NCVA REPORTER
- November 30, 2004
In this NCVA Reporter:
Events
Funding Opportunities
Jobs/Internships
Tips/Resources
News
******************
EVENTS
2004 NORTHERN VIRGINIA CONFERENCE ON NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT
”Synergy In Our Sector”
Friday & Saturday, December 3-4, 2004
Fairfax County Government Center
12000 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22035
“Synergy In Our Sector” is the theme for this year’s
conference featuring nearly 30 outstanding workshops, numerous
exhibitors providing a wide array of products and services, and
peer exchange groups. . . all designed to help nonprofit
organizations throughout the Northern Virginia region improve
the quality of the services they provide. The conference will
engage hundreds of nonprofit board members, executive directors,
program managers, and other key staff members by focusing on
management issues related to:
• Advocacy
• Board Governance
• Communications
• Evaluation
• Financial Management
• Fundraising
• Human Resources
• Leadership
• Nonprofit Law
• Research
• Service Delivery
• Small/All Volunteer Nonprofits
• Volunteer Management
The 2004 Northern Virginia Conference on Nonprofit Management
builds upon the Conference for Community-Based Nonprofit
Management: Best Practices for Continual Improvement conducted
by the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community
Development in March 2003. As a result of the successful 2003
conference, the County and other public and private sector
organizations joined together to collaborate on the 2004
Northern Virginia Conference for Nonprofit Management. This
year’s conference expands the geographic reach of participants
throughout Northern Virginia and includes a broader range of
faith-based, community-based, and other nonprofit organizations.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to ...
• Learn what other organizations are doing to get
results.
• Discover ways to improve management
effectiveness within your organization.
• Meet professionals with experience in
implementing organizational change.
Conference Organizers
Annandale Christian Community for Action
Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network
Business Development Assistance Group
Clifton Gunderson LLP
Fairfax County Government
George Mason University Nonprofit Studies Program
Korean Community Service Center
Virginia Tech’s Nonprofit Excellence Initiative
Volunteer Fairfax
Washington Council of Agencies
For additional information, contact Harriet West, Clifton
Gunderson at 301-931-2050 Ext. 766 or email to
Harriet.West@cliftoncpa.com.
(www.nvcbo.org)
******************
VNHELP will participates in The 22nd
Annual Holiday Peace Fair Saturday, December 04, 2004, 11:00AM -
4:00PM
At
the First United Methodist Church of Campbell
1675 Winchester Blvd., Campbell, CA
Features:
* Live Music and Dance (multicultural entertainment)
* Food and Drinks (lunch and desserts)
* Children's Activities (games, face painting and crafts)
* Gifts and Handicrafts (non-violent, no-war items)
Presented by:
Women's International League for Peace & Freedom, San Jose Peace
Center, and participating organizations
Admission: $1 donation, includes prizes. Free admission
for kids.
Each participating organization will have a table to display
their organization's materials and to sell art and craft items.
This is a great opportunity for VNHELP to reach out to the
community in the South Bay. VNHELP is accepting donations in
kind to be sold at the Holiday Peace Fair. Please donate any art
and craft items or sellable merchandise you may have with value
from $1 to $100. Your donation is tax-deductible, and the
proceed will go to VNHELP humanitarian projects.
Please contact VNHELP (408) 885-1791 if you like to donate (or
email
info@vnhelp.org), and please come to the fair to meet our
student volunteers.
Thank you for your support.
(http://vnhelp.org)
******************
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
CDC GRANT
FOR DRUNK DRIVING INTERVENTION
The
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are offering a $350,000
grant for community-based DUI interventions.
Nonprofit and public organizations are eligible for the award,
which focuses on the evaluation of interventions that reduce
death and injury resulting from alcohol-impaired driving.
Deadline for a letter of intent is Dec. 20; the full application
deadline is Feb. 7. For more information, visit the
full CDC announcement online or call 770-488-2700.
(http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/05024.htm)
******************
SUPPORT FOR
RELATIVES ACTING AS PARENTS
Brookdale Foundation Group: Relatives as Parents Program
The Brookdale Relatives as Parents Program is designed to
encourage and promote 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 two years to local
nonprofit agencies and public state agencies throughout the U.S.
The Local Initiative supports the development and expansion of
local agencies that provide support groups and other supportive
services to relative caregivers and the children in their care,
while the Statewide Initiative supports public state agencies in
selected states that can generate new relative caregiver
activities, locally and statewide. The application deadline for
the Local Initiative is January 13, 2005 and the deadline for
the statewide initiative is February 10, 2005.
(http://www.brookdalefoundation.org/)
******************
FUNDS
ADDRESS POVERTY AND DISENFRANCHISEMENT
Jewish Fund for Justice
The purpose of the Jewish Fund for Justice (JFJ) is to support
nonprofit organizations working to alleviate the root causes of
poverty and the disenfranchisement of low-income people. JFJ
supports community-based organizing and advocacy that promotes
leadership development and builds community self-sufficiency to
strengthen the impact of low-income people in the public debate
on issues affecting their lives. Areas of interest include
economic justice, women in poverty, building community,
investing in youth, assisting new Americans, and engaging Jews
in social justice. Groups working in the metropolitan areas of
Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and
Washington, DC and in the states of Florida, Louisiana,
Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas are eligible to apply.
