Citizen Bank Branch Manager John Yu Reconnected to BCNC

Thirty years ago John Yu attended BCNC’s Acorn childcare program.  Today he works at Citizens Bank’s Lafayette Office as Vice President and Branch Manager just a few blocks down the street.  Yu grew up in South End and described it as “rough neighborhood back then” noting that he also attended the Josiah Quincy School for kindergarten and first grade before moving to another school in Boston.  He was only three years old when he immigrated to the United States with his family and enrolled in BCNC’s childcare program.  John, a lifelong Bostonian, has found ways to reconnect with BCNC and the Chinatown community. 

Yu is currently managing a partnership between Citizens Bank and BCNC through the Families United in Educational Leadership (FUEL) Savings program which began in 2009.  By joining this program, families will come together to send a strong message to children to stay in school and go on to higher education.  If families follow the expectations in the FUEL Family Contract, they will receive a one-to-one match of up to $1500 to double savings in a FUEL College Savings Account at Citizens Bank and information about college including financial aid, applying, choosing, and visiting. 

In 2006 and 2007 Yu also taught essential lessons about credit, savings, and investing through his workshops directed to a mix of youth and adults at BCNC.  Yu enjoyed teaching the workshops at BCNC noting that he “learned a lot from the kids” and that it was “very fulfilling and a lot of fun.”

Young people often say to him, “You must have a lot of money because you work in a bank!”
“They assume that we have all the money stored here,” Yu said laughing.

Yu said he wants to be successful in whatever he does and wants to “give back as much as possible to our society.”  He went into banking through “luck of the draw” and attributed his success to “dedication and hard work.”  He is now giving back to Chinatown at this stage of his life because he believes that Chinatown is an “everlasting footprint” of his culture and he wants to “preserve its Asian traditions and values for future generations to embrace.”

As a new member of the Chinatown Main Street Board who was recently invited to join a mentorship program for youth, Yu continues to reach out to Chinatown organizations like BCNC and the Asian American Civic Association.

He noticed that BCNC has become increasingly diverse and described BCNC as an organization that’s really involved in the community and that brings in new ideas and helps those in need. 

Yu also expressed admiration for BCNC’s staff for their dedication as people who “really appreciate their jobs” noting his connections with Director of Development Carmen Chan, Former Finance Director for twenty-five years Eileen Heng, Current Director of Finance Tobin Soohoo, Executive Director Elaine Ng. 

Yu, whose parents enrolled him at Acorn in the 1980s when they were both busy at work, added that he would love to send his children to BCNC in the future. 

“It’s a great opportunity to socialize with multiple diversities and learn how to respect them,” he said.