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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 - February 7, 2006

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

UT AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL CONFERENCE FOR ASIAN AMERICAN STUDENTS

Dear friends,

UT Austin is hosting a high school conference for Asian American students. The conference, "Building a Better FoundASIAN (b.a.b.f.a)," will be held on Saturday, February 18th, 2006.  It is a great opportunity for our younger students to get involved in Asian American leadership initiatives at a young age.

When:  Saturday, February 18, 2006

Where:  University of Texas, Student Services Building

Who:  High School Students - Grades 9-12

Cost:  $5

Goals
 -Awareness about pros and cons about Asian Pacific Americans
 -Networking with students from across Texas and in college
 -Preservation of your cultural heritage
 -Identity of what it means to be Asian Pacific American
 -Discovery of Asian Pacific American role models and icons
 -Issues that Asian Pacific Americans face
 -Empowerment and pride for the Asian Pacific American community

For more information, please click here to link to the website:

(http://www.utasiansonline.com/babfa)

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SEARAC ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 9TH ANNUAL SOUTHEAST ASIAN AMERICAN NATIONAL LEADERSHIP-ADVOCACY TRAINING

SEARAC is pleased to announce its Ninth Annual Southeast Asian American National Leadership-Advocacy Training to be held in Washington, DC on July 23 to 26, 2006.  The training provides a forum where Southeast Asian American community leaders from across the nation have the opportunity to discuss, interact, and network with their peers.  Leaders will participate in four days of advocacy education, leadership strategizing, collaborative networking, and communication with lawmakers.

Past participants have found the training to be rewarding and a life changing experience.  Chivy Sok, former Deputy Director of University of Iowa Center for Human Rights said, "The training I participated in provided one of the most valuable opportunities for young leaders to come together to not only learn about advocacy skills and strategies, but to apply it in the nation's capital.  To be an effective leader within our communities, we have to know how to access those in power.  SEARAC's training is extremely valuable for facilitating such knowledge and coalition building.  It was also a treasured opportunity to meet others working on similar issues across the nation."

The application process is open to all members of and individuals currently involved with the Southeast Asian community.  Participants residing outside of the DC Metropolitan area will receive financial support, which covers travel and lodging.  Due to the overwhelming interest of Southeast Asian community leaders and professionals from previous trainings, this year SEARAC will accept a limited number of applicants who are able to pay for their own travel and lodging accommodations in addition to paying the registration fee.

The deadline date for receipt of applications is March 6, 2006.  For a hard copy of the application and more information about SEARAC’s Ninth Annual Southeast Asian American National Leadership-Advocacy Training for 2006, please go to http://www.searac.org or contact:

Ms. Bach Pham
Leadership and Advocacy Initiative Project Manager
Email: bach@searac.org
Phone: (202) 667-4690
Fax: (202) 667-6449

(http://www.searac.org)

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 FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

NATIONAL TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS

WHAT: This funding opportunity is for organizations with a national scope to provide training and technical assistance to potential and existing health centers and social services organizations to strengthen the consolidated health center program.

WHO: Eligible applicants are public, non-profit, and for-profit entities that can provide training and technical assistance on a national basis to community-based organizations, including faith-based and community-based organizations. Interested applicants must currently work with health centers or other community-based providers with missions and governance structures similar to that of health centers. Additional eligibility requirements will be included in the application materials.

WHEN: Applications are due by March 31, 2006.

AWARD AMOUNT: Up to 12 awards totaling approximately $5,100,000.

CONTACT: Cicely Nelson at (301) 594-4496 or cnelson@hrsa.gov.

 FULL ANNOUNCEMENT:
(http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=7788)

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COMMUNITY-BASED ABSTINENCE EDUCATION

WHAT: The purpose of this program is to provide support to public and private entities for the development and implementation of programs to educate young people and create an environment within communities that supports teen decisions to postpone sexual activity until marriage.

WHO: Faith-based and community organizations are eligible to apply.

WHEN: Letters of intent are due February 10, 2006; applications are due March 27, 2006.

AWARD AMOUNT: 44 to 55 awards totaling $24,000,000.

CONTACT: Jeffrey Trimbath at 1-866-796-1591 or fysb@dixongroup.com.

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT:

(http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/HHS-2006-ACF-ACYF-AE-0099.html#part_7_1)

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JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS (JOLI)

WHAT: The purpose of the JOLI program is to provide technical and financial assistance to private employers in the community to assist them in creating employment and business opportunities for low-income individuals. Projects focus on one of three program strategies:  (1) new business ventures, (2) business expansion, and (3) self-employment/micro-enterprise.

WHO: Faith-based and community organizations are eligible to apply. 

WHEN: Applications are due by March 21, 2006.

AWARD AMOUNT: 10 to 12 awards totaling $5,000,000.

CONTACT: Thom Campbell at 800-281-9519 or ocsgrants@acf.hhs.gov.

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT:
(http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/HHS-2006-ACF-OCS-EO-0054.html#part_7_1)

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BANK OF AMERICA FOUNDATION SUPPORTS COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

The Bank of America Foundation focuses resources on helping children and families succeed in life and helping neighborhoods flourish in the communities where the bank does business. In general, the Foundation’s funding priorities include education, financial literacy, youth development, and community revitalization. However, the Foundation's funding focus is defined market by market to ensure key community priorities specific to each market are addressed.

(http://www.bankofamerica.com/foundation)

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THE ANNENBERG FOUNDATION PROMOTES SHARING KNOWLEDGE GRANTS

The Annenberg Foundation exists to advance the public well-being through improved communication. As the principal means of achieving its goal, the Foundation encourages the development of more effective ways to share ideas and knowledge. The Foundation provides support for projects within its grantmaking interest areas of: education and youth, arts and culture, civic and community, and health. Interested applicants are advised to review the sample grants listed on the Foundation's website to gain familiarity with the types of programs that have received funding. The Foundation accepts letters of inquiry throughout the year.

(http://www.annenbergfoundation.org)

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BARNES AND NOBLE SUPPORTS LOCAL ARTS AND LITERACY PROGRAMS

Barnes & Noble, a bookstore chain that has stores nationwide, supports nonprofit organizations that focus on literacy, the arts, and education (K-12) in the communities where company stores are located. Funded organizations must be willing to work with the local stores on in-store programming. Limited support is also provided for national nonprofit organizations that focus on literacy, the arts or K-12 education. Requests are accepted throughout the year. Local and regional organizations should submit proposals to the community relations manager or store manager at the local Barnes & Noble store.

(http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/our_company/sponsorship/Sponsorship_main.html)

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KATRINA’S KIDS COMMUNITY SERVICE GRANTS

Deadline: March 3, 2006

America's Promise (http://www.americaspromise.org) and Youth Service America (http://www.ysa.org) have announced the Katrina's Kids Community Service Grants for hurricane relief.

The program will offer seventeen grants of $1,000 to young people who wish to implement hurricane-relief projects.

The Katrina's Kids Community Service Grant is open to all U.S. citizens between the ages of 5 and 25.

Applicants will be expected to develop and implement a sustainable relief project that supports hurricane-relief  efforts in the Gulf Coast region. The program welcomes projects in which children and youth work in partnership with adults (parents, coaches, teachers, youth leaders, etc.); however, projects should be youth-led and created,  and must take place on National and Global Youth Service Day (April 21-23, 2006) ( http://www.ysa.org/nysd/ ).

(http://www.ysa.org/awards/)

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FUND SEEKS TALENTED MINORITY PRODUCERS

The Independent Television Service Diversity Development Fund seeks talented minority producers to develop projects for public television. The Fund provides support to minority artists to tell their stories and reach audiences often overlooked by conventional programming. Projects must be in the research or development phase, and cannot have begun production. The application deadline is March 31, 2006.

(http://www.itvs.org/producers/funding.html)

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ASIA SOCIETY SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR OSBORN ELLIOTT PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN ASIAN JOURNALISM

Deadline: March 1, 2006

The Asia Society (http://www.asiasociety.org), the leading global organization working to strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States, has announced that it is now seeking nominations for the fourth annual Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Asian Journalism.

The Osborn Elliott Prize honors legendary journalist and author Osborn Elliott, former editor-in-chief of Newsweek, who set new standards for reporting and editing and became one of the earliest practitioners of "civic journalism" -- the deliberate focusing of the journalistic enterprise on urgent issues of public policy.

The $10,000 prize is awarded annually to a writer who has produced the best example of journalism about Asia in print or online during the calendar year. Criteria for the prize include consideration for the impact of the  work, its originality, creativity, depth of research, and educational value in informing the public about Asia. The next winner of the "Oz Prize," for work produced in English during the 2005 calendar year, will be announced at a special program at the Asia Society in New York City this spring.

An independent jury of distinguished writers, award-winning journalists, and Asia-hands will review nominations for the prize from both media organizations and journalists. All nominations or direct applications are limited to one per organization or journalist.

For the purposes of this award, "Asia" is termed as defined by the Asia Society, comprising countries from Iran eastward to and including Australia and New Zealand.  It does not include the Arab Middle East.

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

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ENTRIES INVITED FOR CASEY MEDALS FOR MERITORIOUS JOURNALISM

Deadline: March 1, 2006

The Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism are designed to inspire and recognize exemplary reporting on children and families. The Casey Journalism Center on Children and Families (http://www.casey.umd.edu), which presents the awards, is devoted to deepening the media coverage of social issues that affect children and families, particularly the disadvantaged. The awards are funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (http://www.aecf.org).

Winning stories will be well-crafted, illuminate complex issues, and contribute to public awareness. Judging is conducted by a panel of prominent journalists and journalism educators.