Support is provided for organizations throughout the country
that focus on engaging Jews in social justice. Letters of
inquiry are accepted year-round.
(http://www.jfjustice.org/)
******************
FUNDS TO HELP UNDERSERVED CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Tiger Woods Foundation
The Tiger Woods Foundation focuses on providing opportunities to
children and families who are underserved. The Foundation
primarily funds nonprofit organizations, programs and projects
that are based in urban American cities. Areas of interest
include education, youth development, parenting, and family
health and welfare. The next application deadline is February 1,
2005.
(http://www.twfound.org/)
******************
SUPPORT FOR ENVIRONMENT, HUMAN NEEDS, ARTS, AND EDUCATION
Tom's of Maine Corporate Giving Program
The Tom's of Maine Corporate Giving Program provides support for
nonprofit organizations nationally and internationally, with
priority given to organizations impacting Maine. The company's
areas of interest are the environment, human needs, the arts,
and education. Support is provided for programs and projects
that integrate at least two of the areas of interest. Proposals
will be accepted between February 1 and April 1, 2005.
(http://www.tomsofmaine.com/about/grant_guidelines.asp)
******************
FUNDS FOR CIVIL SOCIETY, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND ENDING POVERTY
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
The mission of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is to support
efforts that promote a just, equitable, and sustainable society.
The Foundation's grant programs focus on the following areas:
poverty, civil society, the environment, and Flint, MI. Support
is provided to nonprofit organizations with regional, national
or international scope and local nonprofit organizations in
Flint, MI. Geographic focus varies by program area. Applications
are accepted throughout the year.
(http://www.mott.org/)
******************
PARTNERSHIP
FOR A NATION OF LEARNERS
The Partnership for a Nation of Learners Community Collaborative
Grant Program is intended to strengthen the ability of museums,
libraries, and public broadcasting licensees to work together to
help audiences gain knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, and
resources that enhance their engagement in community, work,
family, and society. The application deadlines are March 1, 2005
and March 1, 2006.
(http://www.partnershipforlearners.org/)
******************
NATIONAL
YOUTH COURT CENTER MINI-GRANTS
The National Youth Court Center will award mini-grants to
provide youth court programs with funds to conduct a service
project in support of National Youth Service Day 2005 in April.
Fifteen of the mini-grants have been designated to fund projects
that are related to traffic safety issues (including underage
drinking). The additional 45 mini-grants will be awarded for any
project that meets a community need. The application deadline is
December 31, 2004.
(http://www.youthcourt.net/)
******************
JOHNSON & JOHNSON/ROSALYNN CARTER INSTITUTE CAREGIVERS PROGRAM
ANNOUNCES $100,000 HURRICANE RELIEF FUND
The Johnson & Johnson/Rosalynn Carter Institute Caregiviers
Program has announced the availability of grants to address
family caregiving needs stemming from the hurricanes of 2004.
These funds are limited and proposals for funding will be
considered as they are received. The total amount available for
award is $100,000 and grant awards will range from $1,000 to
$10,000. The final deadline for submitting funding requests is
February 1, 2005.
(http://www.rosalynncarter.org/jjhurricanerelief.html)
******************
JOBS/INTERNSHIPS
2005-2006 POSTDOCTORAL/VISITING SCHOLAR FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM IN
ETHNIC STUDIES AT UCLA
The UCLA Institute of American Cultures (IAC), in cooperation
with UCLA's four Ethnic Studies Research Centers - American
Indian Studies Center, Asian American Studies Center, Bunche
Center for African American Studies, and Chicano Studies
Research Center - offers fellowships to postdoctoral scholars in
support of research about these groups. The fellowship includes
a stipend (which can be used as a sabbatical supplement) that
ranges from $30,000 to $35,000, research support of up to
$4,000, and health benefits. Generally, appointments are for a
9-month period beginning September 1 or October 1. For
2005-2006, the IAC will offer one or two fellowships that focus
on intergroup or comparative research on two or more of these
communities in a local, national, or global context. The
acceptance of a fellowship carries with it the commitment to
make a contribution to the research activities of the sponsoring
Ethnic Studies Research Center. In some cases, Fellows/Scholars
will also teach a 10-week seminar based on their research.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Fellows/Scholars must be U.S.
citizens or permanent residents and hold a Ph.D. from an
accredited college or university at the time of appointment.
UCLA faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students are not
eligible to apply.
Completed applications are due by January 14, 2005.
Recipients will be notified in early April.
NOTE: Offer of Fellowship is contingent upon funding
availability.
For further information and applications, please go to the
Institute's website:
http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/iacweb/iachome.htm.
