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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 - May 9, 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

LEGISLATIVE/HURRICANE RELIEF

TIPS/RESOURCES

NEWS

******************
 EVENTS

VIETNAMESE WOMEN AND THE LEGACY OF HO XUAN HUONG

The Friends of Hue Foundation

San Jose Martin Luther King Library
150 E. San Fernando, San Jose, CA

Saturday, May 20, 1:30pm
Phone:  408-455-0175

Last year's event was the talk of the town, and this year it will be even better! Please join us for the second annual Afternoon of Literary Arts, where noted poets, musicians and writers will provide performances that are thought-provoking, heart-wrenching and side-splitting in turns.

Enjoy wine and hors d'oeuvres while watching our highlight performers, including Pacific Time Host Nguyen Qui Duc, professor and writer Uyen Nicole Duong, pseudonym of Duong Nhu Nguyen, noted storyteller Lan Tran, writer Nguyen-Khoa Thai-Anh, jazz vocalist Thuy Linh, and hiphop artist Theresa Quyen Vu. Chau Van artists, the traditional poetry-musical performers, are back by popular demand, as is "slam poet" Jimmy Thong Tran, who left the audience in stitches last year.

The event will be at the Martin Luther King Library in downtown San Jose (150 East San Fernando Street) from 1:30 - 5pm on Saturday, May 20, with a suggested donation of $25.

This year's event celebrates the spirit of Vietnamese women, framed within the works of the nineteenth-century poet Ho Xuan Huong and other works by or about women. The Vietnamese are inspired by Ba Chua Tho Nom – The Queen of Nom Poetry, as Ho Xuan Huong was known. An astonishing poet, she dragged Vietnamese poetry from the stuffy attics of royalty and academe and filled it with the real sounds and colors of daily life and language. Her poetry served not only to inspire other poets, but also to effect social change and improvements for the disenfranchised.

All proceeds will benefit the Friends of Hue Foundation. This is a focused nonprofit organization, set up in the wake of devastating floods in Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam in 1999. All of our U.S. staff serve as unpaid volunteers, and money raised through this event will be applied directly to the children in our care.

Our Children's Shelter currently houses thirty-one children and we are building a Learning Center to provide vocational training for children in the surrounding area. We also provide a small number of educational and entrepreneurial opportunities to qualified individuals, and provide basic medical care to many small villages in the area. Please visit http://www.friendsofhue.org or call us at 408-455-0175 for more information.

Online Ticket Purchase: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=6955

Tickets are also available at the following restaurants:
Nha Toi, Quang Da, Anise's Cafe, 19 Market, Coffee Lovers, Minh, and City Restaurant & Bakery at 7th Street and Santa Clara

(http://www.friendsofhue.org)

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IMMIGRASIAN FAIR – MAY 25, 2006

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

OFFICE ON ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER AFFAIRS

Dear Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Community,

The Mayor's Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OAPIA) and the Commission on API Affairs (CAPIA) would like to invite you to the Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration ("Heritage Celebration") to celebrate and recognize the contributions of Asians and Pacific Islanders.

On May 25, 2006, from 10AM to 3PM at the Martin Luther King Jr. Public Library located on 901 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, the Heritage Celebration will begin with an information and health fair titled "ImmigrAsian Fair".  The ImmigrAsian Fair will include free health screenings, basic tax filing assistance for individuals and business owners, information from thirty direct-service organizations, free legal counseling, crime victim compensation program information, educational resources, housing information, and much more.

From 5:30PM to 8PM later that day, OAPIA and the Martin Luther King Jr. Public Library will host a Cultural Celebration where there will be cultural performances, the Mayor's award ceremony for community service, and the Mayor's swearing-in ceremony of new Commissioners on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs.

Also, from May 15th to 31st, OAPIA will be featuring a youth photo exhibition at the Chinatown Community Cultural Center (CCCC) located at 616 H Street, NW, Suite #201, Washington, DC 20001. CCCC will be open seven days a week from 10AM to 4PM.  The photo exhibition will recognize API youths' hard work and creativity.