First-place winners in fourteen categories will receive $1,000 and will be honored at a luncheon in Washington, D.C.; runners-up and honorable mentions will be recognized with certificates of merit.

All work must be published or aired in the United States between January 1, and December 31, 2005. Work must  focus on children and families in the United States. A contestant or team of contestants may submit only one entry per category per contest period. Entries in languages other than English require complete translations. If a team wins a first-place award, authors share the $1,000 equally.

(http://www.casey.umd.edu/awards/)

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OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES KATRINA MEDIA FELLOWSHIPS

Deadline: March 31, 2006

The Open Society Institute (http://www.soros.org) has announced a fellowship competition in response to critical issues exposed by Hurricane Katrina. By supporting in-depth journalism and media projects, OSI aims to stimulate and sustain a national conversation on these issues.

The Katrina Media Fellowships will support dynamic print and radio journalists, photographers, and documentary filmmakers in the creation, and improvement, of media coverage of issues exposed by Katrina. Applicants should propose projects that will expand and deepen the public's understanding of race and class inequalities in the United States. Applicants may also propose projects that will address the government's response to problems caused or illuminated by Katrina, the use or misuse of public funds, the role of private contractors, the effectiveness of clean-up and rebuilding efforts, citizen involvement in these efforts, and lessons learned that should inform the handling of future natural and man-made disasters.  In addition, applicants may propose projects that draw attention to OSI's current or past programmatic priorities, using Katrina as the frame. These priorities include access to legal services and government assistance, criminal justice reform, improving end of life care, and access to healthcare and education reform.

OSI expects to award twelve to fifteen one-year fellowships. Fellows will receive between $15,000 and $35,000 to carry out projects in print, radio, photography, and documentary film and video production. Award amounts will cover a stipend and project expenses and will vary depending on the project duration, medium, and costs involved. The fellowship term begins June 15, 2006.

Applicants must be mid-career or veteran print or radio journalists, photographers, or documentary filmmakers with proven track records as serious media-makers. OSI will give special consideration to applicants who have been displaced from or are residents of the Gulf Coast region. The Katrina Media Fellowships are a one-time competition and will not be offered in subsequent years.

(http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/focus_areas/katrina)

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SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION INVITES ENTRIES FOR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARDS

Deadline: March 1, 2006

The San Francisco Foundation (http://www.sff.org) Community Leadership Awards recognize individuals and organizations whose leadership has made a significant impact in their particular Bay Area communities. This work may confront social or health problems, address environmental concerns, or promote arts and humanities.

One of the four awards is designated for an under-recognized, mature artist who has made a significant and ongoing contribution in the Bay Area. Artists from the performing, literary, media, and visual arts, including craft, folk, and traditional forms, will be considered.

Individuals receive $10,000 awards, while  organizations are awarded $20,000. Individuals and nonprofit organizations in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties are eligible to apply.

Individuals from all sectors are eligible for these awards. Nominations for emerging and innovative leadership as well as for longstanding accomplishments are encouraged.

(http://www.sff.org/awards/nomination.html)

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WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST ENDOWED FELLOWSHIP FOR MINORITY STUDENTS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Deadline: February 15, 2006 and July 15, 2006

The Nonprofit Sector Research Fund (http://nsrf.org), a grantmaking program of the Aspen Institute (http://www.aspeninstitute.org) in Washington, D.C., is accepting applications for the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fellowship.

The fellowship, which is based on academic excellence and need, is open to both undergraduate and graduate students who are members of minority groups. The Hearst Fellow serves as an intern with the fund. Through the program, the fund seeks to introduce a diverse group of students  to issues relating to philanthropy, volunteerism, and nonprofit organizations. Recipients may arrange with their colleges or universities to receive academic credit for this experience. In his or her internship, the Hearst Fellow undertakes general research and program support for the fund's grantmaking and outreach efforts.

The ideal candidate for this fellowship is a highly motivated continuing graduate or undergraduate student from an underrepresented community. She or he should have an excellent academic record and also have the following: outstanding research skills; a background in the social sciences or humanities; excellent writing and communication skills; demonstrated financial need; and American citizenship.

The student must be able to intern for ten to fifteen weeks at the Washington, D.C., office of the Aspen Institute. A fellowship grant of between $2,500 and $5,000 will be awarded, depending on the recipient's educational level, financial need, and time commitment.

For the Summer 2006 internship, the deadline is February 15, 2006; for the Fall 2006 internship, the deadline is July 15, 2006.

(http://www.nonprofitresearch.org/newsletter1530/newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=16318)

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 JOBS/INTERNSHIPS

NATIONAL COALITION FOR ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT - COMMUNITY RESOURCES PROGRAM MANAGER

Founded in 1999, the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (CAPACD) is the first national organization dedicated to the housing, community and economic development needs of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) populations. Our mission is to be a powerful voice for the unique community development needs of AAPI communities and to strengthen the capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs) to create neighborhoods of hope and opportunity.

We utilize four strategies to accomplish our mission: 1) Creating and increasing access to capacity building tools and resources; 2) Convening AAPI community organizations to plan, strategize and mobilize; 3) Telling our stories through participatory action research and policy; and 4) building collective leadership and creating opportunities for change agents at local and national levels.

Overview:
National CAPACD seeks a Community Resources Program (CRP) Manager to facilitate participation of AAPI-serving CBOs in community development activities.  The CRP Manager's primary responsibility will be to implement and expand our training and technical assistance (TTA) program, focusing on using peer-to-peer exchanges as well as existing community development trainings and resources.  The CRP Manager will also develop additional strategies and programs to address the unmet needs of AAPI CBOs engaged in community development activities.  The CRP Manager will participate in all National CAPACD activities, including regional meetings, the annual convention and board meetings; represent the organization at training events and other speaking engagements; and provide support for resource development and fundraising. The CRP Manager reports to the Executive Director.

Specific responsibilities:
1)      Program Activities
a.       Design programs and implement strategies for community and membership involvement in national AAPI and community development initiatives
b.       Coordinate technical assistance (TA) providers and recipients, manage the TA Provider Network with regular meetings, and where appropriate, directly provide TA
c.       Oversee the creation of on-line resources, including web-based database access and training
d.       Develop a national directory of organizations and individuals with relevant expertise in TA provision, TA systems development, program evaluation and organizational capacity building
e.       Provide support for related National CAPACD program activities, including the annual Convention, regional meetings, leadership development and special events

2)      Relationships Management
a.       Manage relationships and MOUs with all TTA sites/organizations (currently 4 existing, plus 3 to be launched in 2006)
b.       Work with national training organizations to increase opportunities, participation and satisfaction for AAPI-serving CBOs in existing community development and organizational development trainings
c.       Assist the Executive Director in building and maintaining organizational relationships with other national and local intermediaries, community development agencies, federal agencies, foundations, and corporations

3)      Budget and Fundraising
a.       Oversee, develop and update annual/monthly program budget
b.       Manage timely disbursement of program funds to pilot sites
c.       Prepare regular updates and program reports to funders
d.       Developing grant proposals for future expansion of training and technical assistance activities

4)      Evaluation
a.       Coordinate program evaluation process, ensuring that a baseline needs assessment and qualitative documentation of the pilot project is integrated into program activities

5)      Other Responsibilities
a.       Provide regular written program communications to staff, board, members and public through press releases, newsletters, memos and emails
b.       Monitor housing, community and economic development issues and trends impacting member organizations and low-income AAPI communities
c.       Participate in all National CAPACD organizational activities, including board and staff meetings, budget and planning activities and other events.

Qualifications:
Required 
*         Graduate degree or equivalent work experience in urban planning, non-profit management, public policy or related field
*         Five years (minimum) experience in housing, economic and/or community development; a significant part of this experience should include program and budget management and supervision of staff
*         Experience designing and managing technical assistance, organizational development and/or capacity building systems
*         Exceptional written and oral communications
*         Willingness and ability to travel regularly
*         Proficiency with personal computers and electronic communications, including Windows-based word processing and databases
*         Excellent motivation and interpersonal skills, particularly the ability to meet deadlines, work as a team member and interact with diverse individuals and organizations
*         Committed to supporting the housing, community and economic development needs of low-income and immigrant AAPIs and willing to work in a non-profit setting

Preferred
*         Bilingual/biliterate in an Asian or Pacific Islander language
*         Experience in one or more of the following areas:  managing real estate transactions; program development and evaluation; fundraising and grant writing; subcontracting and grants management; website development and database management

Compensation
The CRP Manager is a full-time position.  Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

To Apply:
Applications are due February 14, 2006, but will be accepted until position is filled.  Please email cover letter, resume, salary history and short writing sample (2 page max.) to:  lisa@nationalcapacd.org.

National CAPACD is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Women and people of color strongly encouraged to apply.

(http://nationalcapacd.org)

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GRANTS MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST – U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: FWS9-MBSP-2006-0012

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
This position is located in the Branch of Grants Operations and Policy, Division of Federal Assistance, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). The Office is responsible for implementing the following grant programs and subprograms: (1) Wildlife Restoration, (2) Sport Fish Restoration, (3) Multistate Conservation, (4) Hunter Education - Section 4(c), (5) Hunter Education-Section 10, (6) Aquatic Education, (7) Clean Vessel Act, (8) National Coastal Wetlands Conservation, (9) Boating Infrastructure, (10) Landowner Incentive, and (11) State Wildlife Grants. The incumbent of the position assists in writing rulemaking documents, Service policy and procedures; coordinates stakeholder input from States and Regional Offices; and, coordinates the approval process for the 11 national grant programs or subprograms. The incumbent may coordinate the annual awarding of grants in one or more programs. The incumbent participates in scheduled conference calls with Regional staff to address issues of concern. The incumbent serve as a contact for Federal Assistance staff in the seven geographic Regional Offices providing advice on regulatory and policy issues governing the grant programs administered by the Service's Wildlife and Fish Restoration Program. The incumbent represents the Service at national, regional and local meetings, as well as meetings with members of the Service Directorate, Departmental officials, and others.