You can also contact the IAC Coordinator at the Institute of
American Cultures, 1237 Murphy Hall, (310) 825-1233, or email:
IACcoordinator@gdnet.ucla.edu
******************
WELLSTONE
FELLOWSHIP FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
The deadline is Jan. 7 for the Wellstone Fellowship for Social
Justice. The fellowship is sponsored by
Families USA in honor of late Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minn.,
and is designed to "expand the pool of talented social-justice
advocates from underrepresented racial and ethnic minority
groups," in order to achieve fair and better quality health
care, according to the organization's
website.
The grant is available to anyone interested in health care and
assisting communities of color. The fellowship entails a
year-long program operating out of Washington D.C., from August
2005 to July 2006. Participants will receive healthcare benefits
and an annual stipend.
Application information is available in Microsoft Word format
online. For more information, e-mail
wellstonefellowship@familiesusa.org or contact Melissa
Rosenblatt: 202-628-3030.
(http://www.familiesusa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Wellstone_Fellowship_About)
******************
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER – SACRAMENTO REGION COMMUNITY
FOUNDATION (California)
Our client, the Sacramento Region Community Foundation (www.sacregcf.org),
is seeking a new Chief Executive Officer. Founded in 1983, the
SRCF was formed to help people connect with the causes about
which they care. Community foundations are one of the fastest
growing sectors of philanthropy in the United States. SRCF is a
tax-exempt public charity created by and for the people in the
local area. The Foundation manages 275 different funds, with
total assets of $51 million. All funds share the common goal of
serving donors, nonprofit organizations and the region as a
whole. Since its founding, the SRCF has successfully placed over
$38 million in grants. The CEO works closely with the Board
Chair, Board Committees and a twenty-three member Board of
Trustees.
The Chief Executive Officer will be responsible for leading the
next significant era for the Foundation; one that includes
continued growth as well as heightened visibility for the
Foundation. The CEO interacts with philanthropically-minded
individuals, families and organizations, professional advisors
which includes lawyers, accountants and financial advisors,
grant recipients, and the community leaders in our region. The
Chief Executive Officer oversees a staff of eight employees.
Issues of importance for the first twelve months include an
internal focus on infrastructure and elasticity while continuing
exceptional service to our donors and grantees, recruiting a new
CFO, and in conjunction with the Board updating and refining the
Foundation's strategic plan.
Key Requirements: ten plus years of increasingly responsible
professional experience, culminating at the executive level;
staff, and profit and loss management experience; experience in
working with a nonprofit and a Board (could be through
volunteerism); demonstrated skills in team-building; a passion
for community service; the stature and presence to reflect the
integrity of the Foundation; a graduate degree is preferred.
SRCF offers the opportunity to lead a well-positioned and solid
community organization that plays an increasingly visible role
in our region. A competitive compensation package will be
available to the successful candidate. Our client will
interview pre-selected candidates on January 6 and 7, 2005.
For confidential consideration, we invite you at your earliest
convenience (and no later than December 1) to email your
chronological resume and compensation expectations to:
SRCF CEO Search,
Attn: Ms. Diane D. Miller,
C/o
btopper@wilcoxcareer.com
Wilcox Miller & Nelson
100 Howe Avenue, Suite 155 North,
Sacramento, CA 95825
916-977-3700, 916-977-3733 (fax)
(www.sacregcf.org)
******************
TIPS/RESOURCES
GETTING COMMITTED SUPPORT TO PROMOTE AN ORGANIZATION
NCVA Note: Some people have asked how they can raise their
organization’s visibility or the work that they do. One answer
is to get committed people from the local area to support the
organization and its charitable works. There are many monetary
awards that recognizes the work of young people in their efforts
to build a better tomorrow today. One only needs to invite and
include them in the charitable activities and to work with them
in a collaborative fashion.
"People are motivated to give because they value the cause,
whether it is religion, education, health care, or international
relief." Henry Goldstein, chair of the Giving USA Foundation
(http://www.aafrc.org/)
For her charity work through VNHELP, our young donor
Chi Nguyen,
16, will be honored with a monetary award from NetAid and will
appear in the following programs:
* NBC TV channel 11, Nov 30, at 10:00AM in "Bay Area at 10"
program
* KQED Radio, fm88.5, Dec 02 at 6:33AM, 8:33AM
Please tune in to listen/watch the programs. Chi anh her family
will fly to New York this week to receive the NetAid award.
NetAid (http://www.netaid.org)
is an independent non-profit organization (501 c3) based in New
York that educates, inspires and empowers young people to take
action against global poverty. NetAid's innovative programs and
initiatives directly support the international community's goal
of significantly reducing extreme poverty and related ills by
2015. NetAid was founded in 1999 by the United Nations
Development Programme and Cisco Systems.
In May 2004, Chi was invited to meet with Tiger Woods (a famed
golf player) in Florida and appeared with him in a TV commercial
on Fox News and ABC for the "Start Something" award from Tiger
Woods and the Target Foundation.
This month, Chi is ready to accept orders for her delicious
Almond Toffy candies to raise funds for the needy children in VN.