All events are open to the public and free of charge. Please come join us for another exciting year of celebrating our heritage. Please feel free to contact our office at (202) 727-3120 if you have any questions or if you can help us in organizing and planning for these events.  We welcome all volunteers to this important effort and we look forward to seeing you at the Heritage Celebration.

Sincerely,

Greg Chen
Director, OAPIA

(http://apia.dc.gov)

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WHITE HOUSE TARGETED WORKSHOP ON FAITH-BASED AND COMMUNITY INITIATIVES – LAS VEGAS, NV

When: Tuesday, June 6, 2006
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m

Where: Alexis Park Resort
375 East Harmon
Las Vegas, NV 89109

On Tuesday, June 6, 2006, the White House and the Departments of Justice, Commerce, Agriculture, Labor, Veterans Affairs, Health & Human Services, Housing & Urban Development, Education, and Homeland Security, the Agency for International Development, and the Small Business Administration will host a targeted workshop in Las Vegas to help faith-based and community organizations learn more about President Bush\'s Faith-Based and Community Initiative. The event is geared towards representatives from social service groups that have a track record of applying for government funding, especially those from groups that have not yet won grants.

The conference is free, but pre-registration is required. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit http://www.fbci.gov to register online. We strongly encourage you to register online. If you are unable to register online, print the registration form attached to this e-mail. Complete the form and fax it to 703-299-4589. If you are not able to view this file, please call 202-456-6708 to have a form faxed to you. *Please register by Wednesday, May 31.* If you must cancel your registration, please send an email to fbci@dtihq.com [or a fax to the number listed above so we may accommodate as many people as possible.

The workshop is part of a series of regional conferences and targeted workshops that are being held around the country. The targeted workshops will offer grant writing tutorials for certain federal grant programs that present some of the greatest opportunities for faith-based and community organizations. They will also provide the occasion for federal officials to meet with state and local grant administrators about equal treatment regulations and facilitate opportunities to network with government officials. For more information, please call 202-456-6708, send an e-mail to fbci@dtihq.com, or visit http://www.fbci.gov .

(http://www.fbci.gov)

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CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON THE BROADBAND ECONOMY
Intelligent Community Forum Annual Conference

The Intelligent Community Forums annual conference, "Building the Broadband Economy," is a meeting place and "idea exchange - for government officials and nonprofit executives from around the world and their private-sector partners in telecom, IT, consulting, finance, and real estate. The conference will address the economic and social challenges that the new "broadband economy" is creating for local communities - and the ways that communities are adapting and learning to prosper from its unprecedented opportunities. The conference provides attendees with an international perspective, fosters innovation, and helps break down the barriers to cooperation between the public and private sectors. The conference will be held in Brooklyn, NY, June 8-9, 2006.

(http://www.intelligentcommunity.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=16)

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NCVA VIETNAMESE AMERICAN YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE (VAYLC)

“Modern Day Trail Blazers”

June 21-24, 2005

The George Washington University
1957 E Street NW
Washington, DC

Space is limited!

Do you want to be part of the generation that makes a MEASURABLE change?
Do you want to find resources to help you get things done?
Do you want to know who else is out there doing what you are doing?

Then come join us.

The objective of the Vietnamese American Youth Leadership Conference (VAYLC) is to create a venue where young people may share their ideas, values and goals with one another.  VAYLC is an educational leadership conference and the programs are designed to inspire today's outstanding young adults to reach their full leadership potential.

  • Learn new leadership, management and fundraising skills

  • Network, meet and speak with those who are in the know and getting things done

  • Get training provided to Fortune 100 company executives

  • Take home resources that can help you make a difference in your local community or school

Registration Fee
$50 – Training Conference only (includes all conference meals)
$150 – Training Conference and lodging at George Washington University (includes all conference meals)


Banquet Dinner
Friday, June 23, 2006
Fortune Restaurant
Falls Church, Virginia


Sponsored by: Freddie Mac, State Farm, Citibank, SunTrust

Supported by: BN Magazine, Boy Scouts of America, Moonlight Group, Spectrum Knowledge, Vietnamese American Television, Vietnamese Professionals Society - DC

Program Brochure
(http://www.vaylc.org/Brochure_VAYLC06.pdf)

(http://www.vaylc.org)

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 FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

DO YOU KNOW A WOMAN OF WORTH?

