NCVA eREPORTER
- January 4, 2005
In this NCVA eReporter:
Funding Opportunities
Jobs/Internships
Tips/Resources
News
******************
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
NATIONAL YOUTH LEADERSHIP COUNCIL INVITES GROWING TO GREATNESS
RESEARCH PROPOSALS
As part of Growing to Greatness: The State of Service- Learning
Project, an initiative sponsored by State Farm, the
National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) has announced a
Request for Proposals for further research on its 2004 national
survey of K-12 principals.
NYLC is currently accepting research proposals from
student-faculty teams. Two teams will be selected to receive a
$1,000 stipend.
The primary focus of all research projects must be quantitative
analysis of the 2004 national survey of K-12 principals dataset
to further understanding of the state of service-learning.
Proposals must be submitted by teams comprised of one faculty
member and at least one student.
(http://nylc.org/happening_newsarticle.cfm?oid=4412)
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APPLICATIONS INVITED FOR BROOKDALE RELATIVES AS PARENTS PROGRAM
The
Brookdale Foundation's Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP)
is designed to encourage the creation or expansion of services
for grandparents and other relatives who have taken on the
responsibility of surrogate parenting due to the unwillingness
or inability of parents to care for their own children.
The program awards seed grants of $10,000 over a two-year period
in two categories: local agencies and agencies.
The RAPP Local Initiative enables local agencies to: provide
accessible support groups and other supportive services to
relative caregivers and the children in their care; encourage
cooperation and collaboration among various service delivery
systems; ensure the development, expansion and future continuity
of local services; and create replicable models of service.
(Deadline:
January 13, 2005.)
The RAPP Statewide Initiative asks state grantees to: initiate
five new relative support groups in different parts of the
state, under the sponsorship and support of local agencies;
develop a statewide network of local organizations that link
current programs and interested agencies; provide guidance and
information to local communities and stimulate the expansion of
services to grandparent caregivers and their families; and
establish or expand an inter-system task force or committee of
public state agencies and statewide organizations on the issue
of relatives as surrogate parents. (Deadline:
February 10, 2005.)
Each year the foundation awards grants to up to fifteen local
community-based agencies and up to five state agencies
throughout the United States.
(http://www.brookdalefoundation.org/)
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NOMINATION PROCESS OPEN FOR YOSHIYAMA AWARDS HONORING YOUTH
COMMUNITY SERVICE
The
Hitachi Foundation presents the Yoshiyama Award for
Exemplary Service to the Community each year to ten high school
seniors from around the United States in honor of their
community service activities.
The award recognizes exemplary service and community involvement
rather than academic achievement. Activities must foster longer
term community change and be focused in socially and/or
economically isolated communities.
The award is accompanied by a gift of $5,000. Recipients are
invited to participate in a special award ceremony in
Washington, D.C., and a retreat with other awardees.
High school seniors from the United States and U.S. territories
are eligible to be nominated for the award.
The Hitachi Foundation accepts nominations annually from people
directly familiar with the nominee's social contribution such as
community leaders, service providers, teachers, school
principals, or members of the clergy. Self-nominations and
nominations from family members (parents, siblings,
grandparents, aunts, and uncles) will not be accepted.
(http://hitachifoundation.org/yoshiyama/)
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FOCUS ON
COMPANY COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE
ROHM
AND
HAAS COMPANY CONTRIBUTIONS PROGRAM
The primary focus of the Rohm and Haas Company Contributions
Program is to improve the quality of life in company communities
and to improve the quality of science and math education
internationally. Support is provided in communities throughout
the world where the company has a significant operating
presence. The funding areas of interest are education, including
K-12 science, technology, and math education; the environment,
including environmental education; civic and community; health
and human services; and arts and culture. Applications are
accepted year-round from nonprofit organizations in communities
with company facilities worldwide.
(http://www.rohmhaas.com/community/giving/guide_appl.html)
******************
GEORGIA-PACIFIC PROVIDES SUPPORT IN COMPANY COMMUNITIES
Georgia-Pacific Foundation
The Georgia-Pacific Foundation supports a wide range of
nonprofit organizations that improve the quality of life in
communities where Georgia-Pacific operates and where company
employees live and work, including communities in 39 states. The
Foundation's areas of interest include education, the
environment, and community enrichment. Applications are accepted
between January 1 and October 31, annually. Visit the above
website for more information. A map of the Georgia-Pacific
facilities and locations is available online at
http://www.gp.com/facilitydirectory/index.asp.
(http://www.gp.com/center/community/index.html)
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SUPPORT
FOR SKATEBOARD PARKS
AND
FACILITIES
Tony Hawk Foundation
The Tony Hawk Foundation makes grants is to encourage and
facilitate the design, development, construction and operation
of new, quality skateboard parks and facilities located in
low-income communities in the United States. The Foundation
favors parks in low-income areas, or areas with a high
population of "at-risk" youths, that currently have no
skateboarding facilities. Parks should be open during daylight
hours 365 days a year and should charge no money. Nonprofit
organizations, public schools and government agencies throughout
the U.S. are eligible to apply. The next application deadline is
March 1, 2005.
(http://www.tonyhawkfoundation.org/)
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FUNDS FOR
NONVIOLENT SOCIAL CHANGE
A.J. Muste Memorial Institute
The A.J. Muste Memorial Institute supports projects that promote
the principles and practice of nonviolent social change. Funded
projects must be concerned with one or more of the following
areas: peace and disarmament, social and economic justice,
racial and sexual equality, and the labor movement. The Regular
Grant Program provides grants of up to $2,000 for international,
national, and local projects that seek to advance nonviolent
grassroots education and action for social and economic justice.
The International Nonviolence Training Fund provides grants up
to $3,000 for nonviolence training projects outside the United
States, and within Native nations in the U.S. The next
application deadlines for the Regular Grant Program are February
18 and
April 29, 2005.
Applications for the International Nonviolence Training Fund are
accepted throughout the year.
(http://www.ajmuste.org)
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2005
KODAK AMERICAN GREENWAYS AWARDS PROGRAM
Applications Accepted March 1 – June 1, 2005
The Kodak American Greenways Awards Program, a partnership
project of the Eastman Kodak Company, The Conservation Fund, and
the National Geographic Society, provides small grants to
stimulate the planning and design of greenways in communities
throughout America. The application period for the 2005 Kodak
American Greenways Awards Program runs from March 1 through June
1, 2005. Applications will only be accepted online.
(http://www.conservationfund.org/?article=2372%20)
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PACIFICORP
FOUNDATION FOR LEARNING
The PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning fosters strategic,
sustainable learning initiatives that serve the best aspirations
of individuals, organizations, and communities, and that enhance
and develop their capabilities to address significant challenges
and opportunities. Application deadlines vary.
(http://www.pacificorpfoundation.org/)
******************
ACTION FOR NATURE
Action For Nature is an international environmental organization
whose mission is to foster respect and affection for nature
through personal action. Action For Nature has created the
International Young Eco-Hero Awards to recognize and reward the
successful individual environmental initiatives of young people
aged 8-16 from around the world. The awards honor individual
young people for their self-initiated projects. The application
deadline is February 28, 2005.
(http://www.actionfornature.org/eco-hero/ecoheroawards.html)
******************
JOBS/INTERNSHIPS
2005
APS/IBM
Research Internship for Undergraduate Women
RESEARCH INTERNSHIP FOR UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN
Information on the 2005
APS/IBM
Research Internship for Undergraduate Women is now available!
These summer internships are salaried positions
typically 10 weeks long, and include in addition a $2,500 grant,
plus the opportunity to work with a mentor at one of three
IBM
research locations.
Applications must be submitted by
January 31, 2005. Complete details on the program and how to
apply are available at:
http://www.aps.org/educ/cswp/ibmintern.html
2005
APS/IBM
Research Internship for Undergraduate Women
Description: The American Physical Society and
IBM co-sponsor a research internship program for
undergraduate women. The goal is to encourage women students to
pursue graduate studies in science and engineering.
Award: The internships are salaried positions typically
10 weeks long at one of three
IBM
research locations (San Jose, CA, Austin, TX, or Yorktown
Heights, NY), and include in addition a $2,500 grant, plus the
opportunity to work with an IBM mentor. The Watson lab has a
full range of research, as does the Almaden lab, and the Austin
lab focuses on software and systems.
Research areas of the internship are individually chosen so as
to optimize the match between the skills and interests of the
student, and the ongoing research programs of the laboratory.
Information about the sites and their research may be found at:
http://www.research.ibm.com
http://www.almaden.ibm.com
http://www.watson.ibm.com
http://www.research.ibm.com/arl/arlext/
The starting and ending dates are chosen so as not to conflict
with the student's school schedule. Assistance in finding and
renting housing will be provided. Applications for summer 2005
will be due
January 31, 2005, and notification of results will begin in
February. More information is available in the Frequently Asked
Questions page.
Eligibility: Must be female with sophomore or junior
standing at a US college or university at the time of
application Must be majoring in chemistry, physics, materials
science or engineering, computer science or engineering,
chemical, electrical, mechanical engineering Must have a minimum
3.0 GPA No citizenship restriction.
Selection Procedure: Applications will be reviewed by a
selection committee at
IBM/Almaden and selected based on their commitment to and
interest in their major field of study.