Selling Almond Toffy is an annual holiday fundraising from Chi
to benefit a VNHELP program, while her annual fundraising
concert is organized in Spring.
I'm very proud of Chi Nguyen and her family. Their example is
inspiring!
Regards
Thu Do - VNHELP Executive Director
(http://www.vnhelp.org)
******************
MAKING HEALTH COMMUNICATION PROGRAMS WORK: A PLANNER’S GUIDE
This handbook presents key principles and steps in developing
and evaluating health communication programs for the public,
patients, and health professionals. It expands upon and replaces
two earlier publications titled Pretesting in Health
Communications and Making PSA's Work. The guide discusses
specific steps in program development and includes examples of
their use. Sources of additional information on each subject are
included at the end of the chapters.
http://cancer.gov/pinkbook
Publication date: September 2002
Source: Name National Cancer Institute
Address Cancer Information Service
Phone 1–800–422–6237
******************
COMMUNICATING HEALTH: PRIORITIES AND STRATEGIES FOR PROGRESS
Healthy People is a collaborative effort managed by the Office
of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Healthy People
2010 represents the third time HHS has developed 10-year health
objectives for the Nation.
The six objectives in the Health Communication Focus Area
address the diffusion of the internet to households, the quality
of health Web sites, health literacy, provider-patient
communication, research and evaluation of communication
programs, and centers of excellence in health communication. The
purpose of this report is to provide an action plan to achieve
the health communication objectives in healthy people 2010.
http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/projects/HealthComm/default.htm
Publication date: July 2003
Source:
Name Office Of Disease Prevention And Health Promotion
Address 330 C St SW
Washington, DC 20201-0001
******************
NEWS
November 25, 2004
THE LE-TRAN FAMILY
Bu Annie Groer
Four days before Saigon fell to the Communists in 1975, Le-Thanh
Le -- then 14 and known as Brigitte at her French school -- fled
war-ravaged South Vietnam with her family to start a new life in
Northern Virginia.
"I think it took us at least five or six years to get in the
groove of things here," she says. "We had to learn about the
culture and to adapt
Thanksgiving was an early lesson. "When we looked at the big
turkey, it was very intimidating," says the woman who is now a
U.S. citizen, wife, mother, chemical engineer and co-owner of
Galerie Brigitte in McLean, a home accessories shop featuring
Vietnamese lacquer, fine art, ceramics and fashion.
Over time, Le and her husband, Tuan Tran gave an Eastern twist
to this all-American holiday.
Le and daughter Kristin Duyen-Anh Tran, 8, each will don an ao
dai, Vietnam's ankle-length silk tunic slit from the waist down
and worn over trousers. Justin Duy Tran, 10, and his dad, a
Lockheed Martin software engineer, "always wear regular shirts
and pants with ties, even though the traditional man would also
have worn an ao dai with a headpiece as well," says the elder
Tran. He came to Norfolk in 1974 to attend Old Dominion
University, following two older siblings, and stayed.
At today's feast for 20 friends and relatives in Reston, tables
will be covered with delicate, hand-painted Vietnamese silk and
topped with celadon plates and bowls shaped like lotus blossoms.
Blue-and-buff pottery vessels handcrafted in Bat Trang, north of
Hanoi, will be filled with aromatic soups, sauces and rice, all
served family style.
"I will make a Peking duck from my grandmother's recipe," says
Le, who will also serve roasted pork, caramelized fish and
spring rolls. "For dessert we'll have a sweet porridge of mung
beans and coconut milk, or one made of tapioca, banana and
coconut milk." And in a bow to the children, who will set the
table and help clean up, there will be turkey.
"Before the kids, Thanksgiving was just a holiday," says Tran.
"But now, bringing them up in this environment becomes more
meaningful for us."
"In Vietnam, we always lived very close to each other," adds Le.
"In this country we live very far apart. When we sat down for
the very first Thanksgiving, we were thankful to have the time
and to be part of the American culture. And now the next
generation makes this tradition even more intense."
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6978-2004Nov23.html)
******************
November 25, 2004
CULTURE CENTER STILL A VISION WITHOUT A SITE
Proponents of a tribute to Vietnamese heritage work with
Garden Grove council members to find a location.
By Daniel Yi, Times Staff Writer
The Garden Grove City Council has rescinded support for a
large-scale Vietnamese cultural center near City Hall but will
continue to work with the project's proponents to find a home
within the city.
The council, acting as the city's redevelopment agency, voted
unanimously Tuesday to continue the search for a location that
can accommodate the proposed 3-acre complex.
The center would include a museum, library and conference rooms.
In August, the redevelopment agency signed an agreement with the
Santa Ana-based Nhan Ai Foundation, the local nonprofit group
that is leading the project.
The agreement did not call for Garden Grove to provide money or
land, city and foundation officials said, but did formalize the
city's support for the center. The agreement also proposed the
project be on the corner of
7th
Street and Garden Grove Boulevard, just blocks from City Hall.