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

For more than 30 years, "Because I'm worth it" has been used by L'Oreal Paris to celebrate Women of Worth. L'Oreal Paris is looking for exemplary woman throughout the nation that volunteer - Women of Worth. These women are making a difference by volunteering in the communities in which they live, work and play

Women of Worth give freely of themselves, their time and their resources. They care about their communities and look to make a direct impact on them. Some create mentoring programs, serve as tutors for underserved populations, and help to build homes for those in need. Others may deliver meals to homebound seniors, teach adults to read through literacy programs or give respite to families through hospice. In each act of selflessness and generosity, her beauty shines through.

THE AWARD
L'Oreal Paris will honor seven Women of Worth during the inaugural year of the program. The seven honorees will be honored at a celebration in New York on September 19th. Each honoree will receive an all-expense paid trip to New York to coincide with the event.

L'Oreal Paris will donate $5,000 in each honoree's name to support her most cherished cause. In addition, L'Oreal Paris will make a $5,000 donation in the name of each of the honorees to support the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

HOW TO APPLY
Please tell us about your Woman of Worth whose volunteer work is making a beautiful difference in the community in which she lives, works and plays. Nominate her at www.WomenofWorth.com before May 19th.

To learn more about the L'Oreal Paris Women of Worth program, please visit www.WomenofWorth.com.

(www.WomenofWorth.com)

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GRANTS FOR MEDIA ADVOCACY PROJECTS
Funding Exchange: Media Justice Immediate Response Fund

The Funding Exchange network supports progressive community-based organizations that address the root causes of social problems. The Media Justice Immediate Response Fund, administered by the Funding Exchange, makes grants in response to quickly developing political situations in the media advocacy field. Grants may be used to support travel, rallies, mailings, printing, materials, and other costs associated with political organizing activities. Grants are intended for use in mobilizing and educating communities in situations where a small grant of up to $3,000 can have a significant impact. Applications for the Media Justice Immediate Response Fund are accepted throughout the year.

(http://www.fex.org/mjf.shtml)

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES GRANTS TARGET FAMILY VIOLENCE
RadioShack StreetSentz Community Grant Program

The RadioShack StreetSentz Community Grant Program is dedicated to strengthening the American way of life by helping families protect their children from abduction, violence, and abuse. Projects addressing this mission that are conducted by local nonprofit organizations and municipalities in company communities throughout the U.S. are eligible for grants of up to $500. Applications are reviewed four times per year. The remaining deadlines for 2006 are June 15, September 15, and December 15. For application guidelines visit the StreetSentz website and click on StreetSentz Community Grants.

(http://www.streetsentz.com)

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OFFICE DEPOT SUPPORTS PROGRAMS THAT ASSIST CHILDREN

The Office Depot Community Relations Programs mission is to support local nonprofit organizations in company communities in the U.S. and Canada that directly impact the health, education, and welfare of children. Cash grants and product donations are provided, and applications for support are accepted throughout the year. The company also supports children, parents, and teachers through several key programs, including the "5% Back to Schools" Program, the National Backpack Program, and the Star Teacher Program.

(http://www.community.officedepot.com/local.asp)

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SAMSUNG TECHNOLOGY DONATIONS FOR K-12 SCHOOLS

Samsungs Hope for Education contest is a philanthropy program designed to better educate U.S. elementary, middle, and high schools through the delivery of new digital technologies and software. Individuals are invited to nominate a school to receive Samsung and Microsoft product donations by submitting an essay on the current year's selected topic. For the 2006 contest, applicants should write a 100 word essay addressing the following question. "Do you know of an individual student or teacher, or group of school children, who are missing out on opportunities because they don't have access to technology?" One Grand Prize of $100,000 in Samsung merchandise and $100,000 in Microsoft software will be awarded. In addition, 20 schools will receive First Prizes of $30,000 in Samsung merchandise and $30,000 in Microsoft software. The entry deadline is June 30, 2006.