Application Procedure: The application process consists
of an online application, which is submitted through an
IBM server; two letters of recommendation, which are
to be emailed directly from the recommenders to the internship
chair; and a paper supplement (official transcript), which is
submitted to
APS
via postal mail.
The online application requires: Completing the student
application form (on the IBM server). Uploading your Essay (250
words) describing your interest in research and how this
opportunity would advance your goals.
Uploading your Resume (1-3 pages). Uploading a page listing all
of your college technical courses (math, science, computer
science, engineering) with the school year in which they were
taken and the grades awarded Acceptable formats for the essay,
resume, and course list are PDF, PostScript, and Microsoft Word.
The links on the upper left of the application (including
"Select a Country") will direct you to other sites within IBM;
they can be ignored for the purposes of filling out the
application form. If you have any problem submitting your
application electronically, please use your "back" button to
return to the application and try again; if after at most three
such tries you still have difficulties, please email Barbara
Jones at
bajones@almaden.ibm.com as soon as possible.
The paper supplement includes: Two letters of recommendation
sent by email to
bajones@almaden.ibm.com. At least one letter must come from
a faculty member at your current college/ university, preferably
in a field related to your major. Official copy of your
transcript, including fall semester 2004 grades, sent directly
to the APS office at the address given below.
APS/IBM
Research Internship Award
American Physical Society
One Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740
Attn: Sue Otwell
Applications must be postmarked by
January 31, 2005. For further information on the Committee on the
Status of Women in Physics or its programs, please contact Sue
Otwell at
301-209-3231
or
women@aps.org
******************
LINKAGES INTEGRATED CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (LICMP) COORDINATOR
County of Los Angeles - Human Resources
Bulletin Number: 04-103 Bulletin Posted:
December 08, 2004
HOW TO APPLY:
A standard Los Angeles County employment application and will be
accepted on business days only between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
beginning Thursday,
December 9, 2004. This examination will remain open until the
need of the service are met and is subject to closure without
prior notice. Applications must be received, either in person or
by mail at the following location:
Human Resources Employment Information Services Office
3333 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90010
213-738-2057
213-738-2039
CHIEF COMMUNITY SERVICES ANALYST
(LINKAGES INTEGRATED CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM)
SALARY: $72,307.00 - $108,461.00 ANNUALLY EXAM NUMBER: R8195A
SALARY INFORMATION: (R10)
POSITION INFORMATION:
Reports to a higher-level department manager and has
responsibility for directing, administering, and coordinating
the State-sponsored Linkages Integrated Case Management Program
(LICMP), including case management and monitoring, education,
quality improvement, utilization management, and advocacy
services provided by community-based contract providers.
ESSENTIAL
JOB
FUNCTIONS:
Oversees the administration and development of the case
management model and quality standards for utilization by LICMP
providers; serves as a technical resource director for agency
management staff by providing information concerning case
management practices, administrative rules and regulations,
community resources, vendors, and programs; meets with direct
community service providers to assist in developing new programs
or in modifying existing programs to upgrade the quality of
services; handles special projects such as coordination of
programs and the development of new systems for the delivery of
services; works closely with LICMP site directors and case
management providers to coordinate and ensure that program
functions are provided in accordance with State policies and
guidelines; manages the technical support and educational
services provided to LICMP community-based providers to promote
effective case management, coordination of care and quality
service delivery for clients participating in the program;
develops and maintains community relationships that are integral
to the program and assist provider agencies to identify and
resolve programmatic issues to ensure the interests of clients
are fully represented; participates in case management
consultation by interacting with direct care contract service
agencies to discuss client cases in relation to eligibility,
case management and problem solving, case monitoring,
coordination of services, reassessment and treatment plans, and
other client-related activities; participates in statewide,
area, or regional staff meetings of quality assurance personnel
and/or other agency staff.
SELECTION REQUIREMENTS:
A Master's degree in Social Work, Social Welfare, Psychology,
Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling, or a closely related
field of specialization from an accredited college or university
and two (2) years of experience supervising staff engaged in
social, mental or health-related case management services for
adults and/or senior citizens in a human services, health, or
mental health agency.
Proof of required education, either an official copy of your
transcript or an official copy of your diploma, must be provided
at the time of filing.
LICENSE:
A valid California Class "C" Driver License or the ability to
utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to
carry out job-related essential functions. PHYSICAL CLASS: 2 -
Light
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:
* Knowledge of Federal, State, local, and community service
programs and projects.
* Knowledge of the State of California Linkages Program.
* Comprehensive knowledge of case management principles,
objectives, quality of care standards and delivery systems.
* Knowledge of social and health intervention techniques and
procedures.
* Knowledge of human behavior and the aging process.
* Excellent oral and written communication, interpersonal, and
presentation skills.
* Ability to implement organizational goals, policies, and
procedures.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING YOUR APPLICATION:
The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have
clearly shown that you meet the SELECTION REQUIREMENTS. Fill out
the application completely and correctly to receive full credit
for any related education, training, and job experience you
include. In the space provided for education, include the names
and addresses of schools attended, titles of courses completed,
dates completed, and number of credits and/or certificates
earned. In order to receive credit for any type of college
degree such as a Bachelor, Master, or Doctorate degree, you must
include a legible copy of the official diploma, official
transcripts, official letter from the accredited institution
which shows the area of specialization, or official certificates
with your application. Accredited institutions are those listed
in the publications of regional, national, or international
accrediting agencies which are accepted by the Department of
Human Resources. Publications such as American Universities and
Colleges and International Handbook of Universities are
acceptable references. Also acceptable, if appropriate, are
degrees that have been evaluated and deemed to be equivalent to
degrees from United States accredited institutions by an
academic credential evaluation agency recognized by The National
Association of Credential Evaluation Services. For each job
held, give the name and address of your employer, your job
title, beginning and ending dates, description of work
performed, and salary earned. All information supplied by
applicants is subject to verification.
Applications may be rejected at any stage of the selection
process.
SPECIAL INFORMATION:
RECORD OF CONVICTIONS: A full disclosure of all convictions is
required. Failure to disclose convictions will result in
disqualification. Not all convictions constitute an automatic
bar to employment. Factors such as your age at the time of the
offense(s), and the recency of offense(s) will be taken into
account, as well as the relationship between the offense(s) and
the job(s) for which you apply. However, any applicant for
County employment who has been convicted of workers'
compensation fraud is automatically barred from employment with
the County of Los Angeles (County Code Section 5.12.110). ANY
CONVICTIONS OR COURT RECORDS WHICH
ARE EXEMPTED BY A VALID COURT ORDER DO NOT HAVE TO BE INCLUDED.
VETERANS' INFORMATION:
VETERANS' PREFERENCE CREDIT of 10 points will be added to the
final passing grade in any open competitive examination if you
are an honorably discharged veteran who served in the Armed
Forces of the United States:
a. During a declared war; or
b. During the period
April 28, 1952 through July 1, 1955; or
c. For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training,
any part of which occurred after
January 31, 1955, and before October 15, 1976; or
d. In a campaign or expedition for which a campaign medal or
expeditionary medal has been authorized and awarded.
This also applies to the spouse of such person who, while
engaged in such service was wounded, disabled or crippled and
thereby permanently prevented from engaging in any remunerative
occupation, and also to the widow or widower of any such person
who died or was killed while in such service. A DD214,
Certificate of Discharge or Separation from Active Duty, or
other official documents issued by the branch of service are
required as verification of eligibility for Veterans'preference.
If you are unable to provide any documentation at the time of
filing, the 10 points will be withheld until such time as it is
provided.
DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS:
Applicants who require special testing arrangements such as
readers or interpreters must provide advance notice of their
disability and required accommodation. Contact the Coordinator
of Personnel Services for Disabled Persons by calling
213-738-2057. Hearing impaired applicants with telephone
teletype equipment may leave messages by calling 800-899-4099 or
800-897-0077. The County will attempt to meet reasonable
accommodation requests whenever possible.
EXAMINATION INFORMATION:
This examination will consist of an interview weighted 100%. The
interview will assess education, experience, personal fitness
and general knowledge and abilities to perform the duties of the
position.
ONLY THOSE CANDIDATES WHO ACHIEVE A PASSING SCORE OF 70 OR
HIGHER ON THE INTERVIEW PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION WILL BE
PLACED ON THE ELIGIBLE REGISTER.
VACANCY INFORMATION:
The eligible register resulting from this examination will only
be used to fill the vacancy in the Los Angeles County Department
of Community and Senior Services.
ELIGIBLE INFORMATION:
The names of candidates receiving a passing grade in the
examination will be placed on the eligible register in the order
of their score group for a period of six (6) months following
the date of promulgation. No person may compete in this
examination more than once every six (6) months.
EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION:
Employment is contingent upon verification of U.S. Citizenship
or the right to work in the United States. Immigration law
provides that all persons hired after
November 6, 1986 are required to present original documents to
the County, within three (3) business days of hiring, which show
satisfactory proof of: 1) identity and 2) U.S. employment
eligibility.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY CHILD SUPPORT COMPLIANCE PROGRAM:
In an effort to improve compliance with court-ordered child,
family and spousal support obligations, certain employment and
identification information (e.g. name, address, Social Security
Number and date of hire) is regularly reported to the State
Directory of New Hires which may assist in locating persons who
owe these obligations. Family Code section 17512 permits, under
certain circumstances, for additional employment and identifying
information to be requested. Applicants will not be disqualified
from employment based on this information.
THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES IS AN ACTIVE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
EMPLOYER cr 12/04
Tracy Franklin
Management Services Section
(213)
738-3008
(213)
738-6541 Fax
trfrankl@co.la.ca.us
******************
TIPS/RESOURCES
DOS AND DONT’S
FOR APPOINTMENT SEEKERS
By Maeley Tom
Here’s a checklist for winning an appointment to an
administration position or a seat on a state board or
commission. Seeking an appointment is like a campaign. The more
prestigious the appointment, the more intensive the campaign,
unless one has a direct personal relationship with the
appointing power.
Why are you seeking an appointment?: Is it for the
purpose of career advancement, personal prestige or public
service? Once you have clarified your purpose, it will help you
determine what type of appointment to go after. High-profile
policy-making appointments will likely require relocating to
Sacramento.
Research what appointments are available: For state
employees and influential friends of the governor, news often
travels by word of mouth. For the general public, information
about appointments and applications are available through the
website www.governor.ca.gov; there is a link called
“Appointments,” and within that link is “Serving in the
Schwarzenegger administration.”
What makes a candidate competitive?: Once you find a
suitable appointment, carefully evaluate your qualifications and
credentials. Is your professional background and expertise
related to this appointment? What type of support can you
generate that would influence the appointing power?
How broad is your base of support? Would you be able to generate
support from community, regional, professional, political and
special-interest groups?
Have you been able to cultivate some name recognition with
groups who would be impacted by this appointment?
Many are appointed as a result of their work on campaigns on
behalf of the appointing power. Some appointees bypass the above
steps because they have sponsors who are very influential with
the appointing power.
Getting the appointment: Once you have filed your
application, alert key individuals and organizations who can
provide you with a credible support base. for the Individuals
you select should have some type of relationship or influence
with the appointing power or staff. Recommendations from elected
officials can also be helpful especially if they have a close
relationship with the administration.
You must do your homework to find out as much as you can about
the appointing power’s key interests and about organizations and
individuals who have strong relationships with the decision
maker. And yes, major financial contributors can be helpful.
Bottom line, if qualifications are about equal, appointments go
to candidates who can provide the most benefits to the
administration and the governor.
If possible, establish a link with someone in the governor’s
office or appointments office who can advise you about the
process and your candidacy’s progress. Do not be afraid to
inform as many people as possible who work closely with the
process. The more your name surfaces in discussions among staff,
the more attention your application will receive.
Some don’ts: Do not use ethnic-parity criteria in any of
your application materials. Let organizations or individuals
argue this issue on your behalf. This should not preclude you
from highlighting your participation in ethnic community issues
or organizations.
In gathering support, either through letters or personal phone
calls, do not overkill by having people send hundreds of letters
of recommendation. And most important, please do not use form
letters.
APA state employees seeking appointments or
promotions have the advantage of joining the Asian Pacific State
Employees Association (APSEA), which has an appointment
subcommittee currently chaired by Mary Phillips. The APSEA
provides advice and guidance through the appointment process. It
also has an invaluable working relationship with the governor’s
staff. My appointment to the State Personnel Board was mainly
due to the APSEA’s 10-year crusade to get the first
APA
appointed to this board during the Davis administration.
Information about the APSEA can be obtained at
www.apsea.org.
If you are called in for an interview, do not hesitate to ask
about what types of subjects staff would be interested in
discussing. You may even be able to solicit the name of the
interviewer. It is important that you have a firm grasp of the
responsibilities of the agency, department and appointment. Be
prepared to discuss what value your candidacy would bring to the
administration and the governor.
Finally, whether or not you succeed, always remember to express
appreciation to everyone who helped with your effort. One never
knows when another opportunity will surface and the important
connections you made in your first attempt will be that much
more valuable.
(http://news.asianweek.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=251e968835cafdad5c4b90d38524aa30&this_category_id=170)
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CALIFORNIA’S NONPROFIT INTEGRITY ACT OF 2004- SUMMARY OF
KEYPOINTS
NEW CHARITIES LAW
Sponsored by Attorney General Lockyer, the
Nonprofit Integrity Act of 2004 imposes new protections against
fraudulent fundraising practices and requires greater financial
accountability by charities and commercial fundraisers.
We offer a
Guide to the Nonprofit Integrity Act of 2004 which
highlights the new requirements for charities, commercial
fundraisers, fundraising counsels, unincorporated associations
and trusts. Additional information is available in
Frequently Asked Questions on the Nonprofit Integrity Act of
2004.
The law (SB 1262 - Sher, Chapter 919, Stats of 2004) seeks to
improve corporate governance by nonprofit organizations and to
prevent commercial fundraisers from engaging in unscrupulous
fundraising practices.
(http://www.ag.ca.gov/charities/publications/nonprofit_integrity_act_nov04.pdf)
(http://www.ag.ca.gov/charities/faq.htm#charities-nonprofitintegrityact2004http://www.ag.ca.gov/charities/faq.htm#charities-nonprofitintegrityact2004)
******************
NEWS
December 2004
CHRISTMAS
GIFT:
U.S.-VIETNAM RELATIONS – UNLIKELY PARTNERS?
Propaganda Tour in the Christmas Month
By Jackie Bong-Wright
Ambassador Ton Nu Thi Ninh, Chairwoman of the National
Assembly’s Committee for External Relations, conducted an
extensive propaganda tour in the U.S. November 30 to December
18. A well-wishing gift from the Vietnamese government to the
American administration? Vietnamese here were alerted to her
trip by Que Me (The Motherland), a Paris-based advocate for
democracy and human rights in Vietnam, which spread the word
over the internet. Her objective was to respond to the Bush
administration, listing of Vietnam as a “Country of Particular
Concern” (CPC)
under the International Religious Freedom Act. Cited were
severe violations of religious freedom with specific incidents
of persecution and repression of religious belief and practice.
Que Me laid the background for Amb. Ninh’s tour by giving ample
examples of religious oppression since the Northern Communists
took over the South nearly thirty years ago. It also noted that
Ninh had declared at a conference in Vietnam, that Vietnam was
“building a democracy with a one-party system…protecting the
rights of a minority.” Vo Van Ai, head of Que Me, interpreted
her to mean the rights of the 2,600,000 Communist cadres against
the majority of 81 million Vietnamese people. He said that
Vietnam sent her to sugar-coat the truth by intoxicating and
duping Americans and overseas Vietnamese.
Ms. Ninh, a former Ambassador to Belgium and the EU, traveled to
eight states and 12 cities, starting from the East coast. Her
36 speeches included Yale, Harvard, Vassar, Princeton, National
Defense University, Cleveland State University, Notre Dame, the
University of Iowa, the UCLA School of Public Affairs, and UC
San Diego. She met with the Boston Globe, New York Times, the
National Press Club in Washington, National Public Radio, the
Washington Times and the Los Angeles Times.
She also talked to prominent think tanks, the Ford Foundation,
the Asia Society and the Stanley Foundation in Iowa. She
discussed issues of interest with Vietnamese American families,
Vietnam’s largest contingent of the Vietnamese diaspora at 1.5
million. She said that it was an important constituency that
influenced U.S.-Vietnam relations. Finally she courted the
business community, promoting the Bi-lateral Trade Agreement (BTA)
at the 3-year point of its implementation. Official figures
show that Vietnam exported $4.5 billion to the U.S. last year, a
rise of 329% from 2001. Vietnam’s imports from the U.S. also
rose to $1.32 billion in 2003, up 186% from 2001. Thus, Amb.
Ninh’s talks ranged from trade conflicts to human rights,
educational exchange and social issues.
Ninh grew up in France and was educated at the Sorbonne and at
Cambridge University. An astute spokeswoman with extensive
academic, diplomatic, and legislative experience, she has
represented Vietnam in international conferences on crucial
issues with global implications.
In the past, Amb Ninh has not hesitated to criticize Western
institutions. The Belgian publication Solidaire of May
2001 cites her as saying that multinational corporations control
trade and scientific and technological transfers. She declared
that capitalism and imperialism tended to exploit this
“processus” and pretended to establish a “new world order.” She
exhorted her Communist colleagues not to fight against
globalization but against imperialism. She continued, “We
should use globalization to benefit our own objectives, as we
succeeded in doing in Seattle and Prague, where we used the
internet to serve our side.” She urged socialist countries to
develop a common front, in principle and in practice, to fight
against the exploitation of imperialism.
Meet the Press in the Capital
At the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on November 12,
Ambassador Ninh tried to persuade her audience of Vietnam’s
efforts to improve relations during the 10 years since the U.S.
stopped its embargo and the two countries normalized ties. She
mentioned “irritants” regarding religious freedom and human
rights. However, she saw a bridge of bonding and healing
between American and Vietnamese veterans, and between Vietnamese
students studying in American universities and the second
generation of Vietnamese-Americans. The latter, now in their
late thirties, were trying to help the less fortunate Vietnamese
back home, she said.
She also saw a dramatic rise in bi-lateral trade and economic
exchanges, and wanted to broaden this common ground. She wanted
Vietnam to pursue negotiations and become a member of the World
Trade Organization (WTO) and continue the dialogue with the U.S.
Finally, Ninh announced that Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange
were filing suit against American chemical companies as part of
this mature relationship, and insisted that the U.S. should
recognize the losses the Vietnamese have suffered.
