NCVA eREPORTER
- October 4, 2005
The National
Congress of Vietnamese Americans' NCVA eReporter is a regular email
newsletter containing information on
grant/funding
opportunities, events/forums/conferences, available
internships
and news items pertinent to the Vietnamese American and Asian
Pacific American communities.
In this NCVA eReporter:
EVENTS
UPCOMING NCVA EVENT: The National Congress of Vietnamese
Americans’ 19th Annual Convention will be held in
San José, CA on October 21-23, 2005 –
http://www.ncvaonline.org/conferences/2005.
******
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
JOBS/INTERNSHIPS
TIPS/RESOURCES
NEWS
******************
EVENTS
ASIAN
SMALL BUSINESS PROCUREMENT WORKSHOP
Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of Virginia
Thursday, October 6, 2005
Registration 7:45 am to 8:30 am
Workshop 8:30 am to 1:00 pm
George Mason University Arlington Campus
3401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 329
Arlington, VA 22201
Admission is free
Representatives from the Commonwealth of Virginia will discuss
the state’s new initiative to increase access to state
contracting for small, women and minority businesses. Topics
include state certification and use of eVA, the state’s
electronic purchasing system.
Purchasing representatives from Fairfax County, Arlington
County, George Mason University, VDOT and other major
procurement agencies will talk about their needs.
Meet state government and buyers.
Hear what products and services buyers are seeking.
Receive business assistance with state certification and eVA.
Learn how other Asian businesses are doing business with the
Commonwealth.
SCHEDULE
7:45 AM Registration and Networking / Coffee & Donuts
8:30 Welcome: Eric Jensen, Executive Director, CAPAVA
8:40 Utilizing SWAM Businesses in State Procurement: Amy
Kim, Virginia Department of Business Assistance (DBA)
8:50 Success Story
9:10 Introduction of Shay Hope, Department of Minority
Business Enterprise: Amy Kim, DBA
9:10-9:40 State Certification & Virginia’s SWAM Initiative:
Shay Hope, Procurement Advocate, DMBE
9:40-9:50 Certification Q&A
9:50-10:10 Networking & Coffee Break
10:10 Introduction of Deborah Hudson, Department of Business
Assistance: Amy Kim, DBA
10:10-10:50 Maximizing Vendor Success with eVA: Deborah
Hudson, Procurement Assistance Manager, DBA
10:50-11:00 eVA Q&A
11:00-11:45 Procurement Panel: Moderated by Nalin Jain,
Director of Arlington Small Business Development Center
● Fairfax County ● Arlington County ● George
Mason University
● VDOT NOVA ● VITA ●
Department of Social Services
● Department of Corrections
11:45 AM-1:00 PM Lunch / Networking and Vendor Matching
Making & Assistance Fair:
• Suppliers visit exhibitors and meet buyers face to
face and discuss specific purchasing needs.
• Department of Minority Business Enterprise exhibit
and seating available for one-on-one explanation and assistance
with questions on certification process and SWAM initiative.
• Virginia Business Information Center (VBIC) live
help exhibiting and available for business problem solving.
• DBA Procurement Assistance exhibiting and available
for vendor support and guidance on eVA website and market
strategy.
(http://www.capava.org/archive/ProcurementForum_100605.htm)
******************
WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON FAITH-BASED
AND COMMUNITY INITIATIVES
Thursday, October 20, 2005
8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Midwest Airlines Center*
400 West Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53203
*some breakout sessions will take place in the Hyatt Regency
Milwaukee
On Thursday, October 20, 2005 the White House and the
Departments of Justice, Commerce, Agriculture, Labor, Veterans
Affairs, Health & Human Services, Housing & Urban Development,
and Education, the Agency for International Development and the
Small Business Administration will host a conference in
Milwaukee to help faith-based and other community organizations
learn more about President Bush's Faith-Based and Community
Initiative. The federal government is working to make sure that
faith-based and community groups can compete on an equal footing
for federal dollars, receive greater private support, and face
fewer bureaucratic barriers.
The conference is free, but pre-registration is required.
Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Visit
http://www.fbci.gov/ to register online. We strongly
encourage you to register online. If you are unable to register
online, print the registration form attached to this email.
Complete the form and fax it to 703-299-4589 or 703-706-0476. If
you are not able to view this file, please call 202-456-6718 to
have a form faxed to you. *Please register by Friday, October
14. *If you must cancel your registration, please send an email
to
mailto:fbci@dtihq.com or a fax to one of the numbers listed
above so we may accommodate as many people as possible
The conference is part of a series of regional conferences that
are being held around the country. These conferences will
provide participants with information about the federal funding
process, available funding opportunities, and the legal
requirements that come with the receipt of federal funds. They
will also offer practical information on the grant-writing
process, provide the opportunity to inform state and local
officials about equal treatment regulations, and facilitate
opportunities to network with government officials.
The conference will offer two workshop tracks: Federal Grant
Programs and State-Administered Federal Programs. Both tracks
have five sessions. Conference attendees will have the
opportunity to participate in both tracks.
For more information, please call 202-456-6718, send an email to
fbci@dtihq.com, or visit
http://www.fbci.gov/.
(http://www.fbci.gov)
******************
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
GRANTSTATION: HURRICANE KATRINA GRANT CLEARINGHOUSE
GrantStation has developed a clearinghouse for current grant
announcements and other related information that will affect
those organizations, educational institutions and government
agencies helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina. As a Katrina
Response Project Manager in Louisiana stated, "Thank you for
compiling the information on grants for Katrina! I have been
working with a local organization in LA and have been going in
circles trying to find funding sources for the work they are
doing for evacuees. It was such a relief to find your website
with the list of agencies who have not forgotten local
organizations."
(http://www.grantstation.com/katrina/index.html)
******************
NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION: YOUTH LEADERS FOR LITERACY
Youth Leaders for Literacy, an initiative of the National
Education Association (NEA) and Youth Service America (YSA), was
developed to encourage the literacy service of the nation's
young people and to provide them with resources to conduct
reading-related activities that benefit others. Interested
applicants must develop a literacy service project that begins
on NEA's Read Across America Day in March and culminates on
YSA's National Youth Service Day in April. To be eligible for
grant funds, service projects must have some kind of activity
scheduled (read aloud session, trip to the library, book making,
etc.) each week of the project period. Twenty grants of $500
each will be awarded to student-led initiatives. The application
deadline is November 21, 2005.
(http://www.nea.org/readacross/volunteer/youthleaders.html)
******************
AUTODESK
GRANTS FOR COMPANY COMMUNITIES
The Autodesk Charitable Giving Program, headquartered in San
Rafael, California, plays a global philanthropic role by
responding to needs in the areas of health, education, arts and
the environment. Established in 1989, the Autodesk Community
Relations program offers assistance to qualifying nonprofit
organizations through monetary contributions and product
donations which are managed by Gifts in Kind (http://www.giftsinkind.org/NewHome/default.asp)
in Virginia.
(http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=1064603)
******************
ROSIE’S FOR
ALL KIDS FOUNDATION SUPPORTS EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS
SUPPORTED
Rosie's For All Kids Foundation awards grants to nonprofit
organizations providing child care, early education and other
essential programs to economically disadvantaged and at-risk
children across the United States. The Foundation's primary
mission is to support center-based, licensed child care and
preschool programs for children growing up in low-income urban
neighborhoods. In fiscal year 2004, nearly 80 percent of the
total grant awards was made to infant, toddler and preschool
programs; 11 percent went toward education, after-school and
literacy programs; and the balance was disbursed to
organizations providing emergency assistance, crisis
intervention, cultural development programs and services for
children with special needs. Letters of intent are accepted
throughout the year.
(http://www.forallkids.org)
******************
BANK OF THE WEST SUPPORTS COMMUNITY PROGRAMS FUNDED
The Bank of the West Charitable Contributions Program is
committed to improving the quality of life for low- and
moderate-income residents within the communities the bank serves
in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,
Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota,
Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
The bank provides support to nonprofit organizations that
contribute to educational, civic, cultural, health and human
care needs in bank communities. Applications are accepted
throughout the year.
(http://www.bankofthewest.com/BOW/main.jsp?ChId=6f8dc2d8b4d2ff00VgnVCM10000087c35c92)
******************
SURDNA
ARTS TEACHERS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
The Surdna Foundation invites arts teachers from specialized,
public arts high schools to apply for funding for artistic
development through its Arts Teachers Fellowship Program. The
program offers teachers the opportunity to immerse themselves in
their own creative work, interact with other professional
artists, and stay current with new practices. The application
deadline is November 18, 2005.
(http://www.surdna.org/programs/artsteachersfellowships.html)
******************
JOBS/INTERNSHIPS
SAMHSA NEEDS MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS FOR HURRICANE VICTIMS
As you know, Hurricane Katrina has proven to be one of the worst
natural disasters in American history. It has made a tremendous
impact throughout the country, especially in Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Alabama. The U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (DHHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA), is responding by sending teams
of mental health professionals into the hurricane-impacted area.
Westover Consultants, Inc.-SAMHSA's contractor for this
effort-is assisting SAMHSA by managing the staffing and
deployment of mental health and substance abuse providers to the
Gulf Coast region to deliver behavioral health services. A large
proportion of children, youth, and families affected by
Hurricane Katrina are racially and ethnically diverse (such as
African American, Hispanic, Vietnamese, and Honduran residents).