(http://www.hopeforeducation.com)

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NORMAN FOUNDATION FUNDS SOCIAL JUSTICE PROGRAMS

he Norman Foundation supports efforts that strengthen the ability of communities throughout the U.S. to determine their own economic, environmental, and social well-being, and that help people control those forces that affect their lives. Projects are supported that arise from the hopes and efforts of those whose survival, well-being, and liberation are directly at stake. The Foundations specific areas of interest incude civil rights, environmental justice, and economic justice. Letters of inquiry are reviewed throughout the year on a schedule determined by issue area. The remaining deadlines for 2006 are July 14 for civil rights requests and November 15 for environmental justice requests.

(http://www.normanfdn.org)

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GREEN COMMUNITIES’ CHARRETTE GRANTS PROGRAM FOR LOW-INCOME HOMES

Created by Enterprise Community Partners in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council, Green Communities is a five-year, $555 million initiative to build more than 8,500 environmentally healthy homes for low-income families in the United States. The initiative provides grants, financing, tax-credit equity, and technical assistance to developers who meet Green Communities Criteria for affordable housing that promotes health, conserves energy and natural resources, and provides easy access to jobs, schools, and services.

Green Communities is now offering charrette grants of up to $5,000 each for green affordable housing developers who want to convene intense working sessions with the development team and others who share an interest in promoting health and livability.

A Green Communities charrette will involve an intense working session that brings together a diverse group of housing development professionals as well as funders, policy makers, and community stakeholders (where possible) to integrate sustainable green design principles into affordable housing developments. Enterprise will award grants to cover the cost of facilitating a charrette during pre-development and to cover the cost of facilitating a post-construction sustainability training session.

The charrette grant program is open to 501(c)(3) nonprofits, public housing authorities, and tribally designated housing entities; for-profit entities; and for-profit entities participating through joint ventures with qualified organizations.

(http://enterprisefoundation.org/resources/green/greencharrettes.asp)

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 CVS/PHARMACY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAMS

 CVS/pharmacy supports the communities it serves by providing nonprofit organizations the opportunity to apply for a CVS/pharmacy Community Grant.

The Community Grants program is currently accepting proposals for the following:

1) Programs targeting children under the age of 18 with disabilities that address any of the following: health and rehabilitation services; public schools promoting a greater level of inclusion in student activities and extracurricular programs; and creating opportunities or facilities that give greater access to physical movement and play.

2) Healthcare services for uninsured people.

All CVS/pharmacy Community Grant applications must be submitted online between January and October of each calendar year.

(http://www.cvs.com/corpInfo/community/community_grants.html)

******************

ANTITRUST SETTLEMENT YIELDS $10 MILLION IN GRANT MONEY FOR CALIFORNIA NONPROFITS

Deadline: May 22, 2006 (Letters of Inquiry)

The Vitamin Cases Consumer Settlement Fund is soliciting Letters of Inquiry from eligible nonprofit organizations and public agencies for grants to improve the health and nutrition of consumers in California and to promote vigorous competition to benefit California consumers

Grants totaling approximately $10 million are being made available as part of an antitrust settlement with vitamin manufacturers.

Applicants must be either a public agency (i.e., a state or local agency, department or instrumentality); or a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. To receive a grant, nonprofit organizations must also be registered (if required by law) and in good standing with the Charitable Trusts Section of the California Department of Justice, California Secretary of State, and California Franchise Tax Board.

Because of the nature of the settlement funds, grants will be made on a one-time basis for specific projects and not general operating support. Funding is not available for scientific, medical, clinical, or academic research. Projects will be funded for up to three years.

For further information about the Vitamin Cases Consumer Settlement Fund and instructions on how to submit a Letter of Inquiry, visit the Cypresfunds.net Web site.

(http://www.cypresfunds.net/vitamin.html)

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 JOBS/INTERNSHIPS

 CMS DIVERSITY SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM (May 19th Deadline)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announces a 12-week Diversity Summer Internship Program for college and university students. CMS is the Federal agency that administers the Medicare, Medicaid, and State Children's Health Insurance Programs. The purpose of the Diversity Summer Internship Program is to enhance students' knowledge about CMS programs, mission, vision and goals. Additionally, the program seeks to familiarize participants about Federal, State, and local health care programs serving underserved and uninsured populations. This 12-week program is offered to college/university students of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) descent, and to students attending Hispanic Serving Institutions or of Hispanic descent, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). The program, developed by CMS, is consistent with the goals and objectives for the Hispanic Agenda for Action, and the AAPI, HBCU, and TCU Initiatives.