During the question period, Ninh was asked about the seven
members of the Mennonite Church who were arrested and severely
beaten in the central highlands of Vietnam, while their church
was totally destroyed. She replied that the allegations of the
State Department and Human Rights Watch were slanted or based on
shortage of information. She said that these reports should be
checked with the Vietnamese government first before lies were
spread. She asked her own question, “What’s the position of the
State Department on Agent Orange victims? What do you have to
say about that?”
Replying to a question concerning the sanctions imposed on
Vietnamese catfish exports to the U.S., Ninh said that the U.S.
was a huge and promising market with complicated rules that
Vietnamese exporters were not aware of. Vietnam’s enterprising
solution was to sell instead to Europe as well as to local
markets.
Asked why Vietnam had just refused a visa to Rep. Loretta
Sanchez of California, Ninh said that this case was an
exception, and that what Sanchez was promoting was not really a
bi-lateral relationship. It was unfortunate that Sanchez
catered only to constituency of Vietnamese-Americans in her area
to get their votes. Ninh dared Sanchez to hold a dialogue on
American soil with her instead of going to Vietnam. She said
that from the track record of Sanchez’ previous visits, the
Vietnamese government did not feel comfortable in welcoming her
and did not think her visit would be useful.
On that note, reporter Al Kamen wrote in the Washington Post of
December 13 that the United Airlines flight from California that
just landed in Ho Chi Minh City was a historic event. “But
another Californian, Rep. Sanchez, was not on that or any other
flight to Vietnam. That’s because she’s persona non grata,
unable to get a visa because she has had the effrontery to
criticize the commies for blatant disregard of religious freedom
and the usual violations of human rights.”
Another question was posed by Shandon Phan of Vietnamese
American TV. “For the past three years since the passage of the
BTA, Vietnam is exporting freely its intellectual products to
the U.S. but maintains a monopoly and in effect, an absolute ban
on many of these products from the U.S. Why continue to limit
the free flow of information between the two people while the
Vietnamese government takes full advantage of that freedom in
America?”
Ninh replied that many American movies were imported to Vietnam
as well as magazines like Times and Newsweek, but that there
were certain limitations on foreign literature, not only from
the U.S. but also from Europe.
Phan told this reporter later that “Madame Ninh’s reply was, at
its best, a clever maneuver to run away from the question. So
much for the Vietnamese government representative who likes to
give the American media advices about being accurate, credible
and straightforward,” he added.
Helen Ngo, a director of the Vietnamese Public Radio, raised the
case of Father Nguyen Van Ly, a Roman Catholic priest. He was
arrested and given a sentence of 15 years after testifying
openly before U.S. Commission on International Religious
Freedom. In May 2004, the U.S. House of Representatives passed
the House Resolution 378 with almost unanimous vote of 424 to 1
to ask for the release of Father Ly. “Why does your government
refuse to grant him freedom?”
Ninh said that she didn’t know all the details of Father Ly’s
case, but said she had accompanied Senator Brownback to visit
him in jail and that he was being treated more than decently.
She claimed that he was not arrested on religious grounds but as
a citizen who had broken the law and that his sentence had been
reduced. She said that the next time around, she would come to
the U.S. with a list of similar demands, but that these would go
nowhere to promote the two countries’ relations.
Ms. Ngo said that the Ambassador was ducking the issue. She
said that in October 2003, the United Nations Working Group on
Arbitrary Detention found that Father Ly’s imprisonment was in
violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Later, Ms. Ngo complained that the “time allocated was not
enough for a rebuttal, therefore, Ninh came out the winner,
giving people the impression that the Communist government was
lenient in reducing Father Ly’s sentence. Ninh portrayed the
victim as a criminal,” Ngo concluded.
(www.asianfortune.com)
******************
December 27, 2004
TRYING TO CURB
GRAFT IN VIETNAM
Corrupt officials have been embarrassing Hanoi's Communist
authorities.
By Amy Kazmin, Financial Times
The arrests this month of Vietnamese civil servants suspected of
smuggling crude oil out of the country may help solve the riddle
of fuel consumption in neighboring Cambodia. Official petrol
imports there, which are subject to high duties, have declined
by 20% in the last decade, even as the number of passenger cars
on the roads has risen by 50%.
The arrests also signal an increasingly vigorous drive to weed
out a reportedly growing number of corrupt officials, who are
embarrassing Hanoi's Communist authorities with their brazen
demands for bribes and highly visible, opulent lifestyles.
Eight senior executives of Vietnam Airlines'
petroleum trading subsidiary, Vinapco, were arrested on
suspicion of illegally exporting oil to private traders in
Cambodia.
The executives, including Vinapco's director, chief finance
officer and chief trade officer, stand accused of taking as much
as $1.3 million in bribes.
Just days later, an investigation into Vietnam's trade ministry
reached its climax as Mai Van Dau, the 62-year-old deputy trade
minister, was arrested on charges of "abuse of power," for
allegedly selling export quotas for garment manufacturers
sending textiles to the U.S.
The "cash-for-quotas" racket has claimed four other senior trade
ministry officials, including Dau's son.
Vietnamese government officials have long used their positions
and their vast discretionary powers to make money. But with the
economy expanding more than 7% a year, and popular aspirations
growing, the graft appears more brazen. The number of state
officials seeking handouts and the sums demanded are said to be
increasing.
Officials have also been accused of using their authority to
evade taxes, secure contracts for family companies and illegally
sell state property, as well as engage in other forms of
profiteering.
At its highest echelons, Vietnam's Communist Party now fears
that public servants' increasingly visible opulence is eroding
the legitimacy and effectiveness of its authoritarian, one-party
rule.
"Since 1996, corruption has been public enemy No. 1, but the
drive to uproot it has become much more vigorous in the last 12
months," said John Shrimpton, director of Dragon Capital,
Vietnam's largest fund manager.
The clean-up effort has so far exacted its heaviest toll at
Petrovietnam, the state-owned oil and gas behemoth, where the
general director and his deputy were dismissed in May last year
for misconduct in tendering for Vietnam's first oil refinery.
Authorities subsequently uncovered rampant corruption and
arrested numerous Petrovietnam employees and others, including a
senior construction ministry official.
The widening anticorruption net has also ensnared powerful local
officials suspected of land speculation on the island of Phu
Quoc; an executive from the state-owned shipping company,
Vinalines; the head of the state coffee company, Vinacafe; and
the agricultural minister, who was forced to resign this year.
Skeptics have suggested that the dismissals and arrests may stem
from internal party rivalries, but many foreign observers in
Vietnam are convinced they are a serious attempt to deter
corrupt officials.
"Greed is running amok, and the arrests seem designed as a
signal to slow things down," said Frederick Burke, an attorney
at Baker & McKenzie in Ho Chi Minh City.
But curbing graft in Vietnam will require Communist authorities
to make far-reaching changes, including reducing officials'
discretionary power and increasing the transparency of
government decision-making and the accountability of public
officials.
(http://www.latimes.com/business/la-ft-vietnam27dec27,1,6727227.story)
******************
December 27, 2004
AMERICAN DREAM COME
TRUE
By Larry Werner, Star Tribune
THE CHALLENGE: Competing with Dell as a mom-and-pop computer
business.
THE STRATEGY: Sell custom-built PCs and offer one-day repair
service on all PCs -- including Dells.
After resettling in the United States from refugee camps in
Southeast Asia, Paul and Tam Tran had become the central
characters in one of those heart-warming stories about the
American dream.
With a degree in electrical engineering from Louisiana State
University and two years with Sun Microsystems in California,
Paul was running a computer store in New Orleans with Tam, who
had studied computer science and accounting.
But in 1999, seven years after starting their own business, the
Trans decided to take a vacation in the Midwest. That inspired
them to sell their Louisiana store and open Tran Micro Computers
on University Avenue in southeast Minneapolis.
With a confidence he expresses in rapid-fire, accented English,
Paul Tran said he has no doubt that his 2,500-square-foot
business will survive competition from big-box retailers, such
as Best Buy, and the mail-order marketing of Dell.
With a policy of one-day repair service and a fanatical aversion
to debt, the Trans say hard work and a strong Minnesota economy
have blessed them with the good life in their adopted country.
"I have to repay America back," said Paul, 44, whose $1.2
million business covers their only debt -- the mortgage on a
house in Apple Valley, where the Trans live with their three
children. "You supported us before. I think America is the best
country."
Tam, 36, who manages the store and inventory while her husband
builds and repairs PCs, said their success was as simple as
asking God for the revenue they needed to pay the bills.
"From first day we opened in October 1999, I pray, 'God please
let me make enough to pay my rent and everything,' and he did. I
say, 'God help me to make double,' and I make double."
But even with such faith, it took three months before the Trans
sold their first computer, Paul said.
Their story began in Vietnam. The end of the Vietnam war saw
many South Vietnamese become refugees, living in camps in
Malaysia and the Philippines. With the help of Catholic refugee
workers, Paul and Tam were sent in 1985 to New Orleans, where
they met. They married and started their business there in 1992
with savings from Paul's first job as a systems engineer with
Sun.
The plan was to try the enterprise for two years, and if it
didn't work, go back to salaried jobs. Childless, they lived in
an apartment at the back of their store and slept on the floor
so they didn't have to buy a bed. "In 1994, [Tam] got pregnant,"
Paul said. "And she can't sleep on the floor with the pregnancy.