(http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov)

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 TIPS/RESOURCES

ETHNIC MARKETING: SUCCESSFULLY TARGETING THE HISPANIC MARKET

The majority of Hispanic direct response donators fall between the ages of 25 and 44 with males making the donation 67 percent of the time while females comprise 37 percent of giving, according to The Direct Marketing Association's 2005 Hispanic Market Report.

The report showed that income levels indicated that 46 percent of those who donate earn $25,000 or less per year, while 29 percent earn between $25,000 and $50,000.

The growing Hispanic segment was the subject of a fundraising and marketing session at the Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation's 2005 New York Nonprofit Conference. Jose Raul Perez, People en Espanol (Time, Inc.), detailed a number of strategies for appealing to the Hispanic market.

The Four F's -- Commonalties

* Faith. The majority of Hispanics are Christian Catholics

* Family. A personal and cultural connection exists with extended family - engage tio, abuela and primas.

* Fun. Present product in a visual and vibrant way while avoiding stereotypes.

* Future. Emphasize common aspirations: Owning a home, saving for college, helping others, service to the community, etc.

The Four P's -- Practical Insights

* Price. It is more elastic than generally thought. Price and payment options matter, but product quality, image and brand awareness matters more.

* Product. Fulfill a need (or many). Provide bilingual customer service.

* Promotion. Use clear, concise and easy-to-understand copy. Stress savings, benefits, service and payment options. Incorporate compelling visuals.

* Positioning. Appeal to sensibilities and cultural markers.

Language absolutely matters. Literal translations, grammatical errors and disregard for cultural differences can break an effort.

Carefully vet copy; words and meanings vary from country to country.

Proper grammar involves accents, tildes, ??s and other symbols. Feliz Ano Nuevo won’t work

(http://www.nptimes.com/enews/tips/marketing.html)

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ENDOWMENTS: 9-POINT CHECKLIST FOR GETTING STARTED

An organization's maturity is a key element in whether or not to start an endowment. For an endowment campaign to succeed, an organization should meet a number of criteria, advised G. Douglass Alexander and Kristina J. Carlson in their book, Essential Principles for Fundraising Success.

1. Do you have a committed board that gives and solicits funds on a regular basis and is prepared to give significant and sacrificial gifts to an endowment campaign?

2. Do you have a record of success in major fundraising campaigns? Have you demonstrated proper stewardship through the completion of projects that were proposed during the campaign?

3. Do you possess eight to 10 current donors who are capable and willing to give between 80 and 90 percent of the endowment campaign goal?

4. Do you have a long history of financial stability and conservative fiscal management?

5. Can you justify an endowment and show how its generated income will enable you to better serve your constituents? (For every $1 million in an endowment, you will typically receive $50,000 in annual income.)

6. Have you crafted a long-range plan and solved all other significant and foreseeable capital and programmatic priorities within that plan?

7. Do you have a history that shows that your organization will still be around (and mission still relevant) for the next 100 years?

8. Does the entire organization, including board and staff, understand that an endowment does not replace annual fundraising but rather supplements those funds?

9. Have you created policies, bylaws and controls to protect your endowment principal from invasion?

(http://www.nptimes.com/enews/tips/endowments.html)

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FINANCE: BUDGET QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO BE ASKING

Any organization’s annual operating budget should include estimates of revenue and expenses for an upcoming year, and it is of course an essential part of nonprofit operations.

In their essay Understanding Financial Statements in the book The Art of Governance, Patricia Egan and Nancy Sasser offered a list of questions that trustees might ask as part of their review of the budget than an organizations staff presents to them.

The questions include but are not limited to:

* Is the operating budget balanced? If not, why not?

* Does it provide a small contingency to handle unforeseen events?

* Does the budget include only current-year revenue that is unrestricted and available to be spent on operations?

* What are the riskiest parts of the budget?

* Is there a fallback position to prevent the organization from these risks?

* How do the major budget categories compare to this years budget and year-end projections?

* What new initiatives are included in the budget?

* Are any existing programs terminated?

* If the budget includes significant increases in earned or contributed revenue, does the staff have a realistic plan for activities to generate the growth, and is the development or marketing budget increased to reflect the new activities?

* Does the budget include depreciation as an operating expense?

(http://www.nptimes.com/enews/tips/finance.html)

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SURVEY ON VIETNAMESE HEALTH TRENDS

I am a graduate student at Georgetown University and my team is conducting a research analysis of Vietnamese health trends, specifically consumption of juice beverages. My online survey is only 7 questions.

(http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=871431737617)

******************
 NEWS

January 26, 2006

PG&E REACHES OUT TO APAs

By Carla Williams-Namboodiri

Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced it has enrolled more than one million customers — in its CARE program, including thousands of APA households. Qualified enrollees get a 20 percent discount off their monthly bills. “Reaching one million customers is a tremendous achievement, but we’re not content with stopping here — we’re committed to enrolling every eligible PG&E customer,” said Ophelia Basgal, vice president of Civic Partnerships and Community Initiatives.

“My wife and I are an elderly couple living on a fixed income. The CARE program gives us a monthly discount so we can spend that extra money on other things,” said Ai Nguyen, a CARE customer since 2002.

The drive to enroll more customers in CARE was backed up by new California legislation, in Senate Bill 850, which provides automatic enrollment in CARE for anyone receiving help from a state public assistance program. “CARE helps people who really need assistance in paying their bills and it gives them a discount,” said Chai Vang, who handles enrollment at the Sacramento Lao Family Center.

— Catherine Chen and Angela Pang contributed to this report

 (http://news.asianweek.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=54f3fd292f3304c4c1fbec69a9d16ee1&this_category_id=170)

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January 30, 2006

WILSON BOULEVARD: THE NEW SAIGON

Written By Gary Nurenberg, WUSA 9 News

What's in a name?

Wilson Boulevard by any other name would smell as sweet and would still be congested.

Well, part of Wilson Boulevard in Falls Church has been ceremonially renamed Saigon Boulevard.

The road is dotted with Vietnamese-owned businesses, more than a hundred of them in the Eden Shopping Center area alone.

Many Vietnamese Americans have never accepted the renaming of south Vietnam’s capital Saigon to Ho Chi Min City after the north won the war and want to keep the name Saigon alive.

City and county governments signed off on ceremonially renaming a long block of Wilson Boulevard outside Eden center Saigon Boulevard.

The name change is ceremonial only. Addresses will still be Wilson Boulevard. The big dedication for Saigon Boulevard drew hundreds to a ceremony over the weekend; a ceremony designed to coincide with the Chinese New Year, the year of the dog.

(http://wusa9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=46372)

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White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 31, 2006

CONTACT:
Jimmy Lee or Erik Wang
202-482-2204

PRESIDENT’S ADVISORY COMMISSION ECHOES MESSAGE BY PRESIDENT BUSH IN HIS STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

Washington DC:  The President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders today expressed that the message as delivered by President George W. Bush in his Annual State of the Union Address to the country  once again confirmed that the President shares the values and priorities of Asian American and Pacific slanders.   He firmly believes we can and must have quality education for our children to remain competitive.

Quality health care can be affordable and accessible.  The country must be secure and small businesses are the engine of economic growth.

President Bush established the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to ensure that the federal government provides equal opportunities for Asian American and Pacific Islander businesses to fully participate in our free market economy, thus improving the quality of life and opportunities for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.  He understands and supports the potential of Asian American and Pacific Islanders - along with  all Americans -- to make significant positive impacts on this country and its economy.  The proposals outlined in the State of Union address reinforce the President's commitment to providing all Americans the tools and environment necessary to prosper.

"We stand by the President at this important juncture in our American history.  The President laid out his message and agenda for leadership that calls for cooperation and courage in confronting the challenges that are before us today. His message and ideals of maintaining a strong economy, making our businesses competitive with the world around us, ensuring affordable and accessible health care, and his strong commitment to training 70,000 high school teachers to lead advanced placement courses in math and science and bringing in 30,000 math and science professionals to teach in classrooms is similar to the strong ideals that we share as a community" stated Rudy Pamintuan, Chairman, President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

As a Commission, we support his work and leadership for our nation and for the people of our community.  We support and also believe that:

** The President's American Competitiveness Initiative Will Strengthen The Economy and help AAPI economic empowerment.  The President has set forth a path that seizes upon opportunities to raise standards of living, make Americans and America more competitive and generate new jobs.

The President's pro-active plan focuses on Americans and American businesses shaping the future of the economy, not our competitors.  This will be done through new funding in research, providing for new developments, and strengthening our math and science sectors by ensuring there are more quality teachers to help students struggling with math so that they have a better chance at good, high-wage jobs. Quality education has always been a cornerstone for AAPI communities and science and math has historically been areas where AAPIs have focused and excelled.

The President also stressed the need to make tax cuts permanent.  Five percent of all small businesses in America are AAPI owned.  Making the tax cuts permanent will have a significant impact on the ability of AAPI businesses to survive, grow, and successfully contribute to the American economy.

