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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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NCVA eREPORTER - January 4, 2005

The National Congress of Vietnamese Americans' NCVA eReporter is a regular email newsletter containing information on grant/funding opportunities, events/forums/conferences, available internships and news items pertinent to the Vietnamese American and Asian Pacific American communities.

In this NCVA eReporter:

EVENTS

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

JOBS/INTERNSHIPS

TIPS/RESOURCES

NEWS

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 EVENTS

CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON TECHNOLOGY STRATEGIES & SOLUTIONS

Technology Strategies & Solutions, a conference presented by ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership, will help association and nonprofit staff meet their members’ and management teams’ technology expectations. The conference will address essential CEO technology competencies, how to develop a website strategy, eLearning and communication technologies, strategies for improving data quality, and much more. The conference will be held January 31 and February 1, 2006 in Washington, DC.

(http://www.technologyconference.org/)

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 FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

SCHOLARSHIP FOR EDUCATORS

Inspired Teacher Scholarships for Visual Learning, a program of Inspiration Software, offers scholarships to support professional development activities for educators in K-12 schools, colleges, and universities who champion the integration of visual learning into the curriculum. For 2006, two types of scholarships are available: Twenty-five Inspired Teacher Scholarships for Visual Learning will be awarded to educators who demonstrate an understanding of visual learning. Five Inspired Teacher Scholarship Rookie Awards for Visual Learning will be awarded to educators just starting out in the area of visual learning, but ready to learn more. The scholarships must be used to attend workshops, conferences or graduate courses that focus on visual learning and technology in education. The application deadline for both scholarships is January 30, 2006.

(http://www.inspiration.com/scholarship)

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TEACHERS’ INSURANCE PLAN: TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS FOR EXCELLENT EDUCATORS

Each school year, Teachers' Insurance Plan recognizes teachers who have excelled in their commitment and contribution to the betterment of their school, students or educational community through the Teacher of the Year program. One teacher, in each of Teachers’ Insurance Plan’s service states of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize. Also, one national winner will be chosen from the state winners to receive special recognition. In addition to the cash prize for the winning teachers, the schools that employ the winning teachers will receive $500 each to use for purchasing school supplies, equipment or for enrichment programs. Qualified educators must hold a full-time teaching position (kindergarten through graduate school) in a public or private school or university. The nomination deadline is March 1, 2006.

(http://www.teachers.com/Toy/Toy.asp)

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 NEW ANNUAL REPORT SERVICE GRANT

The Taproot Foundation has announced a new Annual Report Service Grant, providing nonprofit organizations with the processes and tools to produce an annual report each year. The application deadlines are March 1 and June 1, 2006.

(http://www.taprootfoundation.org/grants/annualreport.shtml)

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 MINI-GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR PEER TEACHING ABOUT CORE AMERICAN ISSUES

Youth for Justice invites 100 middle and high school classes across the United States to teach others about the fundamental ideas of American democracy through the Third Annual National Teach-In celebration of National & Global Youth Service Day and National Law Day. The first 100 classes to register will receive a mini-grant of $200 which may be used to buy materials to conduct their teach-in, provide law-related education resources for their class or school library, host a teach-in conference with another school, or donate to a school club or charity. The registration deadline is January 31, 2006.

(http://www.crfc.org/yfj_teachin2006.html)

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KNIGHT FOUNDATION ADOPTS NEW SYSTEM FOR FUNDING REQUESTS

It’s easier than ever to request funds from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Knight still requires potential grantees to begin with a letter of inquiry, but now it’s to be submitted online. Instructions and an informative, optional quiz helps organizations verify the eligibility of their request. A confirmation email is sent upon submission. The new Letter of Inquiry Online System is now available and as of January 1, 2006, all written requests submitted by mail to Knight Foundation will be returned with instructions to submit online.

(http://www.knightfdn.org/apply/)

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ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN MEDICAL COLLEGES SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR CARING FOR COMMUNITY GRANT PROGRAM

Deadline: March 13, 2006

The Association of American Medical Colleges (http://www.aamc.org/), with the support of the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative (http://www.positiveprofiles.com/), is offering an institutional grant program to encourage the development of student-initiated services and programs to the community.