Dates of Employment
Students may begin the program as early as May 15, 2006. The date the student begins the program will determine when the 12-week appointment ends. All appointments must be completed by September 8, 2006.

Eligibility and Application Process

In order to qualify, students MUST meet one of the following requirements:
* a student of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) descent
* a student attending a Hispanic Serving Institution or of Hispanic descent
* a student attending a Historically Black College and University (HBCUs), or a Tribal College and University (TCUs)

Only applications from students who are U.S. citizens will be accepted for this program. All applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 and a minimum of 60 credits as of May 19, 2006, in majors relating to the health care and/or management field ( e.g. computer science, business administration, allied health, health science, accounting, social science, and/or statistics). A student's application package must contain a detailed resume (including social security number, date of birth and citizenship) and a transcript.

Students are strongly encouraged to complete the Department of Health & Human Services Applicant Background Survey (http://www.cdc.gov/hrmo/OMB_form.htm) and submit it with their application package. Students must also indicate the date they will be available to begin the program, if selected. The requested materials must be mailed to the 2006 Diversity Summer Internship Program, Attention: Marla Lazarus, Mail Stop C2-13-13, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21244.

Deadline for Submitting Applications
To be considered for the program, applications must be postmarked by Friday, May 19, 2006.

Salary and Place of Employment
The salary is approximately $12-$13 per hour for a 40-hour workweek. This amount may vary in some areas according to the locality pay for specific regions. Interns are responsible for their own living arrangements and transportation costs. Employment opportunities are available at CMS sites in Boston, Massachusetts; New York City, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; Denver, Colorado; San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; Miami, Florida; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Employment site preference(s) should be indicated on the student's resume. Selected students will be responsible for costs incurred should they relocate to participate in the program.

(http://www.cdc.gov/hrmo/OMB_form.htm)

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POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT – AALDEF DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

The Organization:
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) is a 32-year old nonprofit organization in New York City that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans through litigation, advocacy and community education.  AALDEF has a 16-person staff and is supported by foundation and corporate grants, individual contributions, and special events.  We receive no government funds.  For more information about AALDEF and its current activities, visit our website at www.aaldef.org.

Job Description:
The Development Director is a senior staff position reporting directly to the Executive Director.  Specific responsibilities include the following:

*  Design and implement an annual fundraising plan, in coordination with the executive director and board of directors

*  Write grant proposals and reports, membership solicitation letters and special event materials

*  Develop and implement a cultivation program targeting corporations and businesses.

*  Cultivate and identify major gift prospects and provide background materials for board members

*  Oversee tracking of individual donations and database management

*  Other duties as assigned by the Executive Director.

Qualifications:
*  Excellent writing skills and lively writing style.

*  Five or more years of experience and demonstrated success in foundation and corporate fundraising as well as in individual solicitations.

*  Able to work independently.

*  Creative, strategic, and entrepreneurial.

*  Familiarity with Asian American communities and legal/civil rights issues preferred.

*  Commitment to racial and economic justice issues

Compensation:
Commensurate with experience; excellent health and vacation benefits package.

Starting date:
As soon as possible.

Please send letter (including any salary requirements), resume and one unedited writing sample to:

J. Weng
AALDEF
99 Hudson Street-12/F
New York, NY 10013-2815
jweng@aaldef.org

(for email, put "DD search" in subject line)

AALDEF is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

(http://www.aaldef.org)

******************

939 Market Street, Suite 201 , San Francisco, CA 94103
Tel: (415) 896-1701 • Fax: (415) 896-1702
www.asianlawcaucus.org

 JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: SPECIAL PROJECTS ATTORNEY

The Asian Law Caucus (ALC), one of the nation’s oldest API civil rights and legal services organizations, seeks a special projects attorney for the duration of 6 months. The special projects attorney will provide critical legal services in the areas of wage and hour violations, unemployment insurance appeals, paid family leave, employment discrimination, language rights, and other issues affecting low-wage workers. Legal services provision will serve as the basis for identifying broad patterns of abuse, which may require broader legal and policy advocacy. The special projects attorney will also participate in community education workshops and panels.