The redevelopment agency has bought five of the 11 homes that
occupy the block and envisions remaking the area with
institutional and educational buildings.
But the agency was forced to rescind the agreement earlier this
month because of a technical violation of the state's open
meeting laws.
The agency had not listed all the potential sites for the
cultural center that were discussed during an earlier closed
session meeting.
The sites, six in all, have now been made public, but the
agreement with Nhan Ai Foundation will have to be redrafted
because of the violation.
A site proposed last year at the corner of Brookhurst Way and
Garden Grove Boulevard was scrapped after some Korean American
community members said it was too close to their business
district.
On Tuesday, several residents who live near City Hall said they
were concerned about the proposed site on Garden Grove Boulevard
and 7th Street.
The cultural center "would be looking right into my backyard,"
said Don Worshauer, who lives just north of the site.
Worshauer, who bought his home 11 years ago, said he's also
concerned because his house is in the redevelopment zone and the
city could ultimately condemn it, he said.
Garden Grove officials said that the city has rarely invoked its
powers of eminent domain to condemn land and that all of the
properties it acquired on that block were done through
negotiations with the owners.
City officials also said that because Garden Grove is built out,
Nhan Ai Foundation would have trouble finding a large parcel of
land for the $10-million center. The city can best help the
foundation by identifying areas slated for redevelopment, they
said. Nhan Ai would either buy the land from the original owners
or through the redevelopment agency.
The City Council directed staff to begin a new search for a
cultural center location, and outgoing Councilman Van Tran
suggested that the new City Council, scheduled to be seated next
month, form a subcommittee to manage the search.
Tran was elected to the state Assembly, and Mayor Bruce
Broadwater is in the final days of his last term.
All five council members said Garden Grove, which has the
largest Vietnamese American community in the U.S., should house
a cultural center that memorializes Vietnamese refugees and the
war.
"The refugee history is important," said Broadwater. "It's what
America is all about, helping other people."
Phat Bui, a Nhan Ai Foundation director, said the group hopes
the center will become a cultural anchor for the Vietnamese
American community.
The foundation is working on more detailed business and
architectural plans to present to the city, he said.
"Obviously, we want to make sure that whatever we do complies
with the law," Bui said. And "we would certainly work with
everyone to meet their views."
(http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-vietcenter25nov25,1,6993002.story)
******************
November 26, 2004
WINNING AT ALL COSTS
Talmadge Heflin tries to save his political future at the
expense of his own party
Houston Chronicle
Now the returns are in and the conclusion is official. State
representative Talmadge Heflin's separation problems aren't
confined to giving up claims to a house guest's child. He'll
clearly do anything to retain possession of the District 149
seat he's held for two decades, even if it includes thwarting
the will of the district's voters.
Just as Heflin and his wife unsuccessfully turned to the courts
to seize 20-month-old Fidel Odimara Jr. from his Nigerian
mother, who lived in their home and claimed to be their maid, so
Heflin is now trying to use the stacked deck of a
Republican-controlled Texas House to reverse his apparent
32-vote defeat at the hands of political newcomer Hubert Vo.
In doing so Heflin may duplicate the embarrassment of his child
custody fight, during which he made a widely circulated
statement indicating that he could better raise a black child to
responsible adulthood than the child's natural parents. This
time around the veteran legislator is insulting the
Vietnamese-American community of Southwest Houston by suggesting
that the only way Vo could beat him was through vote fraud,
which remains unsubstantiated. In making that claim Heflin is
questioning the competence of County Clerk Beverly Kaufman, a
fellow Republican, who certified the results, and the oversight
group which scrutinized the certification of provisional
ballots.
As the Chronicle's Rick Casey pointed out, Republican House
Speaker Tom Craddick has subtly tried to convey the message to
Heflin that it's time to let go of his seat and move on.
Craddick not only gave away Heflin's office, he also named a
successor to replace him as Appropriations Committee chairman.
Heflin's decision to ask his House colleagues to overturn the
election, as with the grab for baby Fidel, demonstrates that he
just doesn't know when to let go. It's a lesson Heflin would do
well to learn, and quickly.
Up to now Republicans have had more success in penetrating
Asian-American communities in Houston than black and Hispanic
voter groups, partially because the former tend toward more
conservative values. Even if Heflin gets the House to overturn
the results of the election, it can't help but inflame the
Vietnamese-American voters who heavily contributed to Vo's
majority. If a new vote is mandated, it likely would result in a
crusade by Vo's community to prevent what they would see as
blatant election theft.
It would be a sad epitaph to his career if Heflin's last
political act were to undermine GOP efforts to broaden his
party.
(http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/2920153)
******************
November 27, 2004
FOR SOME MINORITIES, BUSINESS SUCCESS IS RELATIVE
By Kristen Millares Bolt
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Reporter
Small-business owners struggling to gather funds for a large
investment might find some inspiration in a tradition that is
quietly stimulating local merchant communities throughout
Washington.