In all, SAMHSA will deploy 40 Katrina Assistance Teams (KATs)
comprised of about 8-10 mental health professionals each to
Louisiana over the next 30-45 days, beginning on September 21.
Each KAT will serve in Louisiana for 2 weeks. For serving,
SAMHSA will pay each KAT member a $200-per-day honorarium.
SAMHSA will also pay for lodging, travel, and meals. Once on the
ground in Louisiana, the KATs will provide crisis and supportive
counseling services to mental health clinics, shelters, and
other service delivery locations in Louisiana.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
If you are or know of a licensed mental health professional who
is African American, Hispanic, or Vietnamese (or someone who has
substantial experience providing mental health services to
culturally diverse populations)who may be interested in serving
on a KAT, please inform us immediately. Also, please ask others
whom you would recommend to contact us directly. Feel free to
forward this email. You can reach us by calling the 24-hour,
toll-free Katrina Assistance Hotline at 1-866-587-5908 or our
corporate line at 301-495-7405 (ask for Project Director Edna
Davis-Brown, ext. 108), or by sending an email to
katrinahelp@westover.com
Mental health professionals who are interested in joining a KAT
should carefully review information found on the project website
at
http://www.wcikatrinahelp.com, including KAT eligibility
criteria.
Here is a list of the types of mental health professionals that
are needed:
-Licensed drug and alcohol substance abuse counselors;
-Licensed social workers with child, family, and adolescent
expertise;
-Registered nurses with geriatric and psychiatric expertise;
-Licensed psychiatrists;
-Licensed psychologists; and
-Pastoral counselors.
We appreciate your attention to this urgent matter.
Yours truly,
Faye E. Coleman, Ph.D.
President and CEO
Westover Consultants, Inc.
8360 Fenton Street - Suite 724
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone: (301) 495-7405, ext. 110
Fax: (301) 495-7174
Email:
fcoleman@westover.com
******************
JOB CORPS MAKES 4000 SPOTS AVAILABLE FOR YOUNG ADULTS IMPACTED
BY HURRICANE KATRINA
A Message from Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and
Training Emily Stover DeRocco:
As Hurricane Katrina victims begin to piece their lives back
together and seek out new employment, many will turn to One-Stop
Career Centers for job opportunities and training resources.
Information about your local One-Stop Career Center can be found
at
http://www.servicelocater.org/ and you can also find job
listings at
http://www.katrinajobs.org/.
An important, additional opportunity to pass along to younger
Gulf Coast residents now living elsewhere is that offered by Job
Corps. As you know, Job Corps provides economically
disadvantaged young people ages 16 through 24 education and
career skills training, meals, housing, and medical care at no
cost to participants at 122 centers across the country. The even
better news is that more than 4,000 Job Corps residential
openings can be filled now by hurricane evacuees looking for a
path to productive employment.
We are seeking your help in identifying evacuees who would be
interested in a residential, vocational and academic training
program to prepare them for a good job and career. Job Corps
offers more than 100 career training programs in areas such as
Construction, Health Care, Business and Finance, Manufacturing,
Automotive, Hospitality, and others. Job Corps students may stay
up to two years during training.
While living on a Job Corps campus, students also can earn a
high school diploma or GED and learn employability skills. After
graduation, Job Corps staff aid students with finding jobs,
housing, and transportation.
Job Corps has created an expedited enrollment process for those
affected by Hurricane Katrina. The program will assist
individuals with immediate relocation. Outreach and admissions
staff are located across the country and can share additional
information about the program and its benefits.
For more information about Job Corps, call (800) 733-5627, or
visit
http://jobcorps.doleta.gov.
******************
ASIAN AMERICAN JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION – OFFICE ASSISTANT
Full-time, salaried, exempt position. 40 hours/week. Reports to
Deputy Executive Director.
The national office of AAJA, located in San Francisco's civic
center area, seeks the following to join its staff. See
www.aaja.org for more information about AAJA.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities
The Office Assistant performs administrative duties to support
the organization.
Specific Responsibilities
Membership & Convention
* Process memberships and convention registrations, and verify
that e-commerce was processed correctly.
* Make necessary updates to database as needed and in a timely
manner.
Donor & Sponsor Tracking
* Maintain endowment and other donations database.
* Provide Web Editor and the Executive Director with weekly
endowment and other donations updates including new donors and
amount to date.
* Send donor acknowledgement letters or receipts weekly.
* Send endowment donors pledge reminder letters. Set schedule
for this.
* Make necessary updates to database as needed and in a timely
manner.
Credit Card Payment, Checks & Invoices Processing
* Support Office Manager in opening and distributing mail daily.
* Prepare and log all incoming checks for bank deposits daily.
Prepare deposit slips and make bank deposits daily.
* Process and log all credit card transactions daily.
* Provide payment transaction report to bookkeeper weekly.
* Prepare invoices as needed and in a timely manner.
* Track status of invoices and send second and third reminders
as needed.
Other
* Other general clerical duties as required.
Qualifications
* College degree in business administration, communications or
related fields preferred.
* Professional experience with computer applications for e-mail,
word processing, spreadsheet and database programs: Internet,
Word, Excel, FileMaker Pro.
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Professional manner.
* Excellent organizational skills. Pro-active and creative in
problem solving. Detail oriented and analytical. * Ability to
handle multiple, concurrent tasks from multiple sources.
* Ability to focus and function in a fast-paced environment and
under deadline pressure.
* Strong ability to follow instructions, work with others, and
work independently.
* Discretion in handling confidential matters.
* Interest in journalism and issues of the news media.
* Sensitivity to Asian American community issues, and ability to
interact professionally with all cultures.
* Punctual, but also flexible when required. Evening or weekend
hours may be required. Travel may be required.
Compensation
* Annual salary $25,000 - $30,000, depending on experience
* Health, dental, vision benefits
* Starts at 2 weeks annual paid vacation leave
* 2 weeks annual paid sick leave
About the Asian American Journalists Association
Founded in 1981, the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)
is a non-profit professional and educational organization with
more than 2,300 members today. AAJA has 18 chapters across the
United States and one in Asia.
AAJA encourages Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) to
enter the ranks of journalism, works for fair and accurate
coverage of AAPIs, and promotes increasing the number of AAPI
journalists and news managers in the industry.
AAJA is an alliance partner in UNITY Journalists of Color, along
with the Native American Journalists Association, National
Association of Hispanic Journalists, and National Association of
Black Journalists.
Contact Information
Send cover letter, resume and references to:
Janice Lee, Deputy Executive Director
Asian American Journalists Association
Email
JaniceL@aaja.org with subject line OFFICE ASST
AAJA is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate
on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender, sexual
orientation or political orientation.
(http://www.aaja.org/about/jobs/)
******************
LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER LAW – OFFICE MANAGER
Washington, D.C.
Full Time - Experienced
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, one of the
nation's premier civil rights legal organizations, has an
opening for Administrator. The office has 49 staffs, including
19 attorneys. This position reports to the Deputy Director/
Director of Finance and Administration. The Office Manager is
responsible for operational services, customer service, and
day-to-day activities of the Lawyers’ Committee. We are seeking
a high-energy, ambitious individual to support our management
team and general operations. Candidates must possess excellent
communication skills, judgment, and the ability to work in a
fast-paced and evolving environment. The Office Manager must be
able to coordinate tasks from the mundane to the more strategic
in a professional and confidential manner. Willingness to adapt
to an evolving job description and expand your responsibilities
as the organization grows is a plus.
Responsibilities include:
* Purchase office technology equipment, software, and maintain
inventories.
* Purchase office supplies, equipment, furniture, and fixtures;
maintain inventories and produce management reports as
requested.
* Supervise administrative volunteers and temporary office staff
* Plan and execute special events, retreats,
conferences/seminars
* Responsible for recruiting, screening, interviewing non
management candidates, and processing all new hires
* Other HR-related tasks include but are not limited to;
preparation of monthly HR Report, new employee orientation,
conduct telephone and office equipment training, processing all
benefits related paperwork, exit interviews, and working with
payroll/benefits vendor Responsible for assigning and
reconciling monthly statements for wireless communication
equipment such as cell phones, Blackberries, etc.
* Processes documentation needed for state registrations to
comply with state laws for foreign corporations soliciting
charitable donations;
* Evaluate, select, and manage many third-party vendor
relationships
* Various projects as sought-out and assigned, dependent on
abilities and ambition
* Serve as liaison between project staff and webmaster for
design/content changes and schedule periodic meetings.
Requirements: 3+ years administrative experience as an
office manager, BS/BA degree, interest and experience in using
technology to improve work efficiency, good customer service
skills, strong organizational skills, detail oriented, and the
ability to handle multiple priorities. The ideal candidate is
very organized, an excellent planner, patient, enthusiastic,
solid customer service delivery skills, and have excellent
verbal and written communication skills. Technical experience
should include Windows XP, Microsoft Office 2003; experience
with FrontPage or Dreamweaver a plus.
Salary: Salary is commensurate with experience. Employer-funded
health insurance, 403 (b) retirement plan, life and long-term
disability insurance, generous vacation, sick leave and holiday
schedules.
For immediate and confidential consideration, please send a
resume with a cover letter to: Office Assistant, Lawyers’
Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, 1401 New York Avenue,
Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20005. Resumes will be accepted
until the position is filled.