**  Security is a priority for the safety of all Americans and the potential of America and its economy.  America is still the beacon of hope and freedom for people around the world. We believe that the President's resolve to fight for this country's freedom at home and abroad not only secures the future prosperity and potential of this country, it is a great tribute to all the immigrants and refugees that have struggled to come to this country to escape oppression  to seek the American dream.

Immigration reform is an important part of making this country more secure and the President laid out a plan that will uphold our laws, reflect our values, and serve the interests of our country.

** Health Care Must Be Made Affordable And Accessible.  Our government has a responsibility to help provide health care for the poor and the elderly, and it will meet that responsibility.  The Commission is committed to addressing AAPI health care issues.  The President's proposals to confront the rising cost of care, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship, and help people afford the insurance coverage they need are positive steps toward improving the affordability and quality of health care delivery to AAPIs .

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Erik F. Wang
Deputy Director
White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
1401 Constitution Avenue, NW
Room 5092
Washington, DC 20230

(http://www.aapi.gov)

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February 1, 2006

THE ‘INVISIBLE’ MARKET

Julia Huang believes that Asian Americans are an "invisible" market to U.S. packaged goods companies. As proof of her assertion, she recalled the researcher who once showed her videotape from a San Jose, Calif., supermarket in which two Chinese shoppers were seen opening packages of detergent, soap and salad dressing, touching and smelling the items before placing them back on shelves.

"That was their way of forming a connection with the product," observed Huang, a Taiwanese immigrant and founder of the multicultural marketing firm InterTrend Communications, Long Beach, Calif. "No CPG or food company has gone out of its way to form relationships with us. That's what branding is about, establishing connections with consumers."

Trying to foster more of those relationships, Huang established the agency's Knowledge Center research arm in 2004. This year, the Center will begin an intensive study to obtain qualitative and quantitative data on the Asian market, which it hopes to tailor to the packaged goods industry.

"We will be going into people's homes to see what brands they have in their refrigerators and how they use those brands, as well as [into] supermarkets and other venues," said Tanya Raukko, director of strategic planning at InterTrend. "This is the kind of research that is needed to demystify for marketers how Asians connect with brands."

In this day and age, it may seem odd that marketers would need help "demystifying" a well-represented ethnic group with familiar names in government (Norman Mineta), sports (Yao Ming, Michelle Kwan) and entertainment (Lucy Liu). However, the Asian demo remains largely untapped by a number of U.S. companies that stand to benefit from a greater understanding of the market.

"There is still a dearth of secondary research on the product and brand usage behavior of Asian Americans in many categories," said Saul Gitlin, evp of strategic marketing services at Kang & Lee, New York, a consultancy that specializes in the Asian market whose clients include the NBA, Western Union and The New York Times. "Many marketers therefore may be waiting for the advent of more research to validate their emerging interest in [the demo]."

InterTrend was part of the first wave of marketing firms in the '80s that began to target Asian consumers in the telecommunications, auto, retail and finance industries. It now counts Northwest Airlines, J.C. Penney, State Farm Insurance, Western Union, Toyota and Verizon among its clients. These companies were some of the first to target Asian immigrants with in-language advertising, sales promotions and outreach during holidays like the Vietnam Tet Festival and Chinese New Year.

Today, however, Asian Americans receive a tiny fraction of the resources earmarked for multicultural marketing in the U.S. The lion's share of spending is geared toward Hispanics and African Americans, with 2004 totals for the former ($3.9 billion) and latter ($1.7 billion) dwarfing the $100 million dedicated to Asian Americans, according to the Asian American Advertising Federation in Los Angeles.

In neglecting to speak directly to this audience, marketers risk ignoring a demo that boasts higher education and considerable spending power.

At 4% of the U.S. population, or 11.6 million, Asian Americans are one-third the size of the Hispanic population, which is growing at a faster rate. Still, their combined buying clout of $397 billion is well over half that of Hispanics ($686.3 billion) and is projected to quintuple to $579 billion by 2010, per The Multicultural Economy, a 2005 study by the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia. The near-400% gain from 1990 through 2010 is substantially greater than the increases projected for Caucasians (164%) and African Americans (222%), and nearly equal to the 413% leap predicted for Hispanics.

"By and large, CPG companies are missing the boat on this one," said Michelle Barry, vp of consumer insights at the Hartman Group, a Bellevue, Wash., consultancy with clients in the pharmaceutical and packaged goods industries. "The vast majority of [ethnic] research and consulting work we do is constrained to the African American and Hispanic groups. We are very rarely asked to consult on or provide insights into the Asian American segment."

Why not? Marketers may offer a list of reasons that include a reluctance to devote resources to a comparatively small segment, the lack of such efforts by competitors and the complex task of reaching a diverse audience with many frames of reference.

"Unlike Hispanics, who share a single language, marketers may find it difficult to communicate with them with one message," said Nick Hahn, managing director at branding consultancy Vivaldi Partners, New York. "What works for the Japanese is not so relevant to the Chinese and vice-versa." For example, while red connotes positivity in China, the color signifies bad luck for Koreans. And as opposed to Western culture, where black symbolizes grieving, Asians wear white, which represents sadness, to funerals.

U.S. companies are often daunted by the convoluted nature of the Asian market, which comprises 20 countries in six main sub-groups: Chinese, Filipino, Asian Indian, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese (in order of population size). Still, Asians share core values like safety, education and reverence for family elders—values to which many marketers could appeal.

"We would never recommend that a marketer attempt to address each of the Asian sub-segments," said Bill Imada, president of the AAAF and chairman/CEO of IW Group, a West Hollywood, Calif., marketing firm with clients including Merrill Lynch, Blue Cross of California, McDonald's and Wal-Mart. However, with two-thirds of the Asian population concentrated in 10 urban markets (the top three are Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco), that could make the group easier to target along geographic lines.

More marketers are beginning to tap multicultural agencies like Cultural Access (Chicago) and Ameredia (San Francisco) as well as advertising firms such as Admerasia (New York) and Kang & Lee that specialize in the Asian market. According to Imada, the number of such agencies rose from three in 1989 to more than 50 today. More than two-thirds of the Asian-American population prefers to speak their native language, he said, noting the current 625 Asian-language media outlets in the U.S.

"There are many ways to segment this market," said Sharmila Fowler, managing director of Cultural Access Group, whose clients include Universal Studios and Honda. "It all boils down to the marketers' key business objectives."

Food, Glorious Food

Food purveyors are among those most conspicuous packaged goods companies to lag behind in marketing to Asian Americans. While Asians took 10 fewer grocery shopping trips in 2004 and bought approximately one less item per visit compared to the general market, they spent a healthy $30 per trip, according to ACNielsen Homescan Panel.

The void is beginning to fill. Last fall, Kraft launched its first dedicated Asian marketing effort, an integrated campaign featuring in-language ads, in-store product demos/tastings and a Web site with recipes and tips for healthy living.

"Reaching multicultural consumers and speaking to them in culturally relevant ways will continue to be an important part of our overall growth strategy," said Kathy Nyquist, associate director for multicultural marketing at Kraft. "We see Asians as one of the fastest-growing segments. As they begin to adopt to a new culture, our goal is to provide them with the meal solutions, recipe ideas and nutritional information they need to make their lives easier."

Kraft began testing for some of its major brands in 2003 via a partnership with 99 Ranch, the largest Asian grocery chain in the U.S. Based in Buena Park, Calif., 99 Ranch offered customers samples of brands including Jell-O, Capri Sun, Ritz, Maxwell House and Kraft Pourable Dressings. "We wanted to know what they knew about Kraft, how familiar they were with our brands and how they were using them," Nyquist said.

Surprisingly enough, the shoppers did not want more Asian-style products from Kraft. "They were interested in learning how to prepare Western-style meals with our products," said Nyquist, adding that consumers wanted answers to questions, such as which brands were appropriate for kids' lunches, in their native language. Per Nyquist, there was high brand recognition for many brands, including Maxwell House and Jell-O, yet there was little awareness that these were marketed by Kraft.

From its experience marketing to Hispanics, Kraft knew it needed to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. While most Hispanics speak Spanish, regional nuances can create very different meanings—and potential pitfalls for marketers. A word that Argentines use for "insect," for example, is one that is used to describe the male reproductive organ in the Caribbean.

To ensure credibility with its Asian audience, Kraft tapped Admerasia, which launched print ads during the test phase in Chinese newspapers New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston. Given that there are hundreds of dialects in the Chinese language, it was no simple task.

"We went with Mandarin and Cantonese, which are two of the more commonly-spoken dialects spoken by immigrants," said Vincent Tam, director of client services at Admerasia, whose clients also include Mercedes-Benz, Delta, McDonald's and American Express. "We targeted immigrant moms who are seeking to strike a balance at home between Western and Eastern cultures. They are considered the cultural gatekeepers."

One print ad on a bright red background shows an array of Kraft products arranged on a platter. The headline, "Life has a hundred flavors," is based on a Chinese proverb, while the tagline translates to: "A fulfilling family of brands . . . from Kraft." The background color is an auspicious one not only in Chinese culture, but also for Kraft with its red, white and blue logo.

To further connect with shoppers, Kraft deployed Chinese-speaking representatives to supermarket chains including Ralph's and Albertsons. The reps conducted cooking demos of Western recipes using Kraft products, handed out product samples and offered suggestions for convenient kid-friendly school lunches. Kraft also launched a Web site (Krafthealthyliving.com) to promote tips for healthy eating, such as "sip your tea" for better health benefits. Recipes include Nutty Pineapple Tofu Fried Rice, which calls for Planters Peanut Oil and Planters Sliced Almonds, and Quick Veggie & Beef Noodle Bowl, made with Kraft Light Done Right reduced-fat dressing.