Many ethnic entrepreneurs are supplementing their capital by
using community and familial ties as channels for informal
lending systems, whether of cash or services, to open businesses
and leverage growth.
These loan networks can be as simple as a grandparent caring for
the child of working parents or as regimented as the
time-honored custom of the "tanda," a round-robin system of cash
loans on which many Mexicans have depended to make big purchases
for their businesses and personal lives.
Although the tanda itself is uniquely Mexican, it has
counterparts around the world in various cultures. Similar
associations are known to the Chinese as "hui," to the Koreans
as "kye," the Vietnamese as "ho," and to some Caribbean peoples
as "en susu."
"The tanda is a forced savings pattern that is very used in our
communities," said Sergio Manrique, 41, a real estate agent for
Skyline Properties. "It is a way to get a loan without having to
go through the terrible bank procedure. You get an interest-free
loan immediately."
Manrique explained that someone in need of money will gather a
close-knit group of friends, family members, and business
associates to form a tanda, which takes the form of a weekly or
monthly contribution of a fixed sum, say $100, to a communal pot
that is given to one member on a fixed day each month.
Every participant chooses or draws a number that determines when
they receive the cash. Often, the initiator of the tanda, who is
in charge of collecting the money and safeguarding it until it
is awarded, takes the first turn to satisfy the need for
immediate cash that led him or her to begin the process.
"It requires a tremendous amount of trust, because you have to
collect," said Manrique, who last used a tanda six years ago to
fund radio advertisement for his services. "People comply,
though, because you can't let the other person down."
The intimacy of the tanda makes it a particularly effective tool
for close-knit communities to pool their resources in a way that
benefits each individual. In a tanda of 10 people, the person in
month five will have already paid out $500, at $100 a month,
when he received that month's $1,000 pot, and will pay off that
$500 loan in equal cash installments for the next five months.
The idea balances the economic rewards against the social
penalties for non-compliance -- it becomes much harder to
default when your sister or best friend is depending on the
tanda that month.
People in tandas that fail to deliver, however, may have little
legal standing. In 1993, a California Superior Court judge ruled
against a Korean immigrant in Los Angeles who tried to use the
courts to recover $50,000 owed to his kye.
Latin Business Association Chairman Ray Durazo says that
Hispanics, and immigrants in general, must often find
non-traditional ways of providing capital for their businesses.
"There is research that indicates that the vast majority of
small businesses founded by Hispanics in the country are
typically funded by family money, getting loans from friends of
family, and/or using family credit cards to provide the initial
capital for the startup," said Durazo, who also heads the
association's educational arm, known as the LBA Institute. "It
is a Hispanic pattern, but to an equal extent, an immigrant
pattern."
Some of these peoples have witnessed severe fluctuations in
their home countries' interest rates on loans and credit lines,
and so distrust institutional lending. Others flee their
countries shortly after such mercurial economic conditions
preclude investment and drain their savings, arriving in the
United States with little capital to establish themselves.
"Everyone in Mexico was in a panic in 1994," said Manrique,
referring to the devaluation of the Mexican peso, which pillaged
Mexico's local and national economies. "Annual interest rates
went from 10 to 12 percent to 86 percent, so people who owed a
balance on their cars and houses saw that balance skyrocket."
Manrique said that the 1994 peso devaluation devastated the
life-insurance industry he flourished in, as the blue-collar
workers who had bought the policies scrambled to liquidate their
assets to pay off their suddenly frightening debts.
Manrique has risen to be a top agent of his company. Though he
hasn't used a tanda in years, his current success may be the
result, in part, of the radio ad campaign made possible by the
tanda.
Many Hispanics, as Durazo pointed out, "do not own their own
homes, and having equity in homes is often how small businesses
are financed." This lack of startup funds forces them to turn to
their friends and families for loans, which only sometimes take
the form of tandas.
Members of minorities, who often include immigrants in their
ranks, owned 15 percent of U.S. businesses in 1997, according to
the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration. The
SBA's figures showed that Hispanics made up 30.8 percent of the
total minority business, and that 99 percent of those
minority-owned businesses are small businesses. In 1997, there
were 1 million Hispanic-owned businesses, and 39.3 percent of
those belonged to Mexicans.
Intrafamily and community loans such as the tanda, then, have
national import as a business strategy for lower-income
entrepreneurs. In the Puget Sound area, the tanda's effects
could be felt in the real estate market, where Manrique said it
was typical to schedule a closing date closely after a client
was slated to receive his tanda allotment.
Salvador Hernández is a South Park restaurateur who made
national news in 2002 when Pfizer demanded that he change the
name of his restaurant, La Viagra Marina, now called La Terraza.
Hernández said that his wife, Guillermina, has organized tandas
with her sister and brothers just to get together.
"It is more social than economic," said Hernández, who was last
part of a tanda four months ago. "But it can resolve your
personal financial problems."
More prevalent throughout Hispanic communities are the common
practices of lending cash to make up the difference between a
family member's existing resources and the required cost of a
desired business investment, lending time by staffing a kin's
new shop free of charge or lending services such as
baby-sitting.