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is an equal
opportunity employer. Resumes from minorities, females, and
disabled candidates are encouraged.
Required Education: 4 Year Degree
(http://www.nptjobs.com/jobdetail.cfm?job=2215317&keywords)
******************
THE WASHINGTON CENTER FOR INTERNSHIP
AND ACADEMIC SEMINARS – NORM MINETA INTERNSHIP IMMERSION
PROGRAM
We are pleased to announce the new Norm Mineta Internship
Immersion Program that will provide internship opportunities in
the U.S. Department of Defense for a total of 150 Asian American
and Pacific Islander students.
Participating students, who must be financial aid eligible, will
receive a full scholarship covering The Washington Center's
program fee, fully-furnished housing in the Washington, D.C.
metro area, a weekly stipend of $250, and roundtrip travel to
and from Washington, D.C. The program is funded by the Congress
and will be offered in the spring semester of 2006 (application
deadline: November 4, 2005) or summer term of 2006 (application
deadline: February 3, 2006).
A pdf document outlining program components, eligibility, and
the application process is attached. Please distribute this
information to any qualified student candidates or their mentors
in your organization. Should you have any questions regarding
this exciting opportunity, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Kevin Y. Wang
Representative, Norm Mineta Internship Immersion Program
The Washington Center for Internship and Academic Seminars
2301 M Street, NW, Fifth Floor
Washington, D.C. 20037-1427
Email:
kevinw@twc.edu
Direct: 425-442-2592
Fax: 202-336-7609
(http://www.ncvaonline.org/archive/internship_NormMinetaInternshipImmersionProgram.pdf)
******************
TRAFFICKING OUTREACH COORDINATOR (ADELPHI, MD)
Boat People SOS, Inc. (BPSOS) seeks a full-time Outreach
Coordinator for its Victims of Exploitation and Trafficking
Assistance Program (VETA). BPSOS has been providing services to
the Vietnamese community for over 25 years. In 2001, VETA was
created to respond to the needs of 206 human trafficking victims
resettling in the United States after being freed from an
American Samoa sweatshop. In the DC- area, BPSOS works in
partnership with Ayuda as the Metro DC Alliance to Combat
Trafficking and Slavery (ACTS) to provide services to victims;
conduct outreach and educational activities; and to establish
coalitions with government agencies, grassroots organizations,
and service providers.
Salary: Depending on experience and qualifications, plus
benefits.
Responsibilities:
1. Develop and conduct outreach and educational
activities for the Vietnamese community in the metro DC area
using workshops, media strategies, and collaborations;
2. Develop and conduct outreach and educational
activities for other immigrant communities on human trafficking;
3. Conduct training and capacity-building activities with
local service providers to increase their understanding of
trafficking and their ability to provide appropriate culturally
competent services to identified trafficking victims;
4. Establish partnerships with local grassroots
organizations, law enforcement agencies, and service providers;
5. Attend forums and meetings relating to project
activities in DC metropolitan area;
6. File activities reports;
7. Perform other duties as directed by the Program
Manager and Branch Manager.
Requirements:
1. Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience;
2. Fluency in Vietnamese required;
3. At least two years' experience in grassroots
organizing and/or community outreach;
4. Strong writing skills and the ability to develop
training and presentation materials;
5. Knowledge of immigrant community patterns and social
networks;
6. Access to a car;
7. Willingness to work occasional evening and weekend
hours;
8. Experience working with victims of trauma (domestic
violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking) preferred, but
not required.
Location: Adelphi, Maryland
To apply: Send resume, cover letter and list of three
references to:
Pharia Le, Director of Management and Support
Boat People SOS
6066 Leesburg Pike, Suite 100
Falls Church VA 22041
pharia.le@bpsos.org
BPSOS is an equal opportunity employer.
******************
TIPS/RESOURCES
KEY RESOURCES FROM THE WHITE HOUSE FOR HURRICANE KATRINA
The USA Freedom Corps continues to coordinate volunteers for the
victims of Hurricane Katrina and is offering the following
resources: For Volunteers: The Katrina Resource Center is up and
running at the Corporation for National & Community Service
website. The site is a command center set up to connect groups
of volunteers--from nonprofits, schools, businesses, faith-based
organizations, or other groups--with relevant needs on the
ground. It is staffed full-time by AmeriCorps VISTA members.
Local groups can simply fill out the form at the attached link,
and a case worker will get back to them in less than 48 hours.
The web site can be found at:
www.usafreedomcorps.gov/katrina/orgs_place.asp. Recruit
Volunteers: The USA Freedom Corps website houses the most
comprehensive clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities, and the
site received almost a million visitors in the past few weeks.
The attached link outlines steps you can take to ensure that
Americans can find your organization.
www.usafreedomcorps.gov/katrina/orgs_join.asp
(www.usafreedomcorps.gov/katrina/orgs_place.asp)
******************
FINANCE – ACCOUNTING FOR DEALING WITH THE GOVERNMENT
One problem many nonprofits face is complying with a host of
government regulations. This can be especially vexing when it
comes to accounting for the money that an organization collects
and disburses.
In his book Governmental Accounting Made Easy, Warren Ruppel
notes that while adhering to generally accepted accounting
principles -- commonly referred to as GAAP -- is a good start,
there are still many considerations that an organization must
keep in mind. One of these is knowing the different bases of
accounting.
There are three standard bases, with a fourth that may be
utilized in certain circumstances. They are:
* Cash basis. This is the easiest to understand because revenues
are recorded when cash is received and expenses are recorded
when cash is paid out. It might be the easiest, but it is not an
acceptable basis of accounting for preparing governmental
financial statements in accordance with GAAP.
* Accrual basis. This is what is used in preparing
government-wide financial statements. Under this basis,
transactions are recorded when they occur, irrespective of when
cash is received or paid. Revenues are recorded when earned and
expenses when they are incurred.
* Modified accrual basis. Transactions are generally recorded
when they occur, but the timing of the ultimate cash receipt or
disbursement may have an effect on when the transaction is
recorded.
* Budgetary basis. This refers to the accounting principles that
a government uses to prepare its budget for its main operating
fund as well as certain other funds called special revenue
funds.
(http://www.nptimes.com/enews/tips/finance.html)
******************
ONLINE – EMAIL TECHNIQUES THAT RAISE MONEY
AND SAVE MONEY
If you are looking for ways to increase the productivity of your
online fundraising, a good place to start is good old
traditional direct mail. According to Mike Baler, vice president
of fundraising services for Epsilon in Wakefield, Mass., many of
the techniques that drive response and revenue for your mail
program will work in the online environment.
Baler has four tips for the process:
1. List is still king. In the online environment, building your
own list is the surest way to success. Utilizing your Web site
to encourage visitors to register for offers such as electronic
newsletters can make this your primary email collection tool.
Also, your existing acquisition, renewal, and special event
mailings are an effective method to collect email addresses.
2. Emphasize benefits. When asking for email addresses, make
sure you highlight why you're asking. Will it save money? Cut
administrative work? Enable the organization to provide
immediate updates to keep donors informed?
3. Build that relationship. Use email to make your donors feel
connected to your organization. Collect donor preferences and
interests via surveys, polls, petitions, and create online
forums and chat areas to let donors communicate with each other.
Also, email is the perfect channel for viral marketing ("tell a
friend") and e-cards can dramatically build your email address
file.
4. Your Email technique checklist:
* Be sure your objectives are clear and embraced throughout your
organization. What will be the metric from which you gauge
success? Click-thru rate? Number of responses? Revenue creation?
* Think in terms of campaigns instead of one-off email blasts.
Email is cost effective and should be used as a series of
messages such as informational updates, event invitations,
fundraising appeals, acknowledgements, and additional blasts to
non-responders.
* Segment your email list just like your offline mail. Use
giving history, gender, age, years of affiliation, etc.
* Cross-market with email by targeting volunteers and event
attendees and always reference the donor's affiliation.
* Copy should be short and sweet, specific and powerful, timely
and pertinent.
* Subject lines are critical.
* Test and test again. Every email you send should include a
test of a single variable such as subject line, the person the
message is from, premium offers, personalization, localization,
gift array strategies.
* Include a link to your privacy policy and opt-out language.
* Track revenue, response rates, average gift online vs.
offline, percentage of email file that donates, number of donors
you get from your Web site vs. email solicitations -- and most
important, track your donors' preferences.
* Measure the growth of your email address file and spot
seasonal spikes and trends such as increases around special
events.
(http://www.nptimes.com/enews/tips/onlinefund.html)
******************
ENDOWMENTS – BUILDING A
FIRM FINANCIAL FUTURE
Endowments, which often involve large sums of money, are gaining
a great deal of attention lately. They can make a significant
difference for many organizations, but they are not always
understood by those in the nonprofit world.
In her book Endowment Building, Diana S. Newman offered
suggestions on the ways by which an endowment can be of benefit
to an organization, from the top on down. An endowment:
* Creates an ongoing source of income. The organization can
count on annual distributions for its charitable work.
* Enhances stability and prestige. A well-managed endowment
sends a message of planned long-term stability.
* Relieves pressure on the annual fund. An endowment can provide
annual support for the organization's operating budget.
* Allows program expansion. Funds can be used for scholarships,
faculty chairs, staff positions, lecture series, research,
facility maintenance, equipment and supplies.