So we had to buy a sleeping sofa."
With business growing to about $700,000 in annual sales by 1999,
the Trans took a vacation to a part of the country where, they
heard, the economy was hotter and the weather cooler than in
Louisiana. They spent time in Ohio, Indiana and Minnesota.
Crowded computer stores in Minneapolis persuaded them that it
was time to leave the humidity of Louisiana for the booming
economy of Minnesota. The Trans sold their New Orleans store for
$80,000 and rented a storefront near the University of Minnesota
where two computer retailers already had failed.
"The landlord said, 'What are you doing?'" Paul recalled. "I
said, 'A computer business.' He said, 'You know how tough it
is?' I said, 'I know how tough it is, but I believe I can make
it.' So I told him I'll sign a one-year lease. And one year
later he came back and said, 'How many years you want?'"
In its first full year, Tran Micro Computers had revenue of
about $1 million, which persuaded the owners to open a second
store in Richfield. That expansion doubled revenue to more than
$2 million in the next two years, but another pregnancy caused
another change in plans. The doctor told Tam she shouldn't work
long days running the store at 66th St. and Penn Av. S. while
she was pregnant.
So they closed the second store in September 2003, dropping
revenue to about $1.2 million. In addition, the competition from
big companies has made Tran's low-end computers less
competitive. Luckily, the reliance on computers by small
businesses has created a demand for prompt, reliable service,
which is what Paul loves to do.
"I don't like retail," he said. "I want to do service."
In their store, Tam deals with customers at the counter or on a
wireless telephone equipped with a headset so she can talk on
the phone while carrying her 10-month-old daughter around on her
hip. Paul builds and repairs computers, including some Dells, on
a workbench at the rear of the store. He said 50 percent of his
revenue comes from selling computers and other merchandise and
50 percent from providing same-day or next-day repair. His goal
is to increase the service business to 60 percent of revenue.
As he navigates the rough waters of competition, he's willing to
adapt, but will "never" resort to borrowing money to meet his
objectives, he said. Never had a business loan, he said. Never
will.
"Whatever money we have, we do whatever we can," Paul said. "So
we never depend on anybody. When you're going down, you have to
stand up by yourself. Don't depend on somebody else to pull you
up."
The expert's opinion: Kate Rubin, president of the
Minnesota High Tech Association, said the Trans "have it figured
out" by emphasizing prompt repair.
Rubin, whose association provides assistance to technology
companies, said: "Responsiveness and service are the name of the
game. While PCs have become ubiquitous, they still break."
She said she knows one small-business owner who is so dependent
on his laptop that he keeps three on hand "so he always has one
available while the other is being repaired, with the third for
extra back-up."
Larry Werner is at
werner@startribune.com.
(http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/5153311.html)
******************
December 29, 2004
ASIANS TO BUILD WAR
MEMORIAL
Group sponsors Sunday event to raise funds
By Katania Castaneda
Chronicle Correspondent
A huge concrete pedestal has been erected with a big black wall
behind it at 12360 Bellaire Blvd. in the Universal Center in
Houston. It stands alone in the plaza, unfinished, the site of
what may one day be a Vietnam War Memorial.
The project to erect a memorial began about seven years ago by a
group of four former Vietnamese soldiers. They began the project
with the intent of commemorating fallen soldiers on both the
Vietnamese and the American sides.
But the effort to build the monument was stopped and started
several times over the years, said Nghiep Nguyen, architect and
chair of the Viet Nam War Memorial Construction Committee.
"For the first five years, nothing was moving," Nguyen said. "We
got the money, but very slowly, so we built it according to the
funds that we have had."
The group had all but given up when Diana Tran-Yu, 35, heard an
interview on the Vietnamese radio station with Nguyen about the
memorial. She had come from a family of fallen soldiers and felt
compelled to help.
"That night I came home and thought, 'Gosh, I want to help. If I
send them a little check it will only be my contribution. My
contribution alone is not enough.' "
She moved quickly to try and get everyone she knew to get
involved.
Network of help
"I thought about a way to call up all my friends who are young
professionals to form a group," Tran-Yu said. "I was on the
phone every single day calling every person I knew, telling them
that we should do something about this."
Tran-Yu was particularly interested in helping with the memorial
because she recently had taken trip with her parents to see a
Vietnam War memorial in Orange County, Calif.
The experience of seeing the memorial, she said, really touched
her.
"I just literally cried. I wept and wept," Tran-Yu said.
Tran said she had family — including several uncles and her
father — who served fighting against communism in South Vietnam.
Tran-Yu remembers hearing the story about her uncle from her
mother.
Her uncle's battalion was invaded by the Communists, and he was
captured. During his captivity, a group of 100 soldiers were
told that they could go free. When they got up and ran, they
were shot dead.
Tran-Yu's uncle saw this and was horrified by the sight; he
decided to take his life by shooting himself.
Tran-Yu said she also has heard stories about the graves of the
unknown soldiers in Vietnam being dug up by Communists and
burned so that fancy hotels and restaurants could be put up in
their places.
"When I heard about this, I was angry and frustrated," said
Tran-Yu. "I wanted to go a do something about it."
She built a fund-raising team comprised of about 40 members from
throughout Houston. They call themselves the Youth for Viet Nam
War Memorial Monument Fundraising — Houston.
The cost to build the monument is $300,000, but they are still
about $80,000 short to complete construction. When it is
completed, it will include a bronze statue of both a Vietnamese
and an American soldier standing side-by-side.
To put the money together, the group will sponsor a fund-raising
event on Sunday from 4-10 p.m. at the Kim Son Restaurant, 2001
Jefferson St. in downtown Houston.
Several group members expressed their feelings about
participating in the project.
"My dad fought in the services, so I want to give back to our
elders and leave something for the next generation," said Todd
Nguyen, 39, financial planner for SVO & Associates.
"I want other people to have a place to remember the soldiers
that have fallen for us," said Helen Vo, 20, a senior biology
major at the University of St. Thomas. "I am doing this to help
others learn about their culture."
"It is a very good chance for us to remember all of the
sacrifices from the South Vietnamese soldiers and the American
soldiers as well," said Bang Nguyen, 44, an engineer with
Memorial Hermann Hospital. "It is a symbol of appreciation for
what both sides did to help the freedom cause."
Stories of survival
Several group members, including Tran-Yu, came to the United
States when they were children, either on boats or planes
fleeing Communist oppression.
Bang Nguyen was 15 when he fled Vietnam with his family on a
boat on April 29, 1975, just one day before the Communist
takeover.
"At the time I was young, but I was old enough to realize the
war was very ugly," said Bang Nguyen. "I could hear bombs and
rockets everywhere, every day."
He was out at sea for about two or three days when he was picked
up by a U.S. naval ship. He was taken to the Philippines and
later to Guam and eventually was flown to Arkansas, where he
stayed at Fort Chaffee. His family was sponsored by a Lutheran
church in Topeka, Kan., where he lived for three years until he
came to the Houston area three years later.
Bang Nguyen said two incidents occurred that made him realize he
was free. The first occurred in the Philippines.
"When I set foot on the Philippines, I told my sisters, 'This is
freedom. No more curfew. No more bombs and rockets,' " said Bang
Nguyen. "When I set foot on land, I kissed the ground."
The next incident that brought home to him that he is free
occurred in the United States. He remembers hearing thunder and
thinking that it was a bomb or a rocket. But then he reminded
himself that the days of war were over. He was on free soil.
"It still haunts you for a long time," Bang Nguyen said.
Tran-Yu went through a similar experience.
She was in first grade in 1977 when she left Vietnam with her
family in the middle of the night. She remembers being stranded
in the middle of the sea for about a month.
"On the boat, there was not food, people had severe diarrhea,"
said Tran-Yu. "I remember being so hungry and thirsty."
Her boat was rescued by a German freighter, and the 120 people
on the boat were allowed to land on an island on the Thai coast.
The Germans threw food to the boat, "and I remember catching the
food," said Tran-Yu. "As a little girl, I thought food was
raining from the sky."
She and her family lived on the island for at least seven
months. Then they went to Germany, where they lived for 2 1/2
years until they could come to the United States.
Tran-Yu and others that have similar stories to tell say that
not a day goes by when they are not grateful for being in the
United States.
"I'm so thankful that I'm here. Knowing you feel safe, having a
place you can call home. It's a beautiful, reassuring feeling,"
Tran-Yu said.
(http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/thisweek/zone17/news/2968691)
(http://www.class.uh.edu/lac/vnmemorial/)
******************
December 29, 2004
NEW
SURVEY DISCLOSES ASIAN HEALTH ATTITUDES
Study by M.D. Anderson shows education needed
By Betty L. Martin
Houston Chronicle
Data are still being analyzed and disseminated, but a preview
from a telephone survey to assess southeast Texas Chinese and
Vietnamese attitudes about health show different views about
specific issues such as cancer, immunizations and prevention.
There's no dispute, however, among the survey's creators at the
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, that more
surveys are needed in the near future.
Beverly Gor, associate program director, and Son Huang, research
assistant, at M.D. Anderson's Center for Research on Minority
Health in the old Nabisco Building, 2450 Holcombe, say
professionals in their field have long felt the need for a study
to identify health attitudes among Asian-Americans.