Kraft's foray into the Asian market may set the stage for a bigger push among food and beverage marketers. Asians are staunch consumers of staples such as peanut butter, rice, cooking oils, mayonnaise, flour and noodles, suggesting an opportunity for the likes of Skippy, Uncle Ben's, Crisco, Hellman's, Pillsbury and Barilla.

"Those who put in their dollars now in this market will realize the early benefits [and will establish] brand loyalty," said Pawan Mehra, partner at Ameridia. (Its clients include Citibank, Comcast and Dish Network.) "Often this does not involve big ad bucks. The proportional share of ad dollars in Asian [communities] is still less compared to other groups."

Beverage makers might also achieve greater returns among Asians, who index high for 7UP and Mountain Dew and "very" high for Coke, per Kang & Lee's Gitlin. Thus far, cola giants have engaged in only cursory marketing to the segment. Coca-Cola, for instance, is a longtime sponsor of the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco, while Pepsi dabbles in other holiday event promotions.

Fast food companies have more of a foothold in the market. Last year, for example, McDonald's highlighted its Chicken Selects strips—which proved quite popular among Asians—in print ads in Chinese, Vietnamese and other English-dominant Asians.

Roads Already Traveled: Lessons from Retail, Auto And Telecom

Once they finally set their sights on the Asian demo, packaged goods marketers may take a page from those in the retail, telecommunications and auto industries. "Marketers like Washington Mutual, Toyota and AT&T were pioneers in recognizing the bottom-line potential of the Asian market," said Imada. "But food and other consumer packaged goods companies have barely made a dent."

J.C. Penney is a noteworthy case study. When the all-American retailer wanted to build its brand in the Asian market in 1996, it turned to Huang to create a compelling shopping destination for Chinese and Vietnamese females ages 25-49 in northern California, which boasts the highest Chinese population in the U.S.

J.C. Penney initially relied on price promotions and in-store displays to present itself as offering quality and value to Asian shoppers. To maximize its $500,000 budget, InterTrend focused on Chinese women, the largest Asian segment, and Vietnamese women, who responded positively to J.C. Penney merchandise in research studies.

"Women are usually the decision makers [and shoppers] in the Asian family. They are very price conscious," said Huang. "Sales, promotions and sweepstakes are the main forces that drive them to a store and make purchases."

In 2003, the efforts expanded with a national advertising campaign. J.C. Penney began marketing to Asians not only during the back-to-school or Thanksgiving selling seasons but also during cultural holidays and at family-oriented events. As the brand's marketing budget grew to $3 million, Huang laughed, "We now can afford to use real live Asian models!"

During a one-month Lunar New Year sales event (Dec. 2003-Jan. 2004), a J.C. Penney tagline ran across a wide mix of communications including tie-ins with fashion shows and credit card applications. The results: Sales grew 1.9% at J.C. Penney stores with high Asian penetration (versus overall sales growth of 0.5%) during the promotion period. Today, the retailer features the program as a signature annual event.

Toyota, with its Asian pedigree, is another successful InterTrend case study. In 2003, research identified four Toyota brands—Sienna, Camry, Corolla and Highlander—whose quality and reliability resonated with the target. "They were looking to optimize both traditional and non-traditional media reach and at the same time grow their online platform to target tech savvy Asians," explained Huang.

The campaign targeted Chinese, Vietnamese and Koreans with a spate of programs that included the auto industry's first language-specific Web site. Corolla TV and print ads stressed freedom and independence to 20-ish immigrant females who needed their car to be a "reliable partner" in their new homeland. Tag: "Corolla gives you a sense of freedom." Other Toyota brands told young professional males to "Advance in life with your Camry," while families with kids who value safety and versatility were assured that Sienna is the safest way to drive. Per InterTrend, sales of Camry and Sienna were up 10% among the Asian targets in 2004.

Spam and Other Specialities of the House

In supermarket aisles, one opportunity comes from the fact that 72-90% of Asians are lactose intolerant. (During its focus groups, Kraft learned that Asian moms were feeding cheese to their kids as a substitute for milk.) Does McNeil Nutritionals, the maker of Lactaid, thus have a cash cow on its hands? "If ever there was a product that should go after the Asian market, it's Lactaid," said Gitlin. "Asians are the biggest sufferers of this condition, but the company does zero advertising in this community."

In fact, McNeil, a Johnson & Johnson company, has been marketing Lactaid to just about everyone but Asians. "We focus our efforts on Hispanics and African Americans," said a McNeil rep. "There are nascent efforts with regard to targeting Asian Americans. We have some robust plans for next year."

Hormel's Spam hasn't allocated a single dedicated Asian marketing dollar, yet has tremendous appeal in the community since it was offered as a fresh meat substitute to soldiers during World War II. Today, Asians practically deify the brand. In South Korea, wedding couples are said to have a long and prosperous life if they receive a wedding pack of Spam. In Hawaii, Spam is sold at McDonald's restaurants, and travel agents send tours packed with Hawaiian residents on annual pilgrimages to the Spam Museum in Austin, Minn.

So why not actively reach out to this loyal market? "We simply don't have to. It's a part of their culture," said Shaun Radford, archive manager at the Spam museum.

Beyond food, there are categories such as household goods in which marketers could benefit from a more targeted approach to the Asian market. Consultants were quick to suggest how Procter & Gamble, for instance, could make inroads with a brand like Tide.

"If you're an immigrant who doesn't speak English or doesn't own a washing machine, you must show them how Tide meshes into their lives," advised Imada. "Allow consumers to see, touch, smell and use the product with in-store demos or at community events. They love to test products. Offer them coupons . . . Don't describe to them how to use it in an instruction book or print ad."

Cosmetics marketers, meanwhile, have expanded multicultural efforts in recent years, but continue to gear most of their products toward Caucasian women. P&G, for example, has a loyal Asian following behind its SK-II high-end cosmetics line, which originated in Asia, though is formulated for the general market. Still, the company advertises SK-II with print ads in Chinese and Korean newspapers in major metro areas.

If marketers are looking for a clear sign that the race is on for the Asian dollar, it came last spring when Wal-Mart launched its first Asian-targeted effort in the U.S. A multipronged campaign for Wal-Mart via Imada's IW Group ran through January in languages and dialects including Mandarin, Cantonese and Vietnamese. TV ads featuring Asian shoppers extolled the merits of shopping at Wal-Mart, and print touted holiday electronics sales.

"Here's a company that is leveraging its global clout [with 1,600 stores outside the U.S.; 16 in South Korea and 44 in China] to tell us about their brand," said Imada. "They weren't daunted by the segmentation litany."

Now, other retailers and manufacturers may be forced to respond. "Some marketers are waiting to see who jumps in first," said Gary Stibel, principal/founder of New England Consulting Group, Westport, Conn. "Once a major player like Wal-Mart moves in, others are sure to follow."

For those who still cast a wary eye on the demo, Gitlin has some advice.

"Start small with a single Asian group in a limited geography, test and learn," he recommended. "And grow the programs as you go."

(http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/spotlight/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001955982)

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 1, 2006

CONTACT:
Jimmy Lee or Erik Wang
202-482-2204

WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE FOR ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS ANNOUNCES FIRST TECHNICAL WORKSHOP FOR THE NEW YEAR

Washington DC:  The White House Initiative for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders today announced that the first technical workshop for the year will be held in the growing Asian American and Pacific Islander community of Fairfax, Virginia on Friday, March 10, 2006.

Along with the White House Initiative Office, the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, local federal agencies and governmental officials will be conducting workshops to bridge the divide between programs and services of federal agencies with community groups and organizations in the State of Virginia.

Free Workshops conducted will include such topics as how to write effective grants, how to access grants and find grants for your community organization, financial literacy for your community, and minority contracting opportunities for your small business.  For a list of up to date partners and federal agencies that will be at the technical conference please go to www.aapi.gov

The technical workshop is an initiative through the White House Initiative for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.  The White House Initiative was created through an Executive Order signed by President George W. Bush on May 13, 2004, President Bush to increase economic opportunities for and improve the quality of life of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through greater participation in federal programs where they may be underserved (e.g. economic and community development).

Technical Conference Information
Location:  Fairfax County Government Center
1200 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22035-0011
8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
COST:  FREE

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(http://www.aapi.gov)

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February 1, 2006

ASIAN AMERICANS LENT COLOR, PAGEANTRY TO KAINE INAUGURATION
Their Presence, Participation Are ‘Medium of Their Message’

By Rita M. Gerona-Adkins
Asian Fortune Senior Writer

COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG, VA --- The Asians and Pacific Islander (API) community in Virginia, the state recognized by history as the Nation’s birthplace, raised visibility for individuals of API origins with their sizable presence and participation at Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s inauguration held Jan. 14, 2006 in this history-laden setting of Colonial Williamsburg.

            They made their presence felt in two significant inaugural activities: 1) an Asian Pacific American Reception hosted for the in-coming governor at the Roosevelt Room of Williamsburg Inn on Jan. 13, eve of his being sworn into office; and 2) the next day, their impressive participation in the inaugural parade that showcased their colorful native costumes and cultural accoutrements depicting various ethnic groups in at least five Asian countries.

            Their impressive number and participation must have crossed his mind when, in his inaugural address, he pledged to pursue “a commonwealth where the promise of Virginia rings true for every son and daughter” and asked for help from “all Virginians regardless of party or race, region and religion.”

            At the reception they gave in his honor, the Governor-Elect hobnobbed with many of them who, regardless of their preferred party affiliation, came from all over the state to personally greet and congratulate him.