* Provides independence. Endowment contributions designated for
specific purposes can provide a measure of independence from
economic, governmental and political forces.
* Offers flexibility for management. Endowments offer options to
meet new challenges.
* Builds a pipeline of future gifts. Many endowment gifts are
designed to be used at a future date.
* Encourages outright gifts. Donors who have made endowment
gifts are likely to make gifts to the organization's annual and
capital campaigns as well.
(http://www.nptimes.com/enews/tips/endowments.html)
******************
NEWS
September 22, 2005
CONGRESS PASSES AMENDED KATRINA TAX RELIEF PACKAGE
After days of negotiation, both chambers of Congress have passed
an amended Hurricane Katrina tax relief package, Taxwire
reports.
Awaiting the president's signature, the legislation will provide
taxpayers who house displaced individuals an additional personal
exemption of $500 per displaced person, waive the 10 percent tax
on early distributions from IRAs for individuals affected by the
hurricane, and allow those individuals to use their 2004 income
to determine the child and earned income tax credits on their
2005 returns. The House unanimously passed the package, while
the Senate passed it by voice vote.
The Joint Committee on Taxation put the ten-year cost of the
bill at $6.1 billion. According to a spokesperson for the
committee, the most expensive provisions are those that allow
full deductibility of personal casualty losses for hurricane
victims ($2.4 billion), extend the replacement period for homes
and businesses damaged by the hurricane ($1.8 billion), and
raise the permitted charitable contribution level for
corporations and individuals ($871 million).
"It's important that this tax legislation is signed into law
quickly to help ease the burdens on those affected by Hurricane
Katrina," said House Ways and Means Committee chair William M.
Thomas (R-CA). "I'm pleased this has been a bipartisan effort
and look forward to the legislation being signed into law soon."
Elmore, Wesley. “Congress Passes Revamped Hurricane Tax Relief
Package.” Taxwire 9/22/05.
()
******************
September 26, 2005
ASIAN WOMEN SHY AWAY FROM CERVICAL-CANCER TESTS
Health workers spread message: Lives can be saved.
By Sunny Hu
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Health providers hoping to reduce the incidence of cervical
cancer among Asian women are contending with a foe as tenacious
as the disease: tradition.
National Cancer Institute statistics show that the cancer is
five times more common among Vietnamese women than white women
because many are reluctant to get tested for this highly
preventable disease.
Surveys show Asian women have lower cancer screening rates, and
a significant number of Korean Americans have never heard of the
Pap test - which has decreased cervical cancer deaths by 75
percent in recent years.
The test checks cells in the cervix, the lower part of the
uterus, to detect an infection or abnormal cells that become
cancerous. Most cases are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV)
- about 50 percent of sexually active men and women get genital
HPV at some time in their lives, researchers say.
Although the exact number of cervical cancer cases among Asian
women in this region is unknown, health-care workers believe the
problem is steadily growing.
Philadelphia has seen a rapid increase in the Asian population.
Census data show that the number of Asians in Philadelphia
virtually doubled in the 1990s, rising from 103,537 in 1990 to
195,570 in 2000.
Khan Bo, outreach worker of Health Program of Southeast Asian
Mutual Assistance Association Coalition, knows how urgent it is
to have Asian women take the Pap test.
In 2004, among her 165 clients taking Pap tests, 10 were
diagnosed with cervical cancer. The youngest was 30 years old.
Five women had their uterus removed and one woman, 55, died of
the cancer after diagnosis.
Starting next month, a statewide effort to prevent breast and
cervical cancer will begin in areas with large Asian populations
such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
The program, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, is trying to send this message to women: "If you
don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of your
family."
Cultural traditions of modesty help dissuade many Asian women
from seeking care.
"Pap test, for most Asian women, is still very, very sensitive,"
said Putery Long, a social worker for the Southeast Asian
community. She said that some Asian women don't want to take
their bra off when they visit a family doctor because it's
embarrassing to expose their body to a man.
In some Asian countries, husbands don't like male gynecologists
to treat their wives.
Many Asian women do not like to talk about disease, because this
is seen as bad luck. Lee (not her real name), 34, mother of two
children in South Philadelphia, refused to be interviewed about
her breast and cervical cancer. Social workers helping her said
that only a few people know about Lee's diseases.
Last year, the Cambodian American woman first had a breast
removed after cancer was detected; Then, when cancer had spread
to her uterus, that organ was cut out. She had never had a Pap
test before the first cancer was found.
It's more than modesty that prevents women from getting tested;
other factors include the discomfort of the Pap test, mistrust
of the U.S. health system, language difficulties, and limited
access to care.
Many Asian immigrants don't see a doctor until they are very
sick because they must work or can't afford treatment. Others
without visas fear being turned in to authorities.
Every Monday and Thursday, Bo visits her clients in their homes
to persuade them to take Pap tests. "They don't believe it's
free," Bo said. She picks up clients one by one and sends them
to a limited number of designated hospitals. Most clients worry
about getting lost or being treated by doctors who can't speak
their language.
All hospitals are required by law to provide language assistance
- either with staff interpreters or by a telephone service like
AT&T. But interpreters are in short supply because of the high
cost, doctors and health workers said. Many patients complain
that the telephone service is poor.
Sokna Heng, 27, from Cambodia, has never taken a Pap test,
although she knows older women with cervical problems. She
believes the test is only for sexually active women and "will
take the test regularly only after getting married."
The American Cancer Society, however, recommends that all women
21 or older get Pap tests every one to three years even if they
are not sexually active. Before 21, women should start getting
Pap tests three years after they begin having sexual
intercourse.
Contact staff writer Sunny Hu at 215-854-2999 or
yhu@phillynews.com.
(http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/12744876.htm)
******************
September 27, 2005
For Immediate Release
Contact: Russell C. Leong, editor
rleong@ucla.edu
THIRTY YEARS AFTER VIETNAM: UCLA’S AMERASIA JOURNAL PUBLISHES
COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE
UCLA Asian American Studies Center--Amerasia Journal announces
the publication of a special 200-page issue (volume 31. number
2, 2005) which commemorates the 30th anniversary of the "Fall
of Saigon" and "exodus from Vietnam." The issue is guest edited
by Professor Yen Le Espiritu, professor of ethnic studies at UC
San Diego, and Professor Thu-Huong Nguyen-Vo, an assistant
professor at UCLA who teaches globalization, Vietnamese Studies,
and Asian American Studies.
The special issue is useful for students, scholars, and for
anyone who wants to understand the Vietnam war and the United
States in a deeper way: what was the result of the loss of at
least three million lives, the maiming of countless bodies, the
poisoning of water, land and air, the devastation of most of
Vietnam's infrastructure, and the emergence of the Vietnamese
refugee diaspora today.
This volume, one of the most compelling in Amerasia Journal's
35-year history, according to Russell Leong, the Journal's
senior editor, raises provocative new questions and deepens the
dialogue around the following issues for all Americans: *
-Who won the so-called Vietnam War--Vietnam, or the U.S.?
-Why is the Vietnam War always invoked when the U.S. media and
politicians talk about Iraq and the Middle East?
-What do Vietnamese Americans themselves--scholars, writers,
artists, and community persons, think of their past and future?
-How do Vietnamese Americans--both as survivors and successful
people--face the contradictions of the current-day U.S. foreign
policy in relation to themselves and others?
Ironically, as Prof. Espiritu states, "On the 30th anniversary
of the 'Fall of Saigon' the United States indeed seems to have
'won' the Vietnam War. Ten years after normalization of
relations with Vietnam, the United States has emerged as
Vietnam's top trading partner, and the two countries are moving
to increase security ties through military-to-military contacts
and intelligence co-operation." Within this New World order,
"Vietnam appears to be well on its way to become yet another
satellite regime of the United States."
Yet, according to the editors, the voices and bodies of
Vietnamese people, before and after the war, "have not been
accorded the same humanity and dignity given to American
bodies." One example of this is the Vietnam War Memorial,
commissioned to commemorate the U.S. soldiers who fought in
Vietnam. In this memorial, the Vietnamese people
themselves--either as victims or enemies--are simply absent.
The purpose of Amerasia Journal's special issue therefore, is to
present the voices, the figures, the expression, and the
ideologies of Vietnamese people in the United States from an
alternative perspective: one of remembering the past and
re-examining the present. Vietnamese refugees in the United
States during the past 30 years have been seen for the most part
as: 'successful, assimilated, and anti-communist." According to
the editors, this positive view that selectively links economic
success, democracy, and freedom of U.S. Vietnamese is today
being used as a rationalization to justify continued U.S.
military intervention in other parts of the world "in the
service of defending and bestowing freedom."
How should Vietnamese and other Asian Americans respond to their
being used as the "model minority" in relation to America's
"terrorist enemies" today? This special issue of Amerasia
Journal provides analyses of various Vietnamese American
perspectives on the past and the present. Fifteen scholars,
writers, and activists contribute essays that examine Vietnamese
American communities today--including local organizations and
local politics, Vietnamese American film, literature, and art.
Among the featured writers are: Lan Duong, Viet Le, Isabelle
Thuy Pelaud, Fiona I.B. Ngo, Thuy Vo Dang, Loan Dao, Thu Minh
Pham, and Brandy Lien Worrall-Yu.