As part of the Caring for Community Grant Program, medical schools conferring the M.D. or D.O. degree are eligible to receive support for community service-oriented projects that explore new ways to serve their local communities. Eligible programs may range from those that promote awareness about sexually transmitted diseases, to vaccination and literacy programs, to any program that fulfills an unmet need within the community. Grant awards will also be offered to eligible service programs that are currently under way.

The unique aspect of the Caring for Community Grant Program is its focus on projects initiated, developed, and run primarily by medical students. While faculty and institutional involvement is integral to sustaining community service efforts, the ultimate goal of the program is to encourage students to identify untapped avenues of community service. Caring for Community will also help students to translate great ideas into meaningful service by contributing needed start-up funds.

Grants are available in the following categories:

New project grants will be provided to institutions for new student-oriented community-service projects. Grant support will be provided on a sliding scale for a period of not more than four years. The maximum amount available per year in this category is as follows: Year One - $12,000, Year Two - $9,000, Year Three - $6,000, and Year Four - $3,000.

Supplemental grants will be provided to institutions to support existing community-service programs initiated and operated by students. Grants will supplement existing program activities and provide funding for potential expansion of the services offered. Grants will be provided on a sliding scale, not to exceed four years. The maximum amount available per year in this category is as follows: Year One - $8,000, Year Two - $6,000, Year Three - $4,000, and Year Four - $2,000.

Non-continuous grants of up to $15,000 will be provided for short-term (less than one year in length) community-service initiatives. An example of a one-year program would be a community influenza-vaccination program for the elderly.

AAMC will present up to ten grant awards annually.

(http://www.aamc.org/about/awards/cfc.htm)

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 JOBS/INTERNSHIPS

*Special Service for Groups*

*Job Announcement*
ORANGE COUNTY ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITY ALLIANCE, INC. – POLICY PROGRAM MANAGER

*FLSA: *Non-Exempt*
Supervisor: *Mary Anne Foo

*Pay Range/Rate: $36,000 - $40,000 *(40 hrs/100% FTE). Benefits are included.

*Summary*
Under the supervision and direction of the Executive Director, the Policy Program Manager is responsible for managing OCAPICA's voter education program, immigrant rights, and other policy related programs and activities.  *"Special Service for Groups/OCAPICA is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer"*

*Essential Functions*
*Policy Program Manager (90%)*

*  Manage policy related activities and duties
*  Ensures that all administrative functions (reports, evaluations, statistics, etc.) of the policy programs are completed in a timely and efficient manner, making use of volunteer support whenever possible.
*  Oversee program grant contracts and requirements
*  Supervise policy staff
*  Work closely with funders and program officers
*  Implement quality control measures
*  Facilitate strategic planning for each program, often coordinating with a diverse set of community partners and sometimes mediating disputes between partners
*  Organize with community members, leaders, and organizations on policy related issues, community issues, and strategies to improve opportunities for community members
*  Work with the ethnic media and businesses to educate them on policy issues affecting Asian and Pacific Islanders
*  Work closely with board policy committee to implement policy vision of OCAPICA

*Administration and Operations (10%)*
*  Assist with fundraising for policy related activities
*  Assist with ongoing capacity building of organization and partners in relation to policy leadership

*Minimum Qualifications - Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required*
*  Experience in public policy, especially voting rights, education, health, immigrant rights, etc.
*  Experience working for or with community based nonprofits
*  Must have excellent networking and communication skills
*  Must be comfortable with the philosophy and goals of OCAPICA
*  California Driver's License and transportation to travel to conferences, meetings, and trainings
*  Bachelors degree or higher in related field
*  Motivating and providing guidance in leadership roles, new activities, outreach projects.

*Desired Qualifications - Knowledge, Skills and Abilities*
*  Experience with Microsoft Office (or other similar software)
*  Experiences in grant reporting and grant compliance
*  Must be comfortable working in a team environment
*  The position requires the incumbent be creative, to be able to work in a fast paced and dynamic work environment, and work with a diverse spectrum of program staff, community members, and professional contacts.
*  Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
*  Prefer individual with flexibility and initiative
*  Supervisory experience preferred

*Supervisory Responsibilities*
*  This position will be responsible for supervising two additional staff.