            And from the podium and review stand built behind the Colonial Governor’s Palace, he saw and applauded them as they marched in their colorful native costumes, as part of the longest line ever assembled for an inaugural parade of Virginians with origins from dozens of countries from all over the world.

SHOW OF MULTICULTURALISM

            With this dramatic show of multiculturalism, Virginia – marked as the Nation’s birth place when the country’s first English settlers who sailed in 1607 into James River created Jamestown -- has indeed gone a long way from the original Native Indian dwellers and English settlers of the 17th Century to becoming a seat of diversity in the 21st Century, with a population culled not only from Europe and Africa but also from Latin America and Asia

            It was not only the new governor who must have been thrilled by this multicultural spectacle.

            Watching the 150-some Asian Pacific American team in their varied colorful attire waiting for the parade to start, Bob McConnell, dressed as a “typical frontier’s man” with musket, long horn and tomahawk (mean-looking ax), exclaimed, “It is beautiful, just beautiful!!”

            Craig Roybal, dressed in a “typical rifleman’s” garb of colonial times for hunting deer, buffalo and “occasionally an elf,” joined in with words of praise and wonderment that would have been great quotes if they were not lost somewhere in his fascinating down-home “old Virginny”country accent.

PURSUING ‘PROMISE OF VIRGINIA’

Kaine, a 47-year old Democrat who served as Lt. Governor to the exiting governor Mark R. Warner and earlier as Mayor of Richmond, had his inaugural ceremonies moved to Williamsburg as the State Capitol [a landmark built by Thomas Jefferson] in Richmond where inaugural ceremonies have been usually held, is undergoing comprehensive renovation.

            Narrowly beating the Republican standard bearer Jerry Kilgore by 6% in the November 2005 election, Kaine is predicted to follow the moderate model of his Democratic predecessor while maintaining a balance with a Republican-dominated Legislature.

            A practicing Catholic who as a young man had taught young children and did carpentry chores in Honduras, Kaine enjoys the distinction of being the third governor and the first to be inaugurated in modern times in historic Williamsburg, after Thomas Jefferson (1779) and Patrick Henry (1777), the commonwealth’s first governor.  He serves as the 70th governor of Virginia.

            Hatless in a drizzling rain, Kaine delivered an inspirational inaugural address that strummed the chords of nonpartisanship, inclusiveness, participatory decision-making, fiscal discipline and accountability, improving public schools, safe environment, hi-tech research, entrepreneurial business, and better economic opportunities in pursuing the “Promise of Virginia.”

            It was a departure from what political wags refer to as Virginia’s politicized themes of “guns, gays and God,” but interestingly, also drew from underpinnings of both liberal and conservative political philosophies.  

            He pursued the theme of a welcoming, helping hand, while asking for the help of “all Virginians regardless of party or region, race or religion.”

            Without mentioning the impact of immigrants in Virginia, he recalled the “hospitality of Chief Powhatan and the compassion of Pocahontas, without which the first English settlers would have perished.”

            “That same sense of community is required of us today,” he said. “We must include all Virginians in our efforts.  We should continue to welcome newcomers to this commonwealth and nation, just as Chief Powhatan did 400 years ago.”

            Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell Sr. of the Virginia Supreme Court swore him in at 12:17 p.m.  Also sworn in were Republican Bill Bolling as Lt. Governor and Republican Robert F. McDonnell as Attorney General.

His wife, Judge Anne Bolton, their three children, and his father-in-law, former VA Governor Linwood Bolton, joined Kaine.

KAINE’S MESSAGE THRU ASIAN FORTUNE

            As he worked the room at the APA reception, with a glad hand and his characteristic twinkle-eyed smile, Kaine was obviously appreciative of the reception, which was organized by the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of Virginia and co-chaired by Rob Colorina of Hampton Roads and Eric Liang Jensen of No. Virginia.

            Speaking to Asian Fortune readers through this correspondent, Kaine expressed his gratitude for the help of Asian Pacific Americans during the election campaign, which included Rose Chu, a long-time Democratic community leader in Virginia, Joe Montano of Virginia Beach and community activist in the D.C. area who served as assistant coordinator for APAs in the Kaine campaign, among others.

            He said, “We really thank the Asian community for all their great support in the campaign; more importantly, for their contributions to Virginia.  The APA community is in every corner of the State, and I look forward to working very closely with them in the next four years.”

STATE OFFICIALS AT APA RECEPTION

            State officials, some of whom upon hearing about the reception came late to catch up, included U.S. Rep. Robert Scott (D-3rd District), a grandson of a Filipino; State Senator Yvonne B. Miller, Del. Chuck Caputo, Del. David Bulova, and former State Education Secretary and University of Virginia President John Casteen.

            Their welcomed presence to APA-sponsored inaugural events gave the impression that the Asian Pacific American community is starting to make waves and attract more attention from the state’s political leaders. 

            If numbers and participation mean anything in the American political process, they would be the medium of their message [to borrow from communication guru Marshall McLuhan to Virginia that they are here, participating, and will not be ignored.

            Rep. Scott -- who represents the Richmond, Tidewater and Hampton Roads areas, which contains strongholds of the largest segment of Virginia’s Filipino American population -- in his brief address, urged them to support the “necessary changes” in the U.S. Patriot Act, which will be debated for reauthorization when Congress hearings start in Jan. 31st.  “It is important that there is a check-and-balance mechanism in our system,” he said. -

            Del. Caputo, of VA’s 57th District, who represents diverse groups, including APAs in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, told this correspondent, “What I found out – in meeting with many of them in my district – is that they are hardworking, very supportive of their families, and are trying hard to make it and help grow the economy. I will dedicate myself to making sure that they have the opportunity to indeed succeed.”

            But, he adds as a reminder that they should get involved.

            “It’s very important that the APA community continue to constantly keep in close contact, and bring their concerns to me, their ideas on issues.  I’d be very happy to accept them.”

            John Marshall, re-appointed as Virginia’s Secretary for Public Safety, was expected but failed to attend the reception.  He is part Filipino, being son of a Filipino mother and wife of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Regarded as an icon in the country’s struggle for civil rights, Supreme Court Justice Marshall is enshrined in judicial history for having argued the segregation-busting Brown vs. Board of Education case to triumph over the country’s Plessy vs. Ferguson separate-but-equal policy.

BIPARTISAN AMBIENCE

            Nonpartisanship or bipartisanship, if one prefers to call it, could be said to describe many of the reception guests, with Drs. Oscar and Sarie Laserna of Falls Church, Marilyn Donato of Roanoke, and other GOP members hobnobbing with Dick Dabu of Virginia Beach, Francis Stevens, former elected council member of Petersburg, Mr. And Mrs. Singh of Chesapeake, and other fellow Democrats.

            “Now that the election is over, we Republicans are also here to join everybody to congratulate the new Governor and to see where we can all work together for all Asians and other Virginians for our common good,” Donato, a food technologist and cookbook author, told Asian Fortune.

            Dr. Sarie Laserna, who had helped raise funds for Republican candidate Kilgore and is active in issues of health and malpractice insurance policy reform, reiterated the sentiment with her exuberant presence and photo-op poses with the Democratic governor.

            Sounding off on the multi-faceted subject of Asian values and American values, Asian work ethos and the American Dream, Hung Nguyen, of Fairfax, VA and President/CEO of the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans, told this writer:

            “APAs are [an integral] part of the Commonwealth, which will be 400 years old in 2007…being a large part of the state’s work force, including almost 60,000 Vietnamese, almost 50,000 Koreans, and others… So we may be smaller in numbers than other [immigrant] groups but we have greater purchasing power… But we need to work together, even as we differ on issues and have different opinions, such as on immigration…We have to aim for appointments of APAs be it at federal or state or local levels…

            “About values, everybody talks about them…Asian values are about family, working hard and being self-sufficient…But we also adopt the American values of pursuing the American Dream …raising ourselves by our own bootstraps, and aiming for and supporting ownership in our personal and political life…so we should support both Asian and American values, and live by them…

            “And when [political] leaders tell us that they support racial equality and are for equal opportunity, we heed their words but we should look for action…”

            Giving an overview of CAPAVA’s activities, its president Ting Ying Oei said:

            “We had a very successful year, having held three major activities: 1) our first legislative forum, 2) a candidates forum for the 2005 elections, and 3) an educational forum which discussed how to look for jobs, helping specially new immigrant families integrate into the system, learning about schools for their children, etc.

            “We also made more contact with our [local and state] leaders…many of them have not quite realized how fast the Asian and Pacific Islander population is growing, especially in areas of No. Virginia, Loudon and Hampton Roads.

            “We hope to put out a [final] report very soon that would include a whole range of information and ideas on issues of our concern, such as education, etc. “

Oei was referring to the draft report being produced by the Advisory Commission for Asian Pacific Americans serving during the Warner administration, with assistance from CAPAVA.

APA LEGISLATIVE BRIEFING –FEB. 2ND

The report is expected to generate discussions at the Second Legislative Briefing for Asian Pacific Americans in Virginia to be held Feb. 2nd in Richmond.  The briefing aims to help create a guide for ensuring APA involvement and participation in the Kaine administration.

[According to Census 2000, the fast-growing Asian Pacific American population in Virginia numbered six years ago, in the following:

 Asian Americans – totaled 261,025: Asian Indians at the forefront with 48,815, followed by Filipino Americans (47,609), Korean Americans (45,279), Vietnamese Americans (37,309), Chinese Americans (36,966), and Japanese (9,080). Pacific Islanders (3,946), and other Asian Americans (35,967)].