A special Forum discusses Vietnam and the U.S. in relation to
the current Middle East crisis and Iraq. Scholars John D.
Blanco, George Dutton, Denise Ferreira Da Silva, Khatharya Um,
and Lisa Yoneyama contribute to this Forum section.
Amerasia Journal may be purchased by sending a check made
payable to "UC Regents in the amount of $15 (plus $4.00
shipping/handling, and 8.25% tax for California residents) to:
UCLA Asian American Studies Center Press, 3230 Campbell Hall,
Box 951546, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1546. Visa, Mastercard, and
Discover cards are also accepted; please include account number,
expiration date, and your phone number. Inquiries for purchasing
the book or for textbook discounts, contact Ming Tu at
aascpress@aasc.ucla.edu or (310) 8250-2968.
Annual subscriptions for Amerasia Journal are $35.00 for
individuals, and $55.00 for libraries and other institutions.
Amerasia Journal is published three times a year: Winter,
Spring, and Fall.
Table of Contents
30 Years AfterWARd: Vietnamese Americans & U.S. Empire
Amerasia Journal, Volume 31, Number 2005
Guest Editors: Yen Lê Espiritu and Nguyên-Vo Thu-Huong
To Our Readers
Moment of Empire: An Editorial Dialogue -- Russell C. Leong &
Brandy Liên Worrall-Yu
Introduction
Thirty Years AfterWARd: The Endings That Are Not Over -- Yen Lê
Espiritu
Section I: Producing Cultures
Manufacturing Authenticity: The Feminine Ideal in Tony Bui's
Three Seasons -- Lan Duong
The Art of War: Vietnamese American Visual Artists Dinh Q. Lê,
Ann Phong and Nguyen Tan Hoang -- Viet Le
Entering Linh Dinh's Fake House: Literature of Displacement --
Isabelle Thuy Pelaud
A Chameleon's Fate: Transnational Mixed-Race Vietnamese
Identities -- Fiona I. B. Ngô
Section II: Moving Communities
The Cultural Work of Anticommunism in the San Diego Vietnamese
American Community -- Thuy Vo Dang
What's Going On with the Oakland Museum's "California and the
Vietnam Era" Exhibit? -- Loan Dao
Section III: AfterWARd-A Forum
The Gothic Underside of U.S. Imperialism -- John D. Blanco
Reflections on Two American Wars -- George Dutton
A Tale of Two Cities: Saigon, Fallujah, and the Ethical
Boundaries of Empire -- Denise Ferreira da Silva
The "Vietnam War": What's in a Name? -- Khatharya Um
On the Unredressability of U.S. War Crimes: Vietnam and Japan --
Lisa Yoneyama
Section IV: Whose Memories?
My Mother's War -- Thu Minh Pham
Legacies -- Brandy Liên Worrall-Yu
Afterword
Forking Paths: How Shall We Mourn the Dead? -- Nguyên-Vo Thu-Huong
******************
September 27, 2005
CHINESE MUSEUM
TO
GET NEW $6.5M HOME
VERENA DOBNIK
Associated Press
NEW YORK - The Museum of Chinese in the Americas, currently four
small rooms that tell the big and sometimes painful story of
Asian-American life, is to have a new $6.5 million home.
The new museum, officials announced Tuesday, will be designed by
renowned architect Maya Lin, who created the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The expanded 12,000-foot museum on Lafayette Street - a walk
away from the current space on Mulberry Street - will be feet
from the bustle of street merchants hawking everything from fish
to silk fans.
The building will have a meeting space where discussion topics
will include such prickly issues as stereotyping, said Charles
Lai, who helped found the museum 25 years ago.
"Look at the stereotypes the world has of the Chinese: They're
either super-smart kids, model students - or they're violent
gang members," he said.
Exhibits are in English, many with Chinese translations, and in
Spanish, since Asian immigrants also moved to the Caribbean and
Latin America.
The new space will be in a seven-story, old brick commercial
building with 15-foot ceilings. The street level and basement
will be renovated and redesigned to house the museum. Galleries
will be large and open, and many of the walls moveable.
"It has to be a flexible, multipurpose, active space where a lot
of people can gather," said Cynthia Lee, the museum's deputy
director of programs. "It'll be a fresh, modern take on what is
means to be Chinese, as well as American."
The current 2,500-square-foot, second-floor space draws more
than 50,000 visitors a year, including many school groups
attending lectures, workshops and readings. Sometimes, it's so
cramped, Lai said, that "we have to be careful not to step on
schoolchildren sitting on the floor."
The new building, expected to open by the end of 2006, will
house thousands of archives now packed floor-to-ceiling, a
museum shop and screening rooms for films that must now be shown
at various places around the city. The project is funded by
private and corporate donations, and $2 million from the New
York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
A permanent exhibit called "Where Is home?" is moving to the new
space as well as special rotating exhibits. The current one is a
collection of items that examine the so-called "yellow peril,"
which typecast Asian-Americans for centuries, resulting in such
atrocities as internment camps for Japanese-Americans during
World War II.
ON THE NET
Museum of Chinese in the Americas:
http://www.moca-nyc.org
(http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/entertainment/12756325.htm)
******************
September 27, 2005
DAY TO REMEMBER
Family and friends of stranded Vietnamese boat people are
overjoyed at their arrival in the U.S.
By TOM BERG
The Orange County Register
LOS ANGELES - Finally. Sixteen years after fleeing Vietnam, a
group of 229 boat people set foot on U.S. soil Monday night.
It was a remarkable scene: At 7:40 p.m., a wild cheer rose from
more than 100 friends, relatives and supporters in the Tom
Bradley Terminal of Los Angeles International Airport. Some held
balloons, some held flowers. Others held emotions bottled up
since 1989.
When the first refugee arrived from immigration, pushing a cart
of luggage, those emotions burst out. The crowd surged, smiling,
shouting, shaking hands, slapping backs – wanting to be part of
the moment.
“So happy, so happy,” said My Thi Le, holding her infant and
waving off TV cameras as she sought her connecting flight to
Arizona.
The first refugee bound for Orange County appeared two hours
later, near 10 p.m.
“Oh, look! Oh, look!” shouted Dung Nguyen of Westminster, seeing
her brother, Tuan Nguyen, and his family. “My brother’s finally
home.”
Dung Nyugen had been waiting at LAX for seven hours – this after
crying every day for the past two weeks. One of her daughters,
Eilene Pham, 32, of Westminster, said: “We thought there was no
hope to see him anymore. My dad passed away and my mom’s mom
passed away, so now it’s only her and him, so she couldn’t
wait.”
The two families met in a great embrace, then fell speechless,
too stunned for words.
“It’s too emotional,” Tuan Nguyen said, wiping tears with his
sleeve. “It’s too heavy being here.”
Ken Khanh Nguyen, chairman of the Little Saigon Foundation, came
to enjoy the moment.
“This is the last chapter of the Vietnam refugees,” he said.
“Every one of us here has experienced this moment ourselves,
arriving in a new country, a strange land for the first time. So
to be here to welcome them is like the way Americans welcomed us
before.”
The airplane’s arrival Monday was the first of many expected
over the next few months from the Philippines, where some 2,000
Vietnamese boat people have been stuck since 1989. They are the
forgotten boat people of Palawan – the last remnants of
Vietnamese refugees to flee by boat before the world’s refugee
camps closed, refusing to accept them.
Of the 229 refugees who crossed the Pacific on Monday, about 40
will settle in and around Orange County – home to the largest
population of Vietnamese refugees in the United States. Others
will scatter around the country, depending on where their
families or sponsors live.
“This is the beginning of the closure of the 30-year saga of the
Vietnamese boat people,” said Westminster attorney Lan Nguyen,
who had worked for this day perhaps longer than anyone. “I can’t
describe the feeling.”
Lan Nguyen began helping the Palawan boat people in 1996,
raising money in Orange County for them after their refugee camp
closed. Until the last few years, he said, it was discouraging.
No one was listening.
“There was almost no hope for them and no one was paying
attention to them,” he said. “But we kept pushing the door open,
little by little.”
It was mainly the work of one man – Hoi Trinh, 35, a refugee
himself who grew up in Australia. He persuaded the United States
to accept the forgotten boat people.
Trinh set up offices in Manila and became an advocate for the
resettlement. Slowly, he built an alliance of U.S. senators and
congressmen, including Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana. With
their help, he persuaded the State Department this year to
accept these last remnants of the Vietnam War.
“It’s extraordinary,” Sanchez said in a telephone interview. “I
think it’s Nobel Prize-worthy, really, when you think about it.
Somebody devoted years of their life, not to personally get
something from this, but to help a people the rest of the world
had forgotten.”
Today, about 1 million Vietnamese refugees and their
American-born children live in the United States. They arrived
in three waves:
“The first came as Saigon fell in April 1975, when those with
enough money or U.S. connections escaped on U.S. cargo planes
and military ships.
“The second wave began in the late 1970s as ex-soldiers,
teachers and intellectuals targeted for re-education camps
escaped by boat – thus the name “boat people.”
“The third wave came in the 1980s as the United Nations arranged
to evacuate hundreds of thousands of political prisoners from
Vietnam. Among the boat people waiting at LAX were Long Nguyen,
58, of Garden Grove, and Theresa Nguyen, 53, now his wife.
