The Very Asian Foundation (VAF) honors 5 trailblazing St. Louisans at the AAPI Heritage Night of the St. Louis Cardinals

Fans can buy Theme Tickets for the AAPI Heritage Night game on May 5 to take home an exclusive “dragons on a bat” t-shirt and can celebrate with VAF before and during the game. Plus, a portion of each ticket sold will benefit VAF. Purchase your Theme Tickets at cardinals.com/theme.

When: Sunday, May 5, 2024

Performances at Budweiser Terrace at 11:30 a.m.

Game starts 1:15 p.m. 

Where: Busch Stadium 

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago White Sox

The Very Asian Foundation (VAF) celebrates the Cardinals’ 2nd AAPI Heritage Night by honoring 5 incredible people who make St. Louis a better place to live through Asian American enrichment. VAF and friends will celebrate with pre-game programming, including dancing, honors, St. Louis history, and much more!

Everyone who buys a theme ticket will receive a special “dragons on a bat” t-shirt to celebrate the Year of the Dragon and pay homage to birds on the bat.

These are the 5 trailblazers we’re honoring this May:

Deb Bhatia

Deb Bhatia launched the nonprofit group Sikhs of STL during the pandemic to provide support, free meals, hygiene supplies, masks, and even turban awareness and celebration for the community. The group’s efforts have become so beloved that his group now offers services statewide as Sikhs of Missouri. Deb has touched the lives of thousands of people as a volunteer and as a member of the United States Air Force. 

Dr. Jacob Chacko

Dr. Jacob Chacko (he/him/his) serves as the Inaugural Executive Director of the Center for Diversity & Inclusion and Director of Dialogue Across Difference at Washington University in Saint Louis. Previously, he’s served as the Director for the Asian American Cultural Center at Rutgers University New Brunswick, inaugural Associate Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Santos Manuel Student Union at California State University, San Bernardino, interim coordinator for the Titan Dreamers Resource Center, and inaugural coordinator for the Asian Pacific American Resource Center at California State University, Fullerton. Born in India and raised in Illinois. Dr. Chacko currently resides in St. Louis with his husband, Jimmy.

Ruth Kim

Ruth Kim is the General Counsel, Sr. VP & Sr. Partner of FleishmanHillard international PR and communications. In her prior job, she was one of the first, if not THE first, Asian general counsel of corporate business in St. Louis. She appears here as a volunteer ambassador for The Very Asian Foundation; and serves on various other charitable or civic boards. She is proud to be a Korean American and St. Louisan. 

Taka Yanagimoto

Taka Yanagimoto is the Director of Photography & Digital Assets for your St. Louis Cardinals. He is the team photographer and oversees all photography needs as it deals with the Cardinals organization – from managing the team’s freelance photographers to organizing and maintaining the archive of club photos. Taka’s images are the first draft and final record of Cardinal history. 

Bethany White

Bethany White is the Theme Ticket Manager for the St. Louis Cardinals and has been with the organization for more than a decade. She serves as one of the creative minds in sports in all things sales, marketing, communication, and event management. A U-Conn grad and a sports fanatic, Bethany is also a champion of inclusion – bringing new theme nights to Cardinals Nation -- from the club’s first-ever Celebrate Disability Night this season to the first-ever Asian American Pacific Heritage Night. Bethany is a champion ally for all of Cardinals Nation, baseball fans, and the St. Louis region.  

Pre-game entertainment will happen at 11:30 a.m. at the Budweiser Terrace thanks to volunteers from the community.

DJ Vince Van Go will set the stage along with a bhangra performance by Sikhs of Missouri, and possibly a Tinikling lesson, which is a traditional folk dance in the Philippines. Our VAF group will take group pictures at 12:30 p.m. and VAF’s executive director Soogi Hong will throw out the first pitch scored by Chinese lion performers!

Other happenings at the ballpark - the first 25,000 fans will be given a free Cardinal’s purse, kids can run the bases after the game, and you can grab free ice cream at Ford Plaza.

Soogi Hong

Soogi Hong is the Executive Director of the Very Asian
Foundation. She hails as a philanthropic changemaker leader
in Atlanta.

Previously, Soogi served in the Southeast as an executive
board member of several boards, invests in women’s soccer,
and has worked at Stanford Law School and UCLA.

Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Night Theme Tickets are available here.

The Foundation is receiving a portion of proceeds from theme ticket sales and will use the funding for St. Louis initiatives.

If you’d like to interview any of the honorees or reach out to the Very Asian Foundation, you can make the request to contact@veryasianfoundation.org.