APA PARADE PARTICIPANTS

            The Asian Fortune performing Team was organized and coordinated by Jay Chen, publisher of this publication Asian Fortune, which was first established in Hampton Roads 13 years ago and had moved a year later to the Northern Virginia area.

            He said it took about two months to contact and prepare the participating organizations and their members for the big show.  Five Asian countries – China, Korea, India, Philippines, and Vietnam -- were represented by some of their ethnic groups in the parade.

            The preparation must have been so focused that when asked about what country or organization they represented, some quickly answered, “Asian Fortune!” only to correct themselves with half-embarrassed smiles. 

            Lucia Chen, however, showed nonchalance about her chores as she helped groups take their assigned positions in the parade.  Asked about the diminutive bells that decorate the trousers of a certain costume, she said, “Taiwan… the Laoshing…but they are also worn in the Southeastern parts of China.”

            Dr. Vishnu Lakdawala, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Old Dominion University, was more loquacious about the Hindu Temple Association of Hampton Roads.

            “We have about 1,000 family members, and have over 30 participants in the parade.  They are mostly professionals, e.g. those working at NASA (National Air and Space Administration), businessmen operating hotels and motels, and small business ventures,” he said with naked pride. 

            Sangita Patel had to be coaxed by Dr. Lakdawala to speak to Asian Fortune.  A long-time head of an Indian dance troupe in Hampton Roads, she spoke of some technical problems in conforming to parade rules, by adjusting the dance movements of the 30 members who performed “Garbi”, a Hindu tribute to the Mother Goddess in Kujarat.

            Little girls in native costumes were among the parade’s most appealing attractions.

            Desiree Jimenez, 9-year old member of the United Ilocano Association of Tidewater, wearing a half-covered sash across her bodice reminded Asian Fortune, “I am Little Miss Philippines!”

            Yeng, 6 and her sister Jo Ann, 9 were a bit shy as they agreed to be photographed with their big Chinese dragon masks, which later they placed on top of their heads as cover from the rain.

            Two young members of a Latin ballet troupe explained what country their costumes represented: Anna, 11, Peru; and Loren, 10, Mexico.  Their ballet teacher, Maria Sanchez, proudly beamed at they posed for photographs. They were among the long line that represented, with banners, just about every country in South and Central America, surely making Kaine who spent volunteer work in their part of the world, beam with pride and appreciation.

            But most illustrative of the tenacity of the parade participants was a Chinese gentleman, Choi, who, rain-drenched, steadied himself with a cane as he slowly made step-by-step progress on the road shoulder, late perhaps but surely not left behind.

            “I’m a friend of Jay,” he told Asian Fortune without realizing he was being interviewed for his friend’s handiwork.

            Below is a list of APA parade participating organizations or troupes under the Asian Fortune Team, which are generally nonprofit and dedicated to promoting Asian arts and culture by performing within their own communities as well as for others in the greater American society:

-          Fairfax Chinese Dance Troupe, a nonprofit amateur group composed of students of all ages from Greater Washington Metro Area and Delaware.

-          East Rising Lion Dance Troupe, a nonprofit lion dance troupe composed mainly of college students and young professionals.

-          The United Ilocano Association of Tidewater Dance Troupe, 20-years old, headed by Josie Orencia and assisted by Christian and Tricia Orpilla and other dedicated parents.  The girls wear “Maria Clara” and boys the Barong Tagalog of Spanish influence.

-          Filipino Fighting Arts Academy, performing Filipino martial arts of Stick Fighting & Knife Fighting.

-          Hindu Temple of Hampton Roads serving the religious and cultural needs of the Hindu Community in the Hampton Roads area which includes the cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, and also Eastern Shores; has a 24,000 square feet of Temple Complex on 10 acres of waterfront land.

-          Korean American Association of Washington Metropolitan Area (KAAW)

Korean Drum Dance team consisting of Samul-Nori (drum dance) and Tal Chum (Mask Dance)

-          Vietnamese Lion Dance - Spirit Mountain Martial Arts, a discipline based on Buddhism, trains the mind, body and spirit for self-protection and self-perfection; it includes meditation, Kung Fu, Kick Boxing, Aikido, Tai Chi, and Lion Dance.  

(http://www.asianfortune.com)

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February 2, 2006

DoOneNiceThing.com RECOGNITION OF HUNG NGUYEN

Dear Friends,

It's my pleasure to announce that HUNG NGUYEN has received the Nice People award from kindness project DoOneNiceThing.com. The award is given to individuals who demonstrate extraordinary kindness and selflessness. To see our tribute to Hung, please visit DoOneNiceThing.com.

What an inspiring man! Despite his heavy commitment to work, he also devotes tremendous energy and time to helping other people realize their dreams through the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans and numerous other committees and good works. DoOneNiceThing.com is proud to shine the spotlight on him and thank him for all he does to make the world a better place.

DoOneNiceThing.com's mission is simple: Do one nice thing for someone every Monday. We have members all over the world. Please visit us to see the small nice things every person can do. And join us!  Working together we are making a difference.

Warm regards,
Debbie Tenzer
Founder, DoOneNiceThing.com
dtenzer@DoOneNiceThing.com

(http://www.DoOneNiceThing.com)

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February 3, 2006

CITY HAS MUCH TO LEARN ABOUT ASIAN AMERICANS

Gillian May-Lian Wee
gwee@charlotteobserver.com

I have never been more conscious about my ethnicity than in Charlotte.

At bars, men frequently approach me and my Asian American friends and say they love Asian women. Sources I interview ask me if I am "oriental," which, as readers of Edward Said know, isn't complimentary.

Colleagues assume I love sushi and can translate Vietnamese, even though I am ethnically Chinese.

Maybe it feels awkward, or at times unwelcome, to be Asian in Charlotte because there are so few of us, even though our numbers are growing. Or maybe it's because whites and blacks, with their own old and existing tensions, don't know how to perceive the newest entrants: Asians and Hispanics, the nation's fastest growing races.

Asians are seen through so many lenses: the model student in math and science; the coy, submissive woman who will cater to your every whim; the kinky, fetishized dragon lady; the teen who embraces hip-hop culture; the martial arts specialist.

Some people still think that all Asians look alike, speak one another's languages and act the same way.

Or maybe these same people aren't thinking enough.

A group of young, educated Asian Americans claim they were turned away from an uptown club, the Forum, late last year because of their race. A bouncer had allegedly told them he didn't want any trouble because a few nights before, a group of Asians were involved in a nearby shooting after leaving the club.

Joseph Wind, 24, e-mailed the club to complain. He said that night was the first time he had felt being Asian restricted his movement. The club's management has said it sent an e-mail apologizing for any "perceived impropriety," but it hasn't admitted any wrongdoing.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Wind and his sister were adopted by white Americans two decades ago. Growing up between Rochester, N.Y., and North Carolina, he hated the fact that he looked different. People bullied him for having "slanty eyes" and black hair, he said. He began to embrace being Asian only in college, at N.C. State University, where he met other Asians.

"My Asian friends know their parents have sacrificed for them; they owe them and respect them," said Wind, a credit manager at a bank in Charlotte. "With my white friends, that's still the case but it's not as evident in the way they treat their parents."

Wind e-mailed his friends about the incident, and that note has been forwarded around Charlotte. He's now in the process of filing a complaint against the uptown club through the city's community relations committee. His aim: to create awareness and defeat stereotypes.

His friend, Hien Tran, 26, was also there that night. Tran, who recently moved to Charlotte from Raleigh, said he wasn't really that surprised. Growing up, he thinks, he was picked on because people around him weren't used to Asians. Tran said he realized during college at Chapel Hill that some educated people appeared to be more unlikely to make racial slurs.

"You have ignorant people trying to mimic our languages, saying gibberish and laughing to us," said Tran of the discrimination he's felt throughout his life. "You can't blame people for being ignorant; I don't take it personally anymore."

Tran, the son of Vietnamese immigrants, wants to be seen as American, not just singled out as Asian. He thinks that if minorities start playing non-stereotypical roles in the movies, that will help erode stereotypes.

Painful as they are, such incidents might help each individual define and develop his or her own beliefs -- by deciding to identify solely with Chinese, Vietnamese, Asian, Asian American, or American cultures, or a number at once.

The underlying issue of race is growing more fragmented and complex, as international migration increases. Newer ethnic groups and those around them might not immediately think about asserting or understanding cultural differences.

Since I moved to the South, I felt a need to preserve my own heritage, one I never felt I had to cling to while living in London and bigger U.S. cities, where people seemed more open. About a year ago, I started using my other first name "May Lian," (pronounced may-lee-yan), which means beautiful lotus in Mandarin. My parents and grandparents gave me that name. It reminds me of my roots.

If Charlotte truly wants to sell itself as a diverse cosmopolitan city, we need to learn more about different cultures, and be more sensitive. Minorities have long grappled with bridging different worlds and cultures, but now, more than ever, there needs to be an acceleration in thought.

We live in a global age, where such countries as China and India are quickly emerging as superpowers. How will ignorance and discrimination help us then?

How do you think Charlotte can become a more inclusive city? Email me at gwee@charlotteobserver.com

(http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/13787008.htm)

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February 4, 2006

 NEW ORLEANS’ VIETNAMESE DRAW STRENGTH FROM PAST

By Russell McCulley

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - While a large swath of eastern New Orleans remains desolate and without power, hundreds of Vietnamese-Americans in one flood-ravaged part of the district are busy rebuilding their once-thriving community and rallying around the church that anchors it.

Every year, parishioners at Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church gather to celebrate Tet, the beginning of the Vietnamese lunar new year, with fireworks, dragon dances and music.