They were looking for Theresa’s nephew, Do Viet, in his 20s, who
they were taking in. They learned Sunday that he was coming.
“I feel anxiety and excitement,” Theresa said. “We never thought
this would happen. Tomorrow, we’re taking him to church to thank
God for this.”
(http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_691738.php)
******************
September 27, 2005
VIETNAMESE
BOAT PEOPLE ARRIVE IN L.A.
By DAISY NGUYEN
Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES — For 16 years, 229 Vietnamese refugees lived in the
Philippines without permanent residency status or legal rights.
But their long journey to a new home ended when they arrived in
the United States on a chartered flight.
The group received a tumultuous greeting at Los Angeles
International Airport on Monday from 200 people, including some
who had left the Philippines ahead of them.
"I've waited 16 years for this moment. It's hard for me to
express my emotions right now. It's beyond happiness," said
Hoang Tran, 39, who plans to settle permanently in Missouri.
Monday's arrivals were the first of some 1,600 Vietnamese
refugees expected to make their way to this country under an
agreement allowing asylum-seekers scattered in the Philippines
since 1989 to resettle in the United States.
The first group to arrive at the airport's international
terminal held a huge red banner with white letters proclaiming,
"Thank you, America, for welcoming us. Please help our brothers
and sisters in the Philippines," a reference to about 300 people
who have been denied permission to resettle.
Lan Nguyen, who arrived in the United States with her husband
four years ago after spending 15 years in the Philippines, was
among those on hand to greet the refugees.
"We had gone through so much together. Some people became closer
to me than my own family," she said. "We have such a special
bond. We could talk for three or four days on end and we'd never
run out of memories to share."
Many Vietnamese left their homeland by boat after the communists
defeated South Vietnam in 1975. Others were allowed to leave in
the 1980s under a U.S.-sponsored program for Vietnamese whose
fathers were believed to be U.S. servicemen. Relatives of those
refugees were also given approval to go.
Until March 1989, those who landed in refugee camps throughout
Asia were automatically granted refugee status. After that, the
United Nations refused to recognize them as refugees and seven
years later cut off funding for Vietnamese camps throughout the
region.
Some countries began forcible repatriation back to Vietnam. In
the Philippines, then-President Fidel Ramos allowed the
Vietnamese to stay indefinitely under the supervision of the
Roman Catholic Church, but they were not given permanent
residency status or legal rights.
"You're living a half-life, being stateless," Hoi Trinh, a
Vietnamese-Australian lawyer who spent eight years helping the
refugees, said from his office in Manila. "You can't move
forward or backward. You're stuck because you're a nobody and
don't belong anywhere or to anyone, therefore no one has to deal
with you."
Over the years, several hundred refugees were resettled in the
United States, Australia, Canada and Europe. But the vast
majority remained in limbo in the Philippines as politicians and
activists sought a resolution.
"I just thought it was so clearly wrong," said Kansas Sen. Sam
Brownback, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
which held a hearing on the issue in February 2004. "The right
thing to do was to grant them permanent status so they can get
on with their lives."
Last year, the United States announced a joint plan with the
Philippines to offer resettlement to Vietnamese asylum-seekers.
Patrick Corcoran, a representative of the International
Organization for Migration, which helped in the transfer, said
interviews by U.S. immigration officials were ongoing. A total
of 1,600 refugees were expected to be approved, he said.
Trinh said about 300 others, including those with Filipino
spouses, have been denied permission to resettle. Their fate
remained uncertain because Philippine law prohibits anyone who
entered the country illegally to apply for permanent residency.
"It's a happy occasion but also a sad occasion, because there
are still some people whose situation are still not yet
resolved," Trinh said.
J. Kelly Ryan, deputy assistant secretary of state for
population, refugees and migration, said her department was
working with the Philippine government to find a solution for
those with Filipino spouses.
On the Net:
International Organization for Migration:
http://www.iom.int
Copyright 2005, The Associated Press.
(http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Vietnamese_Refugees.html)
******************
September 27, 2005
STILL SEEKING REFUGE: VIETNAMESE AFTER KATRINA
By Vu-Duc Vuong
Vietnamese, like Bangladeshi, are simply too keenly intimate
with water-born natural disasters. Not a single year goes by
without some major flood in each country, causing losses of
lives and damages to properties.
One of the earliest Vietnamese folk legends confronted Mother
Nature's wrath head-on: the epic battle between Son Tinh (Lord
of the Mountain) and Thuy Tinh (Lord of the Water) for the hand
of Princess Mi-nuong. Son Tinh came first and escorted her to
his mountain. The enraged Thuy Tinh mobilized all of his powers,
raising the water level, slashing waves upon waves against the
mountain, and unleashing all creatures of the sea to overwhelm
his nemesis. But Son Tinh had the upper hand, building his
mountain higher and higher, fortifying it against the waves,
even throwing lightning and thunder at Thuy Tinh's creatures.
The Lord of the Water retreated, but never forgot his defeat,
and each year he repeated the battle, causing untold sufferings
for farmers and fishermen alike.
No Vietnamese child would dare disrespect the ocean, but neither
would she be paralyzed by it: there is always higher ground. The
tsunami last December illustrated this lesson forcefully: the
devastation was immense, yet barely 50 feet above the water's
level, and one was quite safe.
Many Vietnamese settled in the US Gulf Coast, in locations with
unusual names: Biloxi, Versailles, Port Arthur, Mobile, New
Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain, Bayou La Batre. The 2000 Census
recorded 25,000 Vietnamese-ethnic in Louisiana, 6,000 in
Mississippi, 5,000 in Alabama, and a whopping 144,000 in Texas.
Public assistance in these states were minimal, but properties
were less expensive, and many of the refugees along the coast
were able to ply their traditional skills, fishing and shrimping.
They built their new communities, regaining a sense of normalcy
with kids in school, small businesses cropping up, and even
Vietnamese churches and pagodas dotting the landscape.
In 2002, "the Vietnamese are 45 to 80 percent of the industry in
some areas," noted George Barisich, co-chair of the Southern
Shrimp Alliance, the organization of U.S. warmwater wild shrimp
fishery in the eight Southern states.
They were generally not rich, but they made an honest living in
a new country. As with many previous immigrants, their
traditional skills mostly will die with the first generation;
the work is simply too hard, the pay too little while the white
collar professions in big cities beckon.
Then Katrina came knocking. Literally.
Overnight, they were refugees again. Most of their boats were
destroyed. Ninety percent of the houses along the coast laid in
ruins. And all their properties vanished. They were left with a
shirt on their back, no food or water, no place to stay, and no
future. Just as it had been in 1975.
Some no doubt would find solace in the Book of Job. But not
many. They were too busy finding their loved ones, finding their
way to a dry place, and only beginning to figure out how will
they rebuild this time.
15,000 have fled to Houston, home to the Astrodome, Enron, and
over 100,000 Vietnamese-Americans. They naturally flocked to
places they know, where they can speak in Vietnamese, and where
they can find some comfort food. They made their way to temples,
churches, some community centers, and as a sign of their own
adjustment to America, they flooded the Vietnamese shopping
malls.
Nguyen Ninh, 57, and his wife Tran Sinh, 55, from Pass
Christian, Miss., survived Katrina and sought refuge in their
older daughter's apartment in Houston. But their 46-foot boat,
St. Jude, did not. "We don't know what to do, because we've lost
everything," said Tran Sinh.
Nguyen Chau, 50, in Biloxi, Miss. and his wife, Nguyen Le, in
her 30's and five-month pregnant with twins whom they will name
Linda and Tina, saw their house collapsed, their van flooded,
and their shrimp boat tossed ashore by Katrina. Instead of going
to a shelter, they camped out on the dock, 100 yards away from
their boat, both to prevent vandalism and to wait for a crane
that can pick up the boat and drop it back in the water. "I want
to start rebuilding from scratch, provide a house for my wife,"
declared Chau.
In Bayou La Batre, Alabama, a town of 2,754 people and where
Southeast Asians make up one third of the town, Pham Van owns
and operates the First Oriental Marine Supplies with his wife,
several relatives and 15 other employees. He and a crew of 20
relatives and friends were cleaning out the old store, hoping to
salvage something.
By the end of September, however, about half of the evacuees
have made up their mind: never again. They will move inland,
find another way to support themselves, and look forward to
retirement. Farewell to fishnets and traps.
Le "Elizabeth" Rang, 55, and a 20-year resident of New Orleans,
arrived in San Jose with her 16-year old son a few days after
Katrina hit. She was taken in by her nephew and is now staying
in an apartment at Spartan Village, courtesy of San Jose State
University and the Red Cross. 250 other people like Rang have
registered with the Red Cross in Santa Clara Valley, and another
70 with the Palo Alto chapter. For the moment, her son is
enrolled in school, and she doesn't want to return to the Big
Easy. Rang hopes she will gets help finding housing and
employment; but for now, she is thankful just to have a safe
place to shower and sleep each night.
On the surface, it seems as if tens of thousands of Vietnamese
are thrown back to where they first started out in the U.S. But
this time, there is a key difference: there are a million and a
half other Vietnamese-Americans who stand ready to lend them a
hand.
Vu-Duc Vuong teaches and writes in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Contact him at
vuduc.vuong@gmail.com
(http://www.thanhniennews.com/features/?catid=10&newsid=9454)
******************
September 28, 2005
GARDEN GROVE OFFICIAL’S APOLOGY SATISFIES CROWD
Some had considered councilman's earlier remark at a meeting
anti-Vietnamese.