The first-ever telephone survey, conducted among about 800
Chinese and Vietnamese called throughout a five-county area
beginning June 6, resulted in the Asian-American Health Needs
Assessment unveiled Dec. 7.
"It validated our belief that, in spite of all the technical
advances in medicine, Asian minorities constitute a medically
underserved community. What they are finding is that the Asian
culture has different attitudes about health prevention," said
Gor, 52, a southwest Houston resident who holds a doctorate in
the field of allied health education and administration.
For many older refugees and immigrants within the survey's call
area of heavy Asian-American communities in Harris, Fort Bend,
Brazoria, Galveston and Montgomery counties, preventive medicine
is a new concept, Gor said.
"Going to a doctor — such as getting regular Pap smears or
mammograms — isn't something they do if they're not sick, so
we're trying to educate the community," she said.
Privacy issues, the sense that medical procedures invade an
acute sense of modesty, lack of health insurance or money for
doctor's bills all contribute to a demonstrated reluctance among
Asians to apply for public health care, said Huang, a Pearland
resident and a graduate from the University of Houston's biology
program in the class of 2000.
Gor and Huang also published some of their research as two of
the three authors of the article titled "What we know and don't
know about Asian American Health in Texas" in the November issue
of the Journal of Texas Medicine, a publication of the Texas
Medical Association.
The center, along with the survey, is funded through the
center's corporate agreement grant from the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention and, in part, from the National Cancer
Institute and private organizations including the American
Cancer Society and Exxon Mobil.
Two-year process
The survey instrument itself took two years to compile and was
created through making culturally sensitive changes to a similar
Texas Department of Health community health questionnaire used
to determine health issues among mainstream populations, Gor
said.
A group of 11 people went through the survey's 125 questions to
determine their relevancy or if they were culturally appropriate
for the Asian communities they were addressing.
One question was dropped, she said, after it was determined that
the Vietnamese language contained no words for folic acid, while
another question about breast exams was abandoned after it was
deemed potentially embarrassing for respondents, she said.
The Chinese and Vietnamese were targeted, Huang said, "because
this population is the fastest-growing population in the state,"
he said.
Of the 405 Chinese and 414 Vietnamese provided with the modified
survey, the majority of respondents lived in southwest Houston,
west Houston and Fort Bend County, and most — 62.5 percent of
Chinese and 51.7 of Vietnamese — were female. Among those
surveyed, 43 percent of Chinese rated their health as "very
good," while the largest percentage of Vietnamese — 43.2 percent
—described their health as merely "fair," the second from the
lowest among five possible categories.
The vast majority of both Chinese — 76.5 percent — and
Vietnamese — 80.4 percent — said they were married. More than
62.5 percent of Chinese respondents had four or more years of
college, as compared to 22.7 percent of wedded Vietnamese.
The survey indicates that 26.1 percent of Vietnamese lack health
insurance, as compared with 19 percent of Chinese without
policies.
About a third of Vietnamese respondents — 33.8 percent — said
they would know where to get information about cancer, compared
with 61 percent of Chinese who can locate the same information.
More Chinese — 37.3 percent, as opposed to 20.5 percent of
Vietnamese respondents — say a family member has had the
disease.
One of the more potentially disturbing responses concerned the
percentages of the populations who had heard of Hepatitis B
immunizations — 77.8 percent of Chinese; 73.2 percent of
Vietnamese — and those who had completed a Hepatitis B
immunization series — 35.3 percent of Chinese; 21.3 percent of
Vietnamese, Gor said.
"Right now, we're just giving out a little bit of the data," Gor
said.
Mandated by Congress
Created in 1999, the center is the only minority health research
center that is mandated by the U.S. Congress, outside of the
federal government, Huang said, so the information the center
will provide may have national implications.
"It's always tempting to add more questions, but there will be
future studies," she said.
She and Huang will relay the results of the study — and
identification of major health issues — to the Chinese and
Vietnamese communities. They also will introduce themselves to
Texas' second-largest Asian American-Pacific Islander group, the
Asian Indian community and Cambodian Americans in southeast
Texas in preparation for a future study.
Gor and Huang are also looking at the possibility of future
studies involving other Asian groups, Hispanic and
African-American populations.
"We know a few more things because of what we've done," Gor
said.
"At least, we now have a direction."
betty.martin@chron.com
RESOURCES
NEED MORE
INFO?
For more information on the survey, contact the Center for
Research on Minority Health.
* Call: 713-563-2764
* Visit: See the Web site at
www.mdanderson.org/CRMH
* E-mail : Send correspondence to
CRMH@mdanderson.org.
(http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/thisweek/zone09/news/2968969)
******************
December 30, 2004
LITTLE SAIGON’S LUNAR NEW YEAR PARADE IS CANCELED
Organizers say they do not have time to prepare for Feb. 12
event. It was also called off in 2000.
By Mai Tran, Times Staff Writer
A popular parade to usher in the Lunar New Year was canceled
Wednesday after organizers said they did not have time to
prepare for the Little Saigon event.
It is the second time the Tet parade has been canceled since its
debut in 1997 along Bolsa Avenue, the commercial hub and tourist
destination in Westminster.
Timothy Ngo, board chairman of the Vietnamese Community of
Southern California, said he began to prepare for the parade
only two months ago after last year's organizer, the Little
Saigon Tet Parade Assn., opted out.
Organizers of the parade association did not return telephone
calls seeking comment.
"Because of the divisions in the community, we stood back to
take a look and see who would organize it," Ngo said. "Now it's
too close for me to do anything about it. It's really sad."
The parade, which last year attracted about 60,000 spectators,
was planned for Feb. 12 to welcome the Year of the Rooster.
The Lunar New Year, or Tet, is the largest celebration for
Asians and is compared to Thanksgiving, Christmas and new year's
celebrations rolled into one holiday.
The Tet Festival, a three-day celebration sponsored by a
different group at Garden Grove Park, is not affected by the
parade's cancellation and will take place Feb. 11-13.
The parade, which includes marching bands and fancy floats,
takes at least five months to prepare and needs as much as
$100,000 to operate, Ngo said. Last year, Little Saigon Tet
Parade Assn. had to contribute money and take out loans to cover
expenses.
In addition, Ngo said some participants were not interested in
marching down Bolsa Avenue because the seven-lane road was
revamped this year to include a landscaped center median that
would divide the parade's path.
"We have several issues. How are we going to raise the funds?
How can we get the participants to be excited about it?" said
Lac Tan Nguyen, board vice president of the Vietnamese Community
of Southern California.
"They were performing on a wide street and now it's a tiny
corridor. They feel it's not worth their time to show up."
The Tet parade was canceled in 2000 after another group failed
to post a $15,000 bond required by Westminster and infighting
escalated among several community groups.
Bickering has long been a history of Tet celebrations because of
clashing personalities, politics and power struggles.
(http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tet30dec30,1,181516.story)
******************
December 30, 2004
VIETNAMESE-AMERICANS CENTER
HAS HOME
New $1.6-million, 10,000-square-foot facility open to all
seniors
By Bob Howie
Chronicle Correspondent
Concern over the needs of a growing senior citizen population in
northwest Houston has created a unique partnership between the
private and public sectors.
A population study uncovered the need for social services by
3,000 Houstonians ages 65 and older and of various ethnic
backgrounds; services such as computer training, hobbies such as
photography and field trips not widely available in the North
Bammel-Champions Forest region bordered in part by Antoine and
Texas 249.
Over the years, various charitable groups did what they could to
meet those needs, but the growing population began to slowly
outstrip the organizations' abilities to keep up.
In 2000, a group of volunteers, today headed up by Jimmy Do,
formed the Vietnamese-Americans Community Center at 9530
Antoine.
Last month, center officials completed a $1.6-million,
10,000-square-foot facility on Antoine that is allowing the
organization to expand its services.
"This organization is unique because although the building was
built with a community development block grant obtained with the
help of Harris County, it is operated privately," said center
spokeswoman Bic Nguyen.
"In five years, the building becomes ours and this entire
project was completed because of the need these senior citizens
have, and Harris County, as well as the Houston Endowment,
recognized that need and helped us do something to address it."
Over the past decade, Houston's population has continued to
diversify and although the organization's name lends itself to
one group, Nguyen said the center embraces the city's entire
population — not just one segment.
"There's a growing Vietnamese population in Houston, yes, and
their needs range from overcoming language barriers (to) finding
places to live (and) jobs, and enrolling their children in
school," Nguyen said. "We do everything we can to help them meet
all these needs as well as any issues they have adjusting to
living in the United States.
"But, we are not here just for our Vietnamese community," Nguyen
said. "We are here for the entire community; whoever has need
for social services, we are here for them, too.
"Everyone is welcome here."
It's that entire community, too, Nguyen said, which helps keep
the doors open.
"Our funding comes from our ongoing efforts within the community
to acquire private donations from individuals, businesses and
corporations," Nguyen said. "Public money does not fund our
operations."
Nguyen said the center's success comes from a resource that is
almost more important than cash.
"None of the (29) volunteers who help run the center and who
oversee services for the seniors are paid; not one dime, they
volunteer all their time 100 percent," she said.
"You cannot begin to imagine how much this helps us be
successful," Nguyen said. "Our operating budget runs between
$25,000 and $50,000 a year and all that money goes toward
providing services.