"It is a cultural thing," said Durazo. "The historical pattern
has always been for the entire family to be directly or
indirectly involved, whether in a local dry cleaner or
restaurant."
That is certainly the case for Hernández, who depends on his
wife and children to put in the hours in the family restaurant
and his adjacent Mexi-Mart on 14th Avenue South and South
Cloverdale Street. Although the nuclear family generally shoulders
the burden of long-term maintenance of the store (which
Hernández said had been open every day since it began in 1992),
special projects can engage the entire family.
When Hernández was first remodeling the store after buying the
space in 1991, he reaped the benefits of all those family bonds.
"My brothers, my sister, my sister-in-law, my brother-in-law,
the brothers of my sister's husband, my children and my wife
came to help me clean and paint, put the floors down and arrange
all the merchandise," said Hernández, ticking off the relatives
on his thick fingers. "Also, they helped me economically,
lending me money to buy the merchandise and do some of the
renovations. A little here, a little there."
That last little bit can make a serious difference in what
entrepreneurs can do to grow their businesses.
Venustéano and Luisa Vásquez have been saving their money since
before their arrival in the United States from the Mexican state
of Oaxaca 20 years ago.
"We have always, always wanted our own businesses, ever since we
were in Mexico," said Luisa Vásquez.
"The situation in Mexico was so difficult that it couldn't
happen there, but we have always wanted to depend only on
ourselves. That is why we never go out on the town and why we
have always worked and saved."
Luisa Vásquez worked three jobs when she first came to Seattle,
pulling the 8 a.m.-4 p.m. shift at a Chinese restaurant and then
moving on to a Mexican business to work from 5 p.m. till
closing. During her first year in the United States, she also
cleaned a school on the weekends.
Her husband worked as a busboy, and fixed cars in his spare
time.
Gradually, they both moved up in the ranks, she leaving the
kitchen to become a waitress and he rising to supervisor.
Seven years ago, the couple opened a Latino video rental store,
eventually including a money sending service, El Mexicano
Express.
Three years ago, seeking to diversify after increasing
competition drove sales down, they decided to purchase a
2,000-square-foot dilapidated and abandoned tavern that sat on
the corner directly opposite to Hernández's Mexi-Mart.
Even after refinancing their home, and leveraging the second
mortgage combined with their savings, the Vásquezes needed extra
cash to close the deal.
"The money we had was supplemented by a loan from her cousin,
who works on fishing boats in Alaska," said Venustéano Vásquez.
"Since then, I have been renovating the place bit by bit, as my
19-year-old son and my wife work at the store."
The Vásquez family is keeping their plans for the new business
close to the vest until they open in the spring to ward off
possible competition. Whatever the result, their efforts along
with those of Hernández, whose store is stocked with all the
brands, such as Goya, designed to warm the Hispanic heart, are
contributing to the revitalization of this corner in South Park.
With just under a third of Washington's total Hispanic
population living in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, the
effects of these cultural and financial rituals can be seen in
the small business climate of Puget Sound.
Hispanics made up 7.5 percent of the Washington population in
the 2000 Census and now constitute the fastest-growing part of
the state's population, up from 4.4 percent in 1990 and 2.9
percent in 1980.
Durazo asserts that these practices are a springboard into
typical American banking practices.
"If a company has survived and continued to grow, then the owner
will reach out to traditional financial institutions such as
banks to look for capital to strengthen their business
prospects."
P-I reporter Kristen Millares Bolt can be reached at
206-448-8142 or
kristenbolt@seattlepi.com
(http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/201336_retail27.html?searchpagefrom=1&searchdiff=4)
******************
November 28, 2004
FOLLOWING LEAD OF EX-COLUMNIST ISN’T WAY TO GO
By Scott Herhold
Mercury News
T.T. Nhu really didn't want to talk to me. The former Mercury
News columnist and spokeswoman for Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown
protested that she wasn't a public figure. She insisted that her
decision was private, that she wasn't sure she wanted her exit
interview to be an angry blast against the U.S.A.
Then, without holding back, she gave me the CliffsNotes version
of why she is leaving America and returning to Hanoi because of
the re-election of George W. Bush.
Hanoi? A place still run by communists? A city where Nhu's
cherished outspokenness might affront someone? Well, yes. The
notion of America as beacon to the world drives her close to
despair. And Nhu thinks a life in Hanoi can be a happy one.
``My animosity to America has been growing,'' she told me.
``America is such an incredible bully. It's doing the same
things in Iraq that it did in Vietnam. America always comes down
on the wrong side of things.
Bullying
``It's bullying coupled with the vast ignorance of its people,
who are anesthetized by television,'' she said. ``It's all about
Halliburton, it's all about oil, it's all about Israel. . . .
People miss the subtleties, the nuances. All they can see is
freedom on the march.''