By Dave McKibben, Times Staff Writer
Two busloads of Vietnamese Americans crowded into the Garden
Grove City Council chambers Tuesday to hear Councilman Harry
Krebs make a televised apology for what some had called a
bigoted remark.
"Two weeks ago I made a comment that was not becoming of a …
councilman," Krebs, 78, told the overflow crowd of about 250. "I
would like to apologize to the residents, the TV audience and
the council. I've worked very hard to avoid racial strife, I've
always been very supportive of the Vietnamese community, [and] I
hope people will try not to take advantage of this slip-up."
Krebs' offending remark came at a Sept. 13 meeting of the city's
redevelopment agency where, responding to repeated questioning
by Councilwoman Janet Nguyen, he said, "I already expressed it
very simply — I can't do it in Vietnamese."
The comment drew immediate reaction from Vietnamese American
residents, many of whom saw the exchange on cable television.
Garden Grove includes part of Little Saigon.
The councilman's apology on Tuesday, however, was met by
immediate applause.
"I'm content," said Kim Vo, 30. "The comment was really shocking
to Asian Americans. It was uncalled for, and it made a lot of
people upset."
Phu Nguyen, president of the Vietnamese American Community of
Southern California, later said in an interview that he had
opposed a call by some members of his group for Krebs'
resignation. "I felt it wasn't the way to go," said Nguyen, who
is not related to Janet.
"I don't feel Harry Krebs is a racist. It was a slip-up, and
let's move on from here."
Janet Nguyen seemed to agree as she shook her beleaguered
colleague's hand. "I appreciate the comments by Mr. Krebs," she
told the crowd. "It takes a lot of courage to publicly
apologize, and I thank him for that. Let's move on. It was an
unfortunate remark — something we've all learned from."
On the night Krebs made the remark, he tried to apologize twice
to Nguyen, a 28-year-old Vietnamese American, but was rebuffed.
The councilwoman, who has been in the United States since age 3,
is the first woman to serve on the Garden Grove Council in 35
years.
"It was insulting," she later said of Krebs' insinuation that
she couldn't understand the language. "I didn't know I had an
English problem. I even speak Vietnamese with an English accent.
I've received some 40 phone calls and e-mails from Vietnamese
residents [as well as] Caucasians and Hispanics. It's not about
me — it's about the comment made in public and how he represents
the community."
Krebs, appointed in 2004 to fill the seat vacated when William
Dalton was elected mayor, later apologized to her by e-mail.
Nguyen was one of three council members who voted to confirm
Krebs' appointment.
(http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-apology28sep28,1,3206742.story)
******************
September 28, 2005
FIRST AMERICAN TITLE LAUNCHES DIVERSITY PROGRAM IN HOUSTON
Panel Discussion to Feature Houston Real Estate Industry's Most
Influential Emerging Market Leaders
HOUSTON -- First American Title Insurance Company today
announced the launch of a new diversity marketing program in
Houston designed to help increase homeownership opportunities
among Houston's Latino, Asian-American and African-American
communities. This program will address the specific needs of
minority homebuyers by assisting real estate practitioners in
better serving these traditionally under-served communities.
To kickoff the campaign, First American's Houston office will
host a panel discussion on the state of Houston's housing market
and economy, featuring several of the area's most influential
real estate industry leaders, including: Kenneth Li, past
president of the Asian American Real Estate Association; Ed
Gonzales, president of the Real Estate Association of Latinos;
Olga Garza, president of the Houston chapter of the National
Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals; Bryther
Copes, president of the Houston Real Estate Association;
economist Mike Inselmann, co-founder/president of Metrostudy;
and Jeff Smith, executive director of the Houston Housing and
Finance Corporation.
The event, intended for real estate agents and mortgage lenders,
will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 4 from 4 - 5:30 p.m. at the
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts Founders Room,
800 Bagby Street, Houston, and will be directly followed by a
networking reception.
The Houston kickoff marks the extension of First American's
Emerging Markets Program -- a comprehensive plan helping to
increase home sales to Hispanic, African-American,
Asian-American and other traditionally under-served consumer
segments -- into Texas. The program has been highly successful
in California and has begun to take root in other key regions
across the United States.
According to the U.S. Census, Hispanics, African-Americans and
Asian-Americans are the fastest growing segment of homebuyers in
the nation. First American has set the goal of becoming the
leading provider of title insurance and real estate information
services to this growth segment.
First American's Houston diversity program will help breakdown
the cultural and financial education barriers that often arise
when members of minority communities enter the homebuying
process. It is comprised of consumer-focused outreach and
educational events, specialized programs for real estate
professionals and the hiring and training of key First American
staff to better service ethnically diverse communities.
"Homeownership is a first step toward true financial security
and wealth-building for most Americans, but in many minority
communities, common barriers -- such as financial literacy and
credit issues -- often make homeownership seem unattainable,"
said Jessica S. Verduzco, regional director of Emerging Markets
for First American Title Insurance Company. "Working alongside
our industry partners, we hope to help create thousands of new
homeowners in the Houston area, strengthening our communities
and establishing First American as a trusted advisor among a new
generation of homeowners."
The Houston program will operate in conjunction with The First
American Corporation's broader Emerging Markets Program, a
corporate-wide commitment launched in 2003 to promote an
increase in home sales to traditionally under-served consumer
segments. Combining multicultural sales and marketing strategies
with industry alliances, philanthropic giving/investment and an
increased commitment to management and workforce diversity at
First American, the multiyear, multimillion dollar program is
designed to help First American capture additional market share
by offering innovative solutions to common barriers to
homebuying.
First American Title Insurance Company, the largest subsidiary
of The First American Corporation (NYSE: FAF - News), traces its
history to 1889. One of the largest title insurers in the
nation, the company offers title services through nearly 1,700
offices and an extensive network of agents throughout the United
States and abroad. The company has its headquarters in Santa
Ana, Calif. Information about The First American Corporation's
subsidiaries and an archive of its press releases can be found
on the Internet at
www.firstam.com.
Contacts:
Jessica Verduzco
Emerging Markets
First American Title Insurance Company
(281) 504-2452
David Schulz
Corporate Communications
The First American Corporation
(714) 800-3298
Source: First American Title Insurance Company
(http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050928/law038.html?.v=29)
******************
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2005
CONTACT: Jenny Yang (202) 296-9200
WILLIAM H. (MO) MARUMOTO NAMED AS APAICS PRESIDENT
AND CEO
The Board of Directors of the Asian Pacific American Institute
for Congressional Studies (APAICS) announced the appointment of
William H. (Mo) Marumoto as its President and CEO.
The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS)
is a 50l(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan, educational organization
dedicated to increasing participation of individuals of Asian
and Pacific Islander heritage at all levels of the political
process, from community service to elected office.
Founded in 1994, APAICS was created to promote, support and
conduct non-partisan education and informational activities,
research and programs designed to effectively enhance and
increase the participation of the Asian Pacific Islander
American (APIA) community in the democratic process at the
national, state and local levels.
As more APIAs participate in all facets of government life as
elected and appointed officials, APAICS's vision for a full and
equal presence for our community in public life continues to
gain momentum. The APIA community is advancing up the political
ladder. Ready to lead the APIA community into the 21 st century,
APAICS is the torchbearer for an ambitious agenda of political
empowerment, candidate training and coalition building.
Clayton S. Fong, APAICS Chairman of the Board and former Deputy
Assistant to President George H. Bush stated "we are extremely
fortunate to have someone with Mo's particular background and
experience to lead us. He has a distinguished record spanning a
four decade career in both the public and private sectors as
well as academia," added Fong.
Marumoto recently retired as Founder, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of The Interface Group, Ltd., a retained
boutique executive search firm he founded in 1973 based in
Washington , DC . With over thirty years of experience in the
executive search profession, Marumoto is considered the dean of
headhunters in the nation's capital.
During this period, Marumoto recruited senior-level executives
for Fortune 500 companies, multi-national corporations, major
trade and professional associations, non-profit institutions and
other entities.
Prior to founding the firm in 1973, Marumoto served more than
three years in the Nixon White House as a Presidential Aide
responsible for recruiting individuals for Cabinet and
sub-Cabinet positions. His responsibilities at The White House
also included recruiting senior-level minorities to various
departments, agencies and regulatory commissions.
Before joining the White House staff, he served as Assistant to
the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Health, Education and
Welfare, responsible for all senior-level recruiting for the
U.S. Office of Education.
Earlier in his career, Marumoto was in the management consulting
division of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Company in Los Angeles .
He previously had spent ten years in the academic arena, serving
as Director of Alumni Relations for Whittier College : Associate
Director for Development and Alumni Relations for the University
of California at Los Angeles ; and Vice President for Planning
and Development at the Walt Disney-founded California Institute
of the Arts.
Marumoto is the recipient of more than 25 national professional
awards for his work in higher education, fundraising, direct
mail, events management, and publications.
He received distinguished public service awards from such
organizations as the Japanese-American Citizens League, the
National Chinese Welfare Council, the League of United Latin
American Citizens, the National Multi-Cultural Institute and the
Stanley Suyat Memorial Leadership Award from the Asian American
Government Executives Network.