"The budget would have to be several times that amount — maybe
10 times that amount or more — if it were not for our
volunteers," she said.
The center operates from 8:30 a.m. through 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday, during which time it provides the bulk of its services
to seniors. It also is typically open on Saturdays, but
generally as a meeting place for seniors to gather and without
the various services and programs.
For information, call 713-320-7555.
(http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/thisweek/zone11/news/2968909)
******************
January 3, 2005
MUSTANG IS HIS
DRIVING PASSION
The '05 version of the car was designed by a Vietnamese
immigrant. It's a quintessentially American success story.
By Gayle Pollard-Terry, Times Staff Writer
DEARBORN, Mich. — Hau Thai-Tang was still a car guy in the
making when he saw his first Mustang, a white Mach One, in
Saigon during the Vietnam War. He was about 5, and that American
muscle car — on display to boost the morale of U.S. troops —
looked nothing like the cars he had seen on the narrow,
tree-lined streets near his home.
"We had very few cars to start with, and the cars we had were
mostly French because we were a French colony," he recalls. His
parents owned a small, two-cylinder Citroën "Deux Cheveaux" —
French for two horses — that resembled a VW Bug, only more boxy.
"It was so big to me as a kid," he says of that early-'70s
Mustang. He got to see the car because his grandfather did
business with American troops.
Today, more than three decades later, his English is far better
than his Vietnamese. He's talking in his office in the Ford
Product Development Center, where he's the man most responsible
for the widely hailed and wildly popular new Mustang, which
critics say combines the best of the classic retro design with
21st century technology.
The workaholic car enthusiast, lean and intense but also prone
to telling jokes, is snacking on cheese crackers late in the day
because he skipped lunch while taking meetings and phone calls.
The man behind the Mustang is much in demand these days.
"He's an immigrant from Vietnam and he ends up the chief
engineer of one of the most American of American cars. It's a
remarkable story," says Csaba Csere, editor in chief of Car and
Driver, by phone from his Ann Arbor office.
The 2005 Mustang, which launched in September, is one hot car:
Retail sales are up 50% from the previous year as of November,
according to Ford, and 45,000 coupes are on order to be built.
The January issue of Car and Driver features a red one on the
cover, as does Motor Trend.
And Thai-Tang will be in Southern California for the eagerly
anticipated worldwide debut of the convertible Wednesday at the
Greater Los Angeles Auto Show.
As chief engineer, Thai-Tang took charge of all things Mustang,
including profit and cost, while leading hundreds of engineers
and designers on the first "clean sheet" model in the 40-year
history of the car. The inaugural Mustang was a Ford Falcon
underneath that revolutionary styling.
Everyone, it seems, wants one of the 2005 Mustangs, including
the 38-year-old Thai-Tang, who currently drives a red Lincoln
LS, the last car he worked on before the new Mustang.
"I have one on order," he says, while leaning against a red GT
in the lobby of the Ford Motor Co. Worldwide Headquarters. It's
a stick, of course, because no car guy would be caught driving a
power car with an automatic transmission.
But internal orders must wait until retail orders are filled,
and that could take until spring — or even longer, as the 2005
continues to be one of the most coveted American cars in a
generation.
So why all this love for the retooled Mustang?
"From a styling standpoint," Csere explains, "they've gone back
and distilled the best from the great Mustangs of the '60s. If
you ever saw the movie 'Bullitt' with Steve McQueen and you saw
him drive a Mustang in the greatest movie chase you will ever
see, you would recognize the 2005 because it has the styling
cues of that '68 Mustang embodied in it." Csere also praises the
car's performance — and its price.
"Building a cool car for $50,000 or $60,000 kind of gets
people's attention," the editor says, "but when you can build a
really cool car at a price everybody can afford, it goes
gangbusters…. You order the V8 GT, and the base price is $25,000
and you get this great look, tremendous horsepower … and a car
that is tremendously fun to drive."
A narrow escape
Thai-Tang and his younger brother, Nam, were born into a
middle-class family in Saigon whose lives were upended by the
war.
While their mother worked in customer service for Chase
Manhattan Bank, their father left his job teaching Vietnamese
literature at Nguyen Trai high school in Saigon to join the
South Vietnamese Army.
"There wasn't a whole lot of fighting there [in Saigon] with the
exception of two times," Thai-Tang recalls. "One in 1968 — there
was the Tet Offensive, and there was a big battle in the city at
that time. My dad was part of that … but I was only 2 so I don't
remember any of it. The next time there was active fighting was
when we left — 1975 — when the Communists came into the
country." The family flew out just before the fall of Saigon on
April 30.
Chase had a program through which it selected some employees to
relocate based on how easily it was thought they would be able
to resettle in the U.S. "Our family was very fortunate because,
atypical of most Vietnamese families, we had a small family —
most families have seven or eight kids," he says. "Both of my
parents were fairly young. They were college educated. They
spoke a little bit of English.
"We were told to listen to Armed Forces Radio and as soon as we
heard Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas,' that was the code to get
to this predetermined meeting place. We had an hour to get there
after the song," he says.
For about a month, his parents listened for a Christmas carol on
the radio. "I vividly remember the four little bags by the door.
We were each allowed one carry-on," he says. When they finally
heard the song, they grabbed the bags, gave their car to his
grandparents, hurried to the secret meeting place and on to the
airport.
After a brief stay on Guam, the family lived in tents for two
weeks at Camp Pendleton. From there, they went to Brooklyn,
where Chase had arranged an employee sponsor for them. Two days
later, in mid-May, Thai-Tang started school at P.S. 282. "I
learned all about dodgeball the first day because I got hit in
the head a lot," he says. "[It was] pick on the new kid."
He spoke five words of English: "one," "two," "three" and "thank
you," picked up from a show with an American magician he had
watched weekly in Vietnam. "We learned real fast. It was total
immersion," he says. "When you're in the third grade, you learn
quickly."
He doesn't recall a difficult transition. "I remember my peers
in my class were doing book reports, and I'd still be reading
Dr. Seuss-type level. But I would kick their butt in math. I
learned the multiplication tables when I was 4 because it's kind
of the Asian thing to do. So I was really good in math, and I
wasn't too good in English."
That's all changed now — or at least the language part. "I'll go
somewhere and someone will say, 'Wow, your English is really
good,' or 'Well, geez, I talked to him on the phone and he
doesn't sound like a Hau Thai-Tang,' " he says. He speaks
idiomatic English without an accent. A radio interview last year
in Vietnamese for Voice of America proved challenging.
"That was really hard [although] I speak Vietnamese all the time
to my parents," he says, "It was hard when I was asked, 'What's
the mission of Mustang?' "
Ask him in English, and he'll tell you: "Flatter the novice and
reward the expert driver."
Motor oil in his veins
Make no mistake about it: Thai-Tang loves fast cars.
"Hau likes to drive very fast," his wife, Jenny, says. "I'm
pretty used to it. I scold him if he's doing it with the kids in
the car."
He bought his first Mustang, a new 1988 GT-50 convertible (in
the shade of "vanilla ice") after graduating from Carnegie
Mellon University in Pittsburgh and joining Ford. Thai-Tang
joined the car company, with whom he's spent his entire career,
because he wanted to work in the hyper-competitive automotive
world. He started out as a chassis engineer designing suspension
and steering systems. While moving up, he has worked on the
Thunderbird, the Scorpio in Cologne, the 2001 Mustang GT, V6,
Cobra and special-edition "Bullitt" GT and the Lincoln LS. In
November he was named the director of advance product creation
and special vehicle teams.
"Cars are just toys for grown men. Grown women too," he says.
"So it's just a fun product to work on. You think about all of
the songs, music videos, movies and books that have been written
about cars."
Especially fast ones.
He worked on some of the fastest while assigned to Ford's Motor
Sports Technology Exchange in 1993. "I had a chance to go work
in the Indy car series, CART [for Championship Auto Racing
Teams] as it was called." He tackled vehicle dynamics for the
Newman/Haas Team, which had two world-champion drivers, Nigel
Mansell and Mario Andretti. "It was a great experience…. We won
the overall championship," Thai-Tang says. "I love motor
sports."
That racing experience paid off when it came time to manage the
redesign and engineering of the new Mustang, noted friend and
co-worker Keith Knudsen, who supervised the car's overall
mechanical design and interior package. "You can tell it's a
power car," Knudsen says during an interview on the Ford campus.
Both guys like car racing, whether it's watching or competing
for the best time on the Ford test track in the 2005 Mustang.
Thai-Tang won.
A tight-knit family
The Thai-Tangs live with their two children, Katie, 5, and
Maddy, 2, in an elegant two-story house in Plymouth, an affluent
suburb west of Detroit. His parents live nearby — while their
friends were retiring from New York to warmer climates like
Florida and California, they moved to Michigan when the first
grandchild was born. His younger brother, Nam, who is also a
Ford engineer, lives close too. They gather weekly for meals
cooked by Thai-Tang's mother, Hai, "to remind them of the
Vietnamese culture."
"When people meet him, they think he's a very quiet person,"
Jenny says. "He's actually very warm. He comes off as a bit
reserved because he saves his warmth for the people he really
cares about. He can't fake it. He's very committed and loyal to
his family, to his parents."