Born in Vietnam but raised partly in Europe, fluent in French,
English, Spanish and Vietnamese, the 57-year-old naturalized
American citizen was among the most cosmopolitan people on our
staff. She was a walking Michelin Guide of ethnic restaurants:
French, Thai, Afghan. She was engaged in a variety of political
and charitable causes, including ``Operation Baby Lift,'' an
effort to bring Vietnamese babies to America for adoption.
In her writing, she found ways to subtly undercut the
certainties of American popular culture. Two weeks before the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, she wrote a sympathetic piece about
a young woman who wore hijab -- the full Muslim covering -- to
her classes at the University of California-Berkeley.
The potential contradictions of her life didn't faze her.
Although she was a committed leftist who traveled to Cuba, she
lived an affluent life in the Berkeley hills. While she was
deeply concerned about the plight of the less fortunate, she
told friends giddily that she planned to wear an elaborate ao
dai -- the traditional Vietnamese dress -- to the Oscars for the
documentary she consulted on, ``Daughter from Danang.''
Hanoi? Though it strikes most of us as far-fetched, Nhu has her
reasons. She explains that her well-to-do family split into two
wings after the Vietnam War: One wing came to America and
prospered in San Jose. Another wing stayed in Hanoi.
Good riddance?
It's among those people that she plans to settle. Her husband, a
lawyer, has long done business with Vietnamese. ``I'll be able
to find a nice place to live, somebody who can cook my meals for
me,'' she explained. ``Vietnamese are wonderful, they're a noisy
and scrappy people. I'm home and I'm happy. Goodbye, America.''
Patriotic Americans might reply, ``Well, good riddance.'' But
these are difficult times. In the Bay Area, many of us agree
with much of Nhu's critique, if not her tone.
So have we come to America, love it or leave it? It's a silly
dichotomy, I think. I didn't want Bush to win. I detest the Iraq
war. I'm sorry someone as politically and charitably engaged as
Nhu finds she doesn't want to live here. Her departure is a
loss.
Yet for most of us, I'm not sure that the question of loving or
leaving is really on the table. Much of that is inertia. But
when I think about it myself, the notion of responsibility --
and yes, thanks -- for what I've been given helps keeps me in
place. In a sense, America is too important to desert. If we
don't change what we find objectionable, who will?
Contact Scott Herhold at
sherhold@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5877.
(http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/10288441.htm)
******************
November 29, 2004
VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY REPAYS KINDNESS BY AIDING THE HOMELESS
More than 300 are fed and given sleeping bags. The editor of
a local publication solicits donations and organizes the annual
event.
By David Reyes, Times Staff Writer
More than 300 homeless people in Santa Ana on Sunday were fed
egg rolls, rice and coffee, then given new sleeping bags. The
gesture, in its 10th year, was organized by Khoi Vu, the editor
of Ngay Mai magazine, a free Vietnamese-language publication
distributed in Little Saigon.
"We did this because the Vietnamese refugee community has
received a lot of good things from the United States," he said.
Vu has helped feed hundreds of homeless people in Cypress,
Garden Grove and Santa Ana. Through appeals in his magazine and
on Vietnamese-language radio, he gets donations and volunteers
to help with food, sleeping bags and other items the homeless
need.
Le Quy An, a Westminster business owner, donated 23 sleeping
bags and his time on Sunday.
"In my country of Vietnam we always have been fighting," An
said. "During the wars, we've never had enough, so we understand
the homeless."
Hien Nguyen, 50, a Tustin goldsmith, donated two sleeping bags
after hearing Vu's radio appeal and was at the Sunday event.
"It was a call for the Vietnamese community to help," Nguyen
said, "and when I heard it, the weather was turning really cold
and I decided to help."
Nguyen brought Vina, his 9-year-old daughter.
Little Saigon, comprising parts of Santa Ana, Garden Grove and
Westminster, has the largest Vietnamese community outside
Vietnam.
"This is a very, very big deal for us," said Jacqueline Phan,
62, of Westminster.
Vu, a self-described spiritual healer not affiliated with any
religious group, also gave a short homily to those who
congregated on
Ross Street near the county's government buildings.
"I don't want to see you here next year. I hope that you will
find jobs and be off the streets," Vu said.
For Debbie Ellis, 52, a single homeless woman, the sleeping bag
will help her cope with temperatures recently in the low 40s.
Ellis said she had been living on the streets since July after
losing her job when she got hurt while providing in-home nursing
care. "I lost my apartment. I never thought that I would ever be
out here homeless," she said.
Joe Gomez, 34, said he was thankful to the Vietnamese community
for the food.
Gomez, who sleeps in his car, had a message for Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger.
"Tell him to build more shelters," he said. "We don't need more
shopping malls, we need shelters."
Edwin Yates said he hadn't been able to work since he injured
himself on the job at a circus two months ago.
For now he has a motel room, but may not be able to keep it much
longer.
"I'm waiting for workmen's comp to kick in. But I've got a motel
in Anaheim that I can stay at for another week. After that I
might use this," Yates said, holding up a new sleeping bag.
(http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sleepingbags29nov29,1,5749022.story)
******************
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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