Currently, Marumoto serves on the Board of Trustees of the
Japanese American National Museum , the National Asian Pacific
Center on Aging, the Asian Pacific American Institute for
Congressional Studies which he has served as Chairman, and the
Advisory Council for George Washington University School of
Business and Public Management.
He formerly served on the Board of Trustees of the Council for
the Advancement and Support of Education, the Japan American
Society of Washington, DC, the Mexican American Legal Defense
and Educational Fund, the Leadership Education for Asian
Pacifics (LEAP), an Asian American public policy organization
which he has served as its Chairman, and the Japanese American
Memorial Foundation for which he was the founding Chairman and
Chairman Emeritus, the Association of Executive Search
Consultants, Whittier College and the Wolf Trap Foundation for
the Performing Arts.
In 2002, President George W. Bush named Marumoto to the
President's Advisory Committee on the Arts of the John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Marumoto is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in
Finance. He was named in the spring of 1996 as one of the 500
most influential Asian Americans in the country by Avenue Asian
Magazine , and he was also named by Asian Weekly as one of the
most influential Asian Americans in Washington .
Marumoto was the first Asian Pacific American ever to serve on
the executive-level of The White House. Also, he was the first
minority to be elected president of the student body and to
receive the outstanding graduating senior award from both Santa
Ana High School ( Santa Ana , California ) and Whittier College.
Marumoto is a member of the Congressional Country Club in
Bethesda , Maryland and he is an avid fisherman who has fished
throughout the world. He also has a sizable collection of
Americana antiques and contemporary art.
Marumoto is married to the former Jean M. Morishige of Lihue,
Kauai , Hawaii and they are the parents of four children and
seven grandchildren. They reside in McLean, Virginia.
The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS)
is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational organization based in
Washington, D.C., that seeks to build a politically empowered
APA community, to fill the political pipeline for Asian Pacific
Americans to enter and advance into elected office, and to be a
resource to Congress about the APA community.
(http://www.apaics.org)
******************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: October 3, 2005
CONTACT: Brad German
703-903-2437
FREDDIE
MAC REVAMPS UNDERWRITING REQUIREMENTS TO HELP GULF COAST
STORM VICTIMS OBTAIN MORTGAGES
Company Eases Income, Credit, Other Requirements Until Oct. 3,
2006
McLean, VA . . . Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) today announced it was
temporarily easing several underwriting requirements to make it
easier for storm victims who lost jobs, income, or important
financial documents in Hurricanes Katrina or Rita to qualify for
a mortgage Freddie Mac can purchase. Freddie Mac is one of the
nation’s largest investors in residential mortgages.
“These changes are designed to help borrowers overcome some of
the daunting obstacles the storms left behind – from temporarily
lost incomes to permanently lost or damaged financial
documents,” said Richard F. Syron, Chairman and CEO of Freddie
Mac. “By giving lenders a prudent, objective and responsible way
to help ensure more storm victims succeed as long-term
homeowners, today’s announcement underscores Freddie Mac’s
mission to keep America’s mortgage market liquid, stable, and
affordable.”
Announced in a September 30 Guide Bulletin, the temporary
requirements are for most of Freddie Mac’s mortgage products
whether they are sold under Freddie Mac’s Cash or Guarantor
programs.
The special underwriting requirements apply only to mortgages
closed on or after August 30 for Hurricane Katrina victims and
on or after September 25 for victims of Hurricane Rita. The
Freddie Mac rule changes, which lenders can use for qualified
storm victims to finance a home in or out of the disaster areas,
will expire after October 3, 2006.
To qualify under the temporary requirements, borrowers must have
been victims of either storm and must live in, had employers in,
or are relocating from the federally designated major disaster
areas where Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individual
Assistance program is available.
Specifically, the changes show lenders how to accommodate
storm-victims who must now rely on:
-
Temporary income, such as employer-paid severance, temporary
employer assistance, unemployment compensation, disaster
assistance grants or other forms of public or private
assistance. Temporary income may be used to qualify the
borrower. In addition, unemployed borrowers receiving
temporary income moving out of the disaster areas will have
to provide a written statement of intent to work. Lenders
must document the likelihood of the borrower re-establishing
his or her regular income to the point where they can meet
their long-term mortgage obligation.
-
Alternative third-party documentation in place of lost or
destroyed income and employment records.
-
Storm-damaged credit reputations. Lenders can discount
adverse or derogatory credit reports caused by the
hurricanes provided there is no evidence that the borrower
had unacceptable credit before the storms. However,
bankruptcies, foreclosures or deed-in-lieu of foreclosures
within the last two years will still make a borrower’s
credit history unacceptable even if they were caused by the
storms.
Other changes provide guidance for calculating borrower housing
expense-to-income and debt-to-income ratios for financing 1-4
family properties. For example, lenders can exclude mortgage
payments on a destroyed or damaged residence in the disaster
area from the borrower’s housing expense-to-income ratio, but
must include it in the borrower’s debt payment-to-income ratio.
For more information, lenders can contact their Freddie Mac
Account Representative or review the new Guide Bulletin at
http://www.freddiemac.com/sell/guide/bulletins.
Freddie Mac is a stockholder-owned company established by
Congress in 1970 to support homeownership and rental housing.
Freddie Mac fulfills its mission by purchasing residential
mortgages and mortgage-related securities, which it finances
primarily by issuing mortgage-related securities and debt
instruments in the capital markets. Over the years, Freddie Mac
has made home possible for one in six homebuyers and nearly four
million renters in America.
www.freddiemac.com.
# # #
******************
DATE: October 4, 2005
CONTACT:
Freddie Mac
Brad German, 703.903.2437
Mississippi Home Corporation
Teresa V. Newell, 601.718.4617
GOVERNOR BARBOUR APPLAUDS MONETARY PARTNERSHIP OF FREDDIE
MAC AND MISSISSIPPI HOME CORPORATION TO PROVIDE TEMPORARY
HOUSING FOR MISSISSIPPIANS AFFECTED BY RECENT HURRICANES
JACKSON, Miss. - Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE), one of the nation’s
largest investors in residential mortgages, has joined forces
with Mississippi Home Corporation (MHC), providing $900,000 for
the acquisition and positioning of more than 35 travel trailer
units that will be used to provide temporary housing to
Mississippians who have been displaced by recent hurricanes
Katrina and Rita.
“Freddie Mac’s monetary partnership with MHC, the State’s
housing finance authority, will enhance our efforts of making
temporary housing readily accessible for displaced persons
affected by the destruction of the recent storms,” said
Mississippi’s Governor, Haley Barbour.
According to MHC, the temporary units will be placed on the
homeowner’s property and tied into existing utilities during the
reconstruction of the home. Six units have been set in place
and the balance should be in place by the end of October.
Travel trailer recipient, Amy Rowell, a life-long Gulf Coast
resident, said that she was pleased with the trailer that was
provided for her and her family. “Our trailer has helped to
restore a sense of normalcy with our family, especially the
kids,” Rowell said. “We just feel better knowing we are all
under one roof instead of being shifted among other family
members’ homes,” she noted.
“MHC welcomes the resources and support Freddie Mac is providing
that will help Mississippians return to work and rebuild their
lives,” said MHC’s Chairman of the Board, Bill Sones.
“Mississippi Gulf Coast governmental entities have been helpful
and accommodating in this endeavor,” he noted.
“As a company dedicated to maintaining a strong and resilient
housing market, Freddie Mac is using every available measure to
help America’s families recover from these terrible storms,”
said Richard F. Syron, Chairman and CEO of Freddie Mac.
“I especially want to thank MHC for their professionalism and
allowing us to join their effort to restore normalcy to the
lives of Mississippi’s citizens,” Syron added.
Currently, MHC is accepting applications through its website for
those homeowners needing temporary housing but is ineligible for
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) housing assistance.
For more information regarding MHC’s hurricane disaster relief
efforts, please visit
www.mshomecorp. For more information concerning Freddie
Mac, visit
www.freddiemac.com.
Freddie Mac is a stockholder-owned company established by
Congress in 1970 to support homeownership and rental housing.
Freddie Mac fulfills its mission by purchasing residential
mortgages and mortgage-related securities, which it finances
primarily by issuing mortgage-related securities and debt
instruments in the capital markets. Over the years, Freddie Mac
has made home possible for one in six homebuyers and nearly four
million renters in America.
www.freddiemac.com.
Mississippi Home Corporation (MHC)
was created by the State of Mississippi as a public-purpose
corporation separate and apart from the State to provide
financing for affordable housing in Mississippi. MHC receives
no funds for its administrative operations from the State of
Mississippi. MHC manages more than $450 million in outstanding
mortgage revenue bonds which are backed by mortgage loans
originated using bond proceeds. MHC offers low interest
mortgages funded by Mortgage Revenue Bonds, Mortgage Credit
Certificates which lower the homebuyer’s federal tax liability,
and low-interest loan for down payment and closing costs.
www.mshomecorp.com.
# # #
******************
About NCVA
Founded in 1986, the National Congress of Vietnamese
Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy
organization working to advance the cause of Vietnamese
Americans in a plural but united America – e pluribus unum –
by participating actively and fully as civic minded citizens
engaged in the areas of education, culture and civil
liberties.
Copyright material is distributed without profit or payment for
research and educational purposes only, in accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. section 107
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