*Environmental Conditions (Working Conditions)*
*  The environment for this position is an office environment.

*Physical Requirement*
*  In the course of performing this job, the incumbent typically spends time sitting, standing, walking, typing, filing, listening and speaking.

*Mental Requirement*
*  The incumbent in this position must be able to accommodate to any/all of the following: tolerance for distractions and interruptions.

*Application Process:*
Application deadline: January 31, 2006 or until filled.

Please e-mail a cover letter, resume and 3 professional references (past supervisors including e-mail address and phone number) to: Mary Anne Foo

E-mail: mafoo@ocapica.org

(Please ensure that the email subject has the job title: *Policy Program Manager*)

or mail to:
Mary Anne Foo
Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance
12900 Garden Grove Blvd, Ste. 214A
Garden Grove, CA  92843

Agency Background:
The Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA) is dedicated to enhancing the health, and social and economic well-being of Asians and Pacific Islanders in Orange County, California. Established in 1997, OCAPICA works to improve and expand the community's opportunities through service, education, advocacy, organizing and research. These community-driven activities seek to empower Asians and Pacific Islanders to define and control their lives and the future of their community.

Special Service for Groups, Inc. (SSG) serves as the legal employer to this position.  *"Special Service for Groups is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer"*

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MULTIPLE JOBS AT SODEXHO

For a complete listing, visit:

http://www.ncvaonline.org/archive/JobsSodexho_010306.pdf

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 TIPS/RESOURCES

Nonprofit Sector Research Fund Study Addresses Federal Budget Consequences for Nonprofits

New five-year budget plans developed by President Bush and the Congress for fiscal year 2006 and beyond suggest that tough times may be ahead for many of the nation's private, nonprofit organizations. This report by Alan Abramson, Director of the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund, and Lester Salamon, Director, Center for Civil Society Studies of the Institute for Policy Studies of Johns Hopkins University, examines the most recent presidential and congressional budget proposals and their potential impact on our country's nonprofit organizations.

(http://www.nonprofitresearch.org/newsletter1525/newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=296583)

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 NEWS

ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Applications Now Available; Deadline is February 15, 2006

WASHINGTON, DC; December 15, 2005– The Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) announced today that it is accepting applications for the organization’s second scholarship competition. Asian and Pacific Islander Americans who are entering college for the first time in the fall of 2006 are eligible, provided that they are United States citizens or permanent residents, or citizens of the Freely Associated States. The deadline for submission of applications is February 15, 2006.

In its first full year of operation, APIASF distributed $330,000 to 165 applicants during the 2005-2006 academic year. This year, APIASF plans to match that level, and will increase the number of scholarships awarded if additional funds are secured. Previous scholarship recipients have came from thirty states, the District of Columbia, and several of the Freely Associated States in the Pacific. They have followed courses of study ranging from the sciences, to the arts, to the humanities, to education, and hospitality fields. They have excelled at two-year colleges, as well as four-year colleges. And they have been drawn from more than a dozen ethnic communities, including Cambodian, Chamorro, Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Japanese, Laotian, Korean, Native Hawaiian, Samoan, South Asian, and Vietnamese.

“Many Asian and Pacific Islander Americans encounter huge obstacles in obtaining higher education,” said Robert Underwood, Chair of APIASF, who is a former Congressman from Guam and former Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. “Many of our scholars are the first in their

families to attend college, and are from low-income backgrounds. Many are also recent arrivals to the U.S. from countries where only the wealthy had access to higher education. The U.S. Census shows that several of the ethnic groups with the lowest academic achievement rates are Asian or Pacific Islander American, and they need a helping hand. APIASF was formed to see that all Asian and Pacific Islander Americans have the opportunity to pursue a higher education, regardless of their ethnicity, national origin, or financial means.”

APIASF’s scholarship recipients must have a minimum 2.7 grade-point average. Each scholarship award is for $2,000. Awards are made on the basis of academic record and plans, community service, financial need, and leadership. Scholarship decisions will be announced in May of 2006.

Applicants are encouraged to apply on-line by visiting www.apiasf.org, where printable materials are also available.

The Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) is the only national organization that promotes the pursuit of higher education among Asian and Pacific Islander American students by distributing scholarships to qualified first-year undergraduate college, university, and vocational school students. Established in 2004, APIASF has already earned the support of major corporations including AT&T, the Asian McDonald’s Operators Association, The Coca-Cola Company, Federated Department Stores, Inc./Macy’s West, the General Mills Foundation, the Hilton Hotels Corporation, the IW Group, McDonald’s USA, LLC, and Wells Fargo & Company. Additional supporters include Federal Express, the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, the MetLife Foundation, Nissan North America, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, Sodexho, Southern California Edison, Wal-Mart Stores, and Washington Mutual. APIASF is also supported by several major scholarship programs, including the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the United Negro College Fund, the American Indian Graduate Center Scholars and the Gates Millennium Scholars/APIA. APIASF is a nonprofit organization devoted solely to the financial scholarship needs of Asian and Pacific Islander American students.

Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF)
1628 16th Street, NW - Suite 400
Washington, DC 20009
Tel: (202) 986-6892 or (877) 808-7032
Fax: (202) 667-6449
E-mail: info@apiasf.org
Internet: www.apiasf.org

(http://www.apiasf.org/scholarship_app/)

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January 1, 2006

PARISHIONERS TRYING TO HELP RESIDENTS REBUILD THEIR LIVES

By Chris Gardner

Copyright © 2006 Republican-American

SOUTHBURY -- Dan Fuller and his daughter, Erin, spent their Thanksgiving in a storm-beaten home in New Orleans, surrounded by toxic mold and rotting food that stunk so bad it made them nauseous.

So, obviously, they didn't eat a big meal on the one day most people are allowed to get away with it.

Instead, the Fullers, who live in town, and five fellow parishioners from St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Oxford toiled on empty stomachs to make a family's home habitable again.

Out came mold-encrusted drywall. Furniture and clothing that had floated to the ceiling when Hurricane Katrina roared through Aug. 29 went to the curb with the drywall, and so did prized photographs of the family that lived there.

The whole experience was so gut-wrenching for the 18-year-old college student whose home was being gutted that he had to stop helping, Dan Fuller said.

"Normal will never be normal again down there," he said, scrolling through photographs he took of the storm-ravaged city. "But like the house and the schools we worked on, they can be lived in again."

For a week at the end of November, Fuller; his daughter, Erin, 18; and parishioners John Demeyer, John Staber, Aimee Franko and Pete and Sarah Aiksnoras worked in a predominantly Vietnamese neighborhood.

They stayed at Mary Queen of Vietnam Church, which is now a sister parish to St. Thomas the Apostle. The building had no power, and what little running water it had was ice cold.

The church serves some 6,000 Catholics, mostly Vietnamese-Americans who settled in New Orleans after being forced from their homeland during the Vietnam War.

The hurricane uprooted them again, but their pastor, the Rev. Vien Nguyen, is determined to bring people back, Fuller said.

He has been to Houston, where many parishioners fled after the storm, and is grateful to people like the Fullers and their friends for stripping the damage from homes so they can be rebuilt from the inside out.

The stumbling block is that some city officials don't think the neighborhood should rise again, so building permits can't be obtained. Despite that, Fuller's crew went about its work to clean a Catholic school, a daycare center and the house.

They loaded several thousand pounds of cleaning supplies and headed south under the direction of a company that coordinates summer mission trips for the parish.

It was hard to keep their mouths from dropping when they reached the Gulf Coast, Fuller and his daughter said.

"You go through the neighborhoods. As far as you can see in every direction, there is devastation," he said. "You can't really appreciate it unless you go there."

Getting around was a challenge. None of the traffic lights worked. The grass that used to be lush green had yellowed or turned to dirt, and most of the trees had died.

In many parts of the city, houses were off their foundations. Fuller saw a hot tub on top of a roof. He presumes it floated there when the flood waters reached the top of the house. There were also plenty of cars still piled on top of one another, three months after the disaster.

In short, it looked like a war zone, said Erin Fuller, who brought home a souvenir -- a puppy with gold fur that was born during the hurricane. She named it Linh, which means "magical" and "spiritual being" in Vietnamese.