This weekend's festival, the first since Hurricane Katrina struck on Aug. 29, has more significance than ever following the floods that killed more than 1,300 people and displaced two-thirds of the city's population.

"Psychologically, it acts as a stabilizer," said Mary Queen of Vietnam's pastor, Rev. Vien T. Nguyen.

"Every mark that we set has some symbolism to it, to show people that it is business as usual, that we are home and we are continuing."

About 1,000 of the church's 6,300 parishioners have returned to Versailles, an eastern New Orleans neighborhood carved out of swampland, Nguyen said.

A further 2,000 or so come in on weekends to work on flood-damaged houses and to help restart the businesses that serve the tight-knit community. Few residents or businesses have returned to other parts of eastern New Orleans.

The revival of flood-prone neighborhoods has become a politically contentious issue. City officials have suggested that certain areas cannot be rebuilt unless enough evacuated residents demonstrate an intent to return.

UPROOTED BY WAR

Kimberly Nguyen, who was busy preparing vermicelli, shrimp and herb-stuffed spring rolls for sale at one of the festival's food booths, said she was happy to be home after evacuating to Lafayette, Louisiana, even though the early days were difficult.

"When I came here we didn't have lights or water," said Nguyen, who is not related to the pastor. "But we survived. And we made it back."

Before Katrina, New Orleans and its suburbs were home to an estimated 20,000 Vietnamese immigrants and their U.S.-born children.

The first wave of Vietnamese arrived in 1975, many at the invitation of the Roman Catholic archdiocese. About two-thirds of those who settled in the region are Catholic, with Buddhists and ancestral worshipers making up the rest, Rev. Nguyen said.

Many in Versailles can trace their roots to three North Vietnamese clans who fled to South Vietnam during the war with the United States before relocating to eastern New Orleans.

That shared history has been key to the neighborhood's resurgence, Nguyen said.

"Not only just by being neighbors, but also by being clans, being all family, we are obligated to lend each other a hand," he said.

Most homes in the area took on between 5 inches and 1 foot of water -- substantially less than harder-hit sections of eastern New Orleans -- when breached levees inundated 80 percent of the city.

The church and an adjacent school served as a refuge for the 400 neighborhood residents who rode out the storm, Nguyen said. When evacuees began returning in early October, the parish used church property as a distribution center for food and emergency supplies.

"The factor that plays into the tightness of this community is that these people have migrated several times in their life, first from North to South Vietnam," Nguyen said.

"People who are 60 and older, they know each other's families, each other's ancestors and relatives."

(http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N04248154.htm)

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February 6, 2006

VIETNAMESE AMERICAN STUDENT RECEIVES 2006 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. AWARD

By Adela De La Torre

Washington, DC -- Trinh Ngoc Tran, A Vietnamese American student at the George Washington University, is among four students who received the 2006 Martin Luther King Jr. medal at a convocation celebration held by GW Multicultural Student Services Center on Jan. 26.

Born in Thailand with strong family roots in Viet Nam, Trinh is the daughter of Long Tram and Hoa Lam, and sister to Diem, Linda and Kathy.  Trinh grew up in Rosemead, California and came to the George Washington University in the fall of 2002 to study International Affairs and Social Cultural Anthropology.  She maintains strong ties in the Asian American community through her work with the Vietnamese Student Association, the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans and the East Coast Asian American Student Union.  Currently the coordinator of the diversity discussion outreach program “Real Conversations,” Trinh is an advocate for social justice, community Building and social solidarity.

The Martin Luther King Jr. medal is conferred annually to selected GW students in celebration and recognition of the human values embodied in King's commitment to integration, peace, nonviolence, conscience, personal integrity, and community.  The recipients of the 2006 Martin Luther King Jr. medal are undergraduates Trinh Tran and Stephen Harris and graduate students Abby Charles and Lina Musayev, a GW Presidential Administrative Fellow.  The medal recipients are selected by a committee of GW staff, faculty, and students.

The Multicultural Student Services Center, located at 2127 G Street, NW, provides a wide range of student services, educational programming, and social and cultural activities to enhance the multicultural ideas of cultural heritage, racial understanding, academic excellence, and continuous personal development.

(http://www.asianfortune.com/feb06/Articles/MLK%20award.htm)

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February 6, 2006

ELECTION 2006: S.J. MAYOR
In avid pursuit of ethnic vote
VIETNAMESE-AMERICANS PLAY KEY POLITICAL ROLE AS NUMBERS INCREASE

By Phil Yost
Mercury News

What's that white male mayoral candidate doing dressed in a traditional Vietnamese robe and attempting a phrase or two in Vietnamese?

Why, politicking, of course, and demonstrating that San Jose's Vietnamese-American community has achieved an importance in local races that candidates for the city's highest office cannot ignore.

Vietnamese-Americans are ``getting into the mainstream,'' said mayoral candidate Chuck Reed, and ``elected officials are paying attention.'' Reed certainly is, along with fellow Councilman Dave Cortese and Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez, the candidates whose campaigns for the June mayoral primary are the most organized and best-funded to date.

At recent events celebrating Tet, the Vietnamese festival of the Lunar New Year, Reed, Cortese and Chavez participated in the same ways that candidates have at other ethnic festivals in America for decades.

Saturday, at the Tet Friendship Festival at the fairgrounds, the three joined other elected officials in a flag ceremony and then in the tradition of feeding dollars to a dragon for good luck.

All three appeared in the Tet parade in downtown San Jose on Jan. 29, as they have done for the past half-dozen years, where elected officials rode in convertibles. Reed and Cortese donned multi-colored traditional robes. They ventured a greeting in Vietnamese.

At both events, Reed, Cortese and Chavez each set up campaign booths in an exhibition hall and passed out fliers in Vietnamese and English.

The political attraction is mutual.

``Vietnamese organizations are sending out invitations to all the mayoral candidates,'' said Madison Nguyen, whose election in September to the San Jose City Council was a milestone for the Vietnamese community. ``We're starting to take the initiative to reach out to political candidates.''

Since Vietnamese immigrants began arriving in San Jose in substantial numbers in the mid-1970s, their population in San Jose has grown to 100,000. But as with every immigrant group, it took a while to become politically active and influential.

Eight years ago, the last time there was real competition for the office of mayor, Vietnamese-Americans were about 2 percent of San Jose voters, political consultants reckon. They were a political footnote.

No longer. Consultants peg them at 10 percent -- some 35,000 voters.

The mayoral candidates assert that they have been attentive to the needs of Vietnamese-Americans for years. When Reed was first a council member, he said, ``I was often the only elected official at some of their events.'' Reed has had a Vietnamese-speaking staff member in his council office since he was elected seven years ago.

Chavez said she was working on behalf of Vietnamese immigrant workers as a labor organizer in the early 1990s.

Cortese said his introduction to the community came when his family's real estate business established a partnership with a Vietnamese immigrant to operate a gas station in the late 1980s.

H.G. Nguyen, founding president of the Vietnamese American Chamber of commerce, says her community's increased political participation is easy to understand.

``More and more people live longer in this country, so they become U.S. citizens more and more,'' she said. And when they take citizenship classes, she said, ``a lot of us realize how this wonderful American system works.''

In the past few years, Vietnamese-Americans have seen the benefits. In 2002, Madison Nguyen was elected to the board of the Franklin-McKinley School District, the first Vietnamese-American woman to hold public office in California. Vietnamese-Americans make up a majority of the district's student body.

In July 2003, the community was galvanized when a San Jose police officer shot a disturbed Vietnamese-American woman, mistakenly thinking she was threatening him with a weapon that turned out to be a vegetable peeler.

In November 2004, Lan Nguyen won a school board seat in the East Side Union High School District, which Vietnamese-Americans saw as significant because they are a minority in the district.

But last summer is seen as the real breakout. In May, the city council, responding to community pleas and a well-organized campaign, passed a resolution recognizing the flag of pre-communist Vietnam as the flag of the Vietnamese community abroad.

That victory was followed shortly by the election that really put the local Vietnamese-American community on the political map.

In a special election to fill a vacant council seat, the two candidates who topped the field of five serious candidates -- and went on to the runoff -- were both Vietnamese-American women, Madison Nguyen, the eventual winner, and Linda Nguyen, no relation.

``People got the sense,'' Linda Nguyen said, ``that the Vietnamese community catapulted the two Vietnamese candidates into the runoff.''

What Vietnamese-Americans want from City Hall doesn't differ much from what other San Jose residents want, they say. Safe streets. Nice parks. The business community would like to have a neighborhood business district designated as Vietnamese, with banners, as in Japantown.

It's not apparent this early in the mayoral campaign whether any of the candidates is a favorite of Vietnamese-Americans -- or whether Vietnamese-Americans will vote as a bloc.

In the first fundraising report of the campaign, Chavez had raised the most money from Vietnamese-American contributors, more than $10,000, estimating from Vietnamese surnames. But Vietnamese names appeared on all three candidates' reports and those reports covered only three weeks in December.

The support flows the other way as well. Reed contributed $2,000 toward this year's Tet parade, and Cortese helped with $1,000.

Chavez has donated $500 from her ``officeholder account'' to the Viet Heritage Society.

At the Tet events, Reed's booth was staffed by Khoa Nguyen, a political science graduate of the University of California-Irvine.

He said his generation hears from parents who battled communism in Vietnam that having a voice in politics is ``what they fought for.''

``The Vietnamese youth have come of age,'' Nguyen said, ``and understand the need to participate.''

Contact Phil Yost at pyost@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5636.

(http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/elections/13802934.htm)

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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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