She's the daughter of Chinese immigrants, born and raised in
Manhattan; he lived in Brooklyn and on Staten Island. The New
Yorkers met at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She was
a senior majoring in psychology and communications who had
refused to date "geeky engineers." Her plans changed when she
met Hau, who at that point was a Ford engineer working on an
MBA.
The story of his marriage proposal even has an automotive
element. After surprising Jenny with a birthday trip to San
Francisco, Thai-Tang rented a speedy Mazda Miata and tore up the
winding roads of Mt. Tamalpais. She almost got carsick before he
could get down on bended knee.
On a recent Friday, his parents' 39th wedding anniversary, the
Thai-Tang family is in a relaxed mood, reminiscing about Hau.
About how competitive he was as a child — if his team lost, he
would fuss.
About how others have followed his lead since he was young. "Hau
liked to raise [homing] pigeons when he was in high school. He
worked so hard to get money for the pigeons," his mom says. "He
was so good at it," he tied a garbage bag on a stick like a flag
to signal the birds to return. "The kids in the neighborhood
were very amazed. They wanted to do it too."
About how a young man who wanted to become an artist became an
engineer.
"That was my dream," his father, Huy, says. "In our family, we
are three generations of teachers. I didn't want to be a
teacher. I tried very hard to learn mathematics. My son is my
extended hand."
And then there's all the recent publicity.
"There's a Vietnamese paper in Orange County. It's called Nguoi
Viet, which stands for 'the Vietnamese people,' " Thai-Tang
says. "They wrote a big article about me. [For] my mom, that was
the biggest thing…. Forget the Wall Street Journal. Forget Motor
Trend. He was in the Vietnamese newspaper. That's validation
that he's made it."
His mother explains: "We have my brother, my in-laws — most of
our relatives live in California. We have a large family, and
there is a large Vietnamese community in California.
"The name Thai-Tang is very special because it's not a very
common Vietnamese name. So when they saw Hau's name or they
listened to Voice of America and heard his name, it's like, 'Oh
yeah, I know that family.' "
Thai-Tang has never returned to Vietnam, where he saw his first
Mustang, though he plans to go when his children are older.
While in Southern California, he won't have time to visit his
relatives in Cypress, Irvine and Long Beach. He'll be too busy
hanging out with — what else? — a Mustang.
(http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/news/la-et-mustang3jan03,1,5961869.story)
******************
December 3, 2005
PRESIDENT ASKS BUSH AND CLINTON TO HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR TSUNAMI
RELIEF
President Bush has asked former President Bush 41 and President
Clinton to head an American humanitarian effort to raise money
for the victims of the tsunami.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release January 3, 2005
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
ON TSUNAMI DISASTER RELIEF
The Roosevelt Room
10:15 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: I'm honored to be standing here with two former
Presidents, President Bush 41, President Clinton 42. We have
come together to express our country's sympathy for the victims
of a great tragedy. We're here to ask our fellow citizens to
join in a broad humanitarian relief effort.
Eight days ago, the most powerful earthquake in 40 years shook
the island of Sumatra. The earthquake caused violent tsunamis
in the Indian Ocean, which left an arc of destruction from
Thailand to the Horn of Africa. The devastation in the region
defies comprehension. More than 150,000 lives are estimated to
be lost, including 90,000 in Indonesia, alone. As many as 5
million people are thought to be homeless, or without food or
shelter; thousands more are missing, and millions are vulnerable
to disease.
Across the United States this week, our flags will fly at
half-staff to honor the victims of this disaster. We mourn
especially the tens of thousands of children who are lost. We
think of the tens of thousands more who will grow up without
their parents or their brothers or their sisters. We hold in our
prayers all the people whose fate is still unknown.
The United States government is in close contact with the
governments of the affected countries, and America is playing a
leading role in the relief and recovery efforts. Our nation has
committed military assets and made an initial commitment of $350
million for disaster relief. We're working with the United
Nations and with governments around the world to coordinate the
comprehensive international response. American military assets
in the region are now aiding recovery efforts. Patrol and cargo
aircraft have been surveying damage and delivering supplies for
several days. Air Force C-130s are flying aid missions 24 hours
a day.
We are grateful for the hard work of the men and women who wear
our nation's uniform. The Abraham Lincoln carrier group is in
place near Indonesia and transporting relief supplies by
helicopter. Other naval and Marine assets will arrive shortly
to generate clean water and provide further logistical help.
I have sent a delegation headed by Secretary of State Powell and
Governor Bush of Florida to the Indian Ocean region. There they
will meet with fellow leaders and international organizations to
assess relief efforts in place, as well as the needs that
remain. Secretary Powell and Governor Bush will report their
findings directly to me, so we can ensure that our government
provides the most effective assistance possible.
We're showing the compassion of our nation in the swift
response. But the greatest source of America's generosity is
not our government: it's the good heart of the American
people. In the weeks since the tsunami struck, private citizens
have contributed millions of dollars for disaster relief and
reconstruction. Organizations like the Red Cross and the Red
Crescent, the Salvation Army, Catholic Relief Services, Save the
Children, CARE, UNICEF, and America Cares responded rapidly
after the tsunamis hit. They have reported an outpouring of
generosity from around the world.
To draw even greater amounts of private donations, I have asked
two of America's most distinguished private citizens to head a
nationwide charitable fundraising effort. Both men, both
Presidents, know the great decency of our people. They ring
tremendous leadership experience to this role, and they bring
good hearts. I am grateful to the former Presidents, Clinton
and Bush, for taking on this important responsibility and for
serving our country once again.
In the coming days, President Clinton and Bush will ask
Americans to donate directly to reliable charities already
providing help to tsunami victims. Many of these organizations
have dispatched experts to the disaster area, and they have an
in-depth understanding of the resources required to meet the
needs on the ground. In this situation, cash donations are most
useful, and I've asked the former Presidents to solicit
contributions both large and small.
Over the past week, we have seen some of the innovative ways
Americans are helping people in need. A coffee roaster in
California is handing out bags of coffee for a $10 donation to
the Red Cross. In Virginia Beach, the owner of a tax assistance
firm is making a donation for every tax return he prepares.
Worshipers at a Buddhist temple in Houston collected thousands
of dollars in cash to send to their sister temple in Sri Lanka.
Some people are selling personal items on the Internet and
donating the cash to the charities. Many corporations are
matching contributions by their employees. And several have
shown exceptional generosity by donating large amounts of cash
and products to the relief efforts.
Presidents Clinton and Bush will be speaking about the countless
ways individuals and businesses can support this urgent cause.
I ask every American to contribute as they are able to do so.
For more information about how to make a donation, you can visit
the USA Freedom Corps website at
http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov./
Americans have suffered sudden catastrophe many times in our own
history, from massive earthquakes in Anchorage and San
Francisco, to destructive wildfires in the West, to the series
of hurricanes that struck Florida last year. From our own
experiences, we know that nothing can take away the grief of
those affected by tragedy. We also know that Americans have a
history of rising to meet great humanitarian challenges and of
providing hope to suffering peoples. As men and women across
the devastated region begin to rebuild, we offer our sustained
compassion and our generosity, and our assurance that America
will be there to help.
The Presidents and I will be going to the embassies of the
countries affected to pay our nation's respects. I'm so
grateful that both President Bush and President Clinton have
taken time out of their busy schedules to not only serve as a
catalyst for people to give money to help, but also to join me
and Laura in paying our deepest respects to those nations that
have been affected by the tsunamis. As well, the Presidents
will return to the White House compound to talk to members of
the press about how to better effect this great relief effort
that is now going on in our nation.
Thank you all for coming.
END
10:24 A.M. EST
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/01/20050103-12.html)
******************
January 3, 2005
For Immediate Release
Contact: Hung Nguyen (877) 592-4140
ON
THE PASSING OF CONGRESSMAN ROBERT T. MATSUI
Washington, D.C. – The Honorable Robert T. Matsui passed away on
January 1, 2005 at the age of 63 of Myelodysplastic Disorder, a
rare stem cell disorder.
Rep. Matsui was the third ranking Democrat on the House Ways and
Means Committee and the Ranking Member on the Social Security
Subcommittee. Matsui was going to be instrumental in the
upcoming deliberations on Social Security reform. He was also
the Chairmen of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
which is responsible for electing Democrats to the U.S. House of
Representatives.
Matsui’s past accomplishments include the 1988 Japanese-American
Redress Act, in which the U.S. government apologized for the
World War II internment camps and offered compensation to
Japanese American internees. He also fought against
anti-immigrant provisions in the 1996 Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families (TANF) legislation.
Representative Bob Matsui represented the 5th
Congressional District for 14 two-year terms. His district
includes more than 129,046 Asian Pacific Americans, of which
12,541 are Vietnamese Americans. Many of these hard working
Vietnamese Americans are employed in the service industries or
own small businesses such as restaurants, nail salons and
lawn/gardening companies. Robert Matsui served his constituents
well. He will be remembered for his tireless efforts of
bridging the partisan gap to make a difference in his district
and across the United States.
The National Congress of Vietnamese Americans expresses our
sincerest condolences to Doris, his wife; Brian, his son, Amy,
his daughter-in-law, and Anna, his granddaughter.
The Matsui family and friends are establishing a charitable fund
in memory of the Congressman and ask that all gifts be sent to
The Matsui Foundation for Public Service, P.O. Box 1347,
Sacramento, CA 95812.
-30-
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.
www.ncvaonline.org
******************
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.
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