"I really didn't know what to expect," said the Pomperaug High School senior, who wants to be a music teacher. "It made me a lot more thoughtful for everything, like that I'll be home for Christmas and that I have a house and that I can drive down the road and see my friends. They can't do any of that."

Sarah Aiksnoras said she was struck by the resilience hurricane victims have shown.

"Though they lost their entire lives, they are determined to rebuilt and stay in New Orleans," she said. "They have an incredible amount of faith, and they know they are going to be able to come back."

The Fullers think about their experience in New Orleans every day, and want to do more to help. They are recruiting people from their parish and the community to make a return trip to the city Jan. 7. So far 19 people have signed up.

They are already collecting donations, including respirators, safety suits and dehumidifiers. Their plan is to clean more houses, then talk up their experiences back in Connecticut so people don't think life has returned to normal in the Big Easy.

"The biggest thing that we see is that people seem to have forgotten about what happened, or they think that it's all OK. ... They're still trying to clean up their lives," Dan Fuller said.

(http://www.rep-am.com/story.php?id=881&p=0)

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January 2, 2006

PALAU: ALTERNATE “SAFE HAVEN” SITE?

By Gemma Q. Casas Variety News Staff

The Marianas Variety Online reports that, with the withdrawal of the “safe haven” proposal due to strong — and very vocal — opposition of the local community, the humanitarian group United States International Mission is now considering Palau as an alternative site.

Dai Nguyen, field member of the USIM, said their group will look into alternative areas that have strong ties with the U.S. like Palau to rehabilitate the rescued Vietnamese girls who were forced into prostitution in Cambodia. Palau is an independent nation “freely associated” with the U.S.

On Friday, Deputy Attorney General Clyde Lemons Jr. issued a statement announcing the withdrawal from the Commonwealth Registry of Attorney General Pamela Brown’s proposed safe haven entry permit regulation.

Lemons said the decision was based on the large number of comments from those opposed to the plan which were received during the public hearing on Thursday evening. Scores of local residents and officials expressed opposition to the proposal, citing its possible adverse economic, social and political impact on the CNMI.

The public hearing at the multi-purpose center in Susupe was originally set for two hours but it was extended to four hours to accommodate the large number of people who wanted to voice their opinions on the issue.

Sen. Pete P. Reyes, Ind.-Saipan, said while the USIM’s intention is noble, “there are so many questions that must first be answered.” He said the local community may suffer economically and politically if something happens to the victims while they are in the CNMI.

The safe haven proposal aims to legalize the stay of the rescued Vietnamese victims as well as allow non-profit groups like the California-based USIM to establish a rehabilitation center and a school on Saipan.

USIM wants Saipan to be its host location since the CNMI government controls its own immigration policy. The group’s benefactors are mostly Vietnamese-Americans and Hollywood human rights activists including the actress Darryl Hannah.

The CNMI’s first governor, Dr. Carlos S. Camacho, said during the public hearing that the plan to rehabilitate the victims on Saipan “is one of the best con (jobs) that I have ever seen.”

Camacho said the majority of the islands’ estimated 80,000 people are mostly foreigners and the entry of the Vietnamese would make matters worse.

“How many brothels are there in Cambodia? How many kids are we expecting? There are more aliens now than the indigenous people. That was not the intention (when we first opened up the islands for foreign workers),” he said.

He said those pushing for the entry of the Vietnamese victims are underestimating the local people’s intelligence.

“They think we’re poor, ignorant, uneducated natives of these islands,” he said.

Another local resident, Henry Sablan, said while the USIM’s intention is noble, the U.S. can probably take care of it better than the CNMI.

“As an American, I am ashamed. We are selling democracy to Iraq and Afghanistan but we (in the CNMI) don’t even have a representative in the U.S. Congress,” he said.

About 1,000 people had signed a petition against the safe haven entry permit as of Thursday.

(http://www.pacificislands.cc/pina/pinadefault2.php?urlpinaid=19254)

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About NCVA
Founded in 1986, the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy organization working to advance the cause of Vietnamese Americans in a plural but united America – e pluribus unum – by participating actively and fully as civic minded citizens engaged in the areas of education, culture and civil liberties.

Copyright material is distributed without profit or payment for research and educational purposes only, in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107
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