The railroad's diversified business mix is classified into its Agricultural Products, Energy, and Industrial and Premium business groups. Union Pacific serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers, operates from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways, connects with Canada's rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major Mexico gateways. Union Pacific provides value to its roughly 10,000 customers by delivering products in a safe, reliable, fuel-efficient, and environmentally responsible manner. For additional information, visit: www.up.com www.facebook.com/unionpacific www.twitter.com/unionpacific

About PANGEA
PANGEA is a creative development and strategic marketing salon based in Southern California that specializes in ideation, writing, design, production, marketing, and publishing of intellectual properties in the worldwide confluence of the toy, licensing, animation, lifestyle, publishing, and entertainment industries. PANGEA has developed content for international premier brands, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Doctor Who, Rick and Morty, Zorro, Speed Racer, DragonBall Z, and Barbie. PANGEA represents the works of Edgar Award-winning authoress, Barbara Brooks Wallace. PANGEA's also served as a transition, marketing, and media consultant for retirement community, Laguna Woods Village, provided minority media relations for the Los Angeles Recycling Program (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), the roll-out of the Los Angeles Red Line and Blue Line mass transit systems, and sundry other minority outreach initiatives. Follow PANGEA on FaceBook, Twitter and Instagram @PangeaCorp

Fiesta Parade Floats
Based in Irwindale, CA, the 2018 Rose Parade was Fiesta's 30th year as a world premier float builder. Fiesta Parade Floats is considered a leader in both floral technology and floral application within both, the float, and floral industries. Fiesta also builds custom props for television commercials, feature films, exhibits, and theme parks. Major exhibits include: Spring Garden Show, Crystal Court South Coast Plaza, American Institute of Floral Design National Symposium, Feature Exhibits and the Flower/Garden Pavilion at the Los Angeles County Fair, Bellagio, and Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Innoventions, Disneyland's popular attraction in Tomorrowland and Venus Fort Shopping Mall in Tokyo, Japan. For more information, visit, http://www.fiestaparadefloats.com.
 
About Chinese American Heritage Foundation
The core mission of the Chinese American Heritage Foundation is to identify, verify, document, preserve, and share Chinese American contributions to the cultural, economic, and social development of the United States of America. By encouraging community involvement, contributing to the service of the American civil process, and promoting diversity and integration, we envision a stronger country that champions equally the contributions and cultural assets of all people. For additional information about our organization and its programs, visit www.CAHF.us. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Support our Rose Parade Transcontinental Float initiative by visiting our GoFundMe page and our GoFundMe educational curriculum page.

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