Sharyn Duffin

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Chih-Hsiang Li

At the age of 18, on the verge of starting college, Sharyn Duffin suffered an illness that nearly took her life, and left her blind and confined to a wheelchair.

She persevered at her studies, taking only a few classes per semester for a number of years, until she earned both an associate’s degree from Montgomery College and an interdisciplinary bachelor’s in political science and history from Antioch College.

While she pursued a separate career after that, she has devoted most of her efforts to volunteer work.

For that lifetime of devotion to nonprofits in Montgomery County, Md., Duffin, now 70, will be one of two older adults awarded the Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award at the Montgomery Serves Awards ceremony, later this month.

Each year, the selection committee honors “two recipients 60 years of age or better whose accomplishments and lifelong commitment to volunteer service make them outstanding roles models for young and old alike.”

Digging up history

Duffin’s prime focus has been on the history of the black community in Montgomery County. Her family is descended from slaves, and she hasn’t forgotten the struggle for equality that her ancestors and her current peers face every day.

Most of her work has been as a volunteer for Peerless Rockville Historic Preservation, Inc., a local nonprofit that works to preserve buildings, objects and information significant to the city of Rockville, Md.

Duffin’s research has helped unveil the “sometimes-forgotten but significant history of African Americans in Montgomery County, and its centrality to our emergence as a diverse, inclusive community,” said Ralph Buglass, a fellow volunteer at Peerless Rockville.

The nonprofit’s founder is equally enamored of Duffin. “For nearly a half century, Sharyn has served as a vital historical resource and collaborator. Her powerful research on local topics — ranging from slavery, to segregated schooling, to minority neighborhood development — provides essential enlightenment of often under‐appreciated parts of our past,” said founder Eileen McGuckian.

For the past 15 years, Duffin has served as a chief source of information for the Lincoln Park History project — an online archive documenting the culture of the historic African neighborhood in Rockville (maintained by Rockville Library and Peerless Rockville). In fact, much of the library’s history of Rockville was written by Duffin, and she’s contributed to many of their exhibits on black history in the community.

Earlier, Duffin spent some years interviewing local civil rights leaders, organizing young people to research public records, and enlisting the help of friends and family to create a history of her community, published by the Afro-American Institute for Historic Preservation and Community Development in 1976.

Duffin said her faith and her family play a big part in motivating her, emphasizing the importance of serving others. “We saw our parents helping other people, so that’s what we do too. We learned to do it early,” she said.

And as for her personal health challenges? “Every once in a while I take out a day to feel sorry for myself, which doesn’t last long.

“I don’t have to look very far to find somebody who needs more help than I. That’s all it takes to get me going again,” Duffin said.

Serving Chinese Americans

Chih-Hsiang Li is another dedicated local volunteer who’s given countless hours to his community, for which he will receive the Path of Achievement Award this year.

In 1982, Li and four of his friends founded the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center (CCACC) to help serve the growing Chinese community in the greater Washington area.

At first, “we just wanted to have an organization to serve the Chinese community,” Li said, but it’s become much bigger than they ever imagined.

CCACC is now one of the largest grassroots organizations in the area. The group’s goals are to enhance the lives of its more than 2,000 members, and to increase diversity and awareness of Chinese culture in the general community. It also helps Chinese immigrants assimilate into American society.

One of its most well known events is the two-week Lunar New Year Festival that takes place each year at Lake Forest Mall in Gaithersburg, Md. This year’s festival occurred in February, and attendees were treated to live performances of lion and dragon dances, martial arts demonstrations, hands-on activities like flower and bonsai arrangement, and artistic and cultural displays.

Greatly expanded programs

Though Li, now 72, has served CCACC in many capacities over the years, he has expanded his involvement in recent years, taking on the role of volunteer executive director.

Since taking the position in 2012, Li has added after-school enrichment programs for K-5th grade children, in-home care for Chinese-speaking seniors, and primary healthcare services offered five days a week from their Pan Asian Volunteer Health Clinic.

He’s also instituted blood drives in partnership with the Red Cross, helped developed a mental health program, and opened a free art gallery to showcase the work of local artists.

Li credits his education, including degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and Carnegie Mellon University, as well as his years as a successful entrepreneur with AEPCO, Inc. and 3e Technologies International, with giving him the ability to shape and grow CCACC.

“I am running the entire organization just like a small business,” he said. His experience “helped me in developing more efficient operations, exploring more business and services opportunities, and improved relationship with all levels of government,” he added.

He said he is “inspired and thrilled to be nominated” for the Neal Potter Award, noting that volunteer work is as beneficial for the volunteer as for those they serve.

“The valuable experiences and wisdom of older adults are the treasure of our community,” he said. “In addition to the contributions they made, [their] rewards for [their] participation are priceless.”

Sharyn Duffin and Chih-Hsiang Li will be presented with their awards on Monday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the Montgomery Serves Awards at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, Md.

Additional award winners are Jane Callen (Volunteer of the Year), Esmirna Gutierrez (Youth Volunteer of the Year), and Comfort Cases (Volunteer Group of the Year and Business Volunteer of the Year). The winners of the Roscoe R. Nix Distinguished Community Leadership Award are Tufail Ahmad, Brian Frosh and Linda Plummer.

The award ceremony is open to the public at no charge, though advance registration is required. A reception with hors d’oeuvres precedes the ceremony, and dessert will follow. For more information or to RSVP, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/montgomery-serves-awards-tickets-42433193825