General Tasks
* Supervise and provide legal services in employment rights, and other areas as needed
* Assist in legislative and administrative advocacy on employment rights issues
* Conduct community education workshops on employment rights
* Assist in conducting ALC’s bi-monthly employment clinics
* Supervise law clerks and other personnel
* Perform other work as needed.
* Report to assigned Staff Attorney

Qualifications
* B.A./B.S. and J.D. degrees with membership in good standing with the California State Bar
* 1-2 years of related legal practice experience (strongly preferred)
* Excellent research, analytical, written, and oral communication skills
* Excellent client communication and interaction skills
* Demonstrated leadership and ability to work independently and in collaboration with other attorneys, community advocates and community-based organizations
* Commitment to social justice and service to low-income communities of color
* Fluency in Asian language (preferred)

Salary and Benefits:
This is 6 month, full-time, exempt position. Salary DOE, plus medical, dental, vision and retirement benefits; without benefits, contract can be negotiable.

Application Process:
Qualified, interested candidates should submit a cover letter, writing sample and resume to:
Special Projects Attorney Search
Asian Law Caucus
939 Market Street, Suite 201
San Francisco, CA 94103

OR

jobs@asianlawcaucus.org

Date Due: ASAP or until filled Date Posted: May 4, 2006

The Asian Law Caucus was founded in 1972, with a mission to promote, advance and represent the legal and civil rights of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. ALC is committed to the pursuit of social, economic and racial equality and justice for all sectors of society, with a specific focus on the needs of low-income, immigrant and underserved communities. ALC strives to create an informed and educated community empowered to assert its rights and to participate actively in American society. As such, ALC integrates its legal services, educational programs, and community organizing initiatives with advocacy at the national, state and local levels. ALC is an equal employment opportunity employer and committed to diversity in the work place.

(http://www.altrue.net/site/alc/content.php?type=1&id=11771)

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 LEGISLATIVE/HURRICANE RELIEF

FREDDIE MAC EXTENDS RELIEF IN GULF COAST

On May 1, Freddie Mac announced that it is extending until August 31 a number of its emergency hurricane relief policies that were to end on June 1.

Freddie Mac's hurricane relief policies apply in federally designated disaster areas where federal assistance is available. Mortgage servicers in zone one, the worst disaster areas, have the authority to continue the moratorium policy on foreclosures and evictions. In zones two and three, areas that have moderate or significant damage, servicers must obtain approval from Freddie Mac through August 31 to proceed with foreclosures or evictions. Freddie Mac is extending to all zones a ban on reporting borrowers with storm related foreclosure repayment plans to credit bureaus. They are also extending a streamlined loan modification process designed to expedite workouts to help storm victims avoid foreclosure in all zones. The announcement is available at:

(http://www.freddiemac.com/sell/guide/bulletins)

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PUSH IN SENATE FOR ACTION ON GSE LEGISLATION

Two Senate Banking Committee members are circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter, asking Senate leaders to bring the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to the Senate floor for debate. The legislation, reported out of the Senate Banking Committee in July 2005, provides for a new regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Advocates hope it will eventually include a provision that sets aside a portion of Fannie and Freddie's profits for an Affordable Housing Fund.

Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Senator John Sununu (R-NH) are urging Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and Senate Banking Committee Chair Richard Shelby (R-AL) to move the bill in order to ensure there there is an effective regulator for the GSEs.

Members of the Senate Banking Committee have been unable to agree on larger issues surrounding the portfolios of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, stalling the legislative process. The House passed a GSE reform bill in October of 2005 that includes an Affordable Housing Fund.

(http://nlihc.org/mtm/mtm11-18.html)

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LAWMAKERS GATHERING SUPPORT FOR HOUSING PROGRAMS

Senators Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Jack Reed (D-RI) are circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter in support of the President's request of a $209 million increase to the FY07 HUD appropriations for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants. The letter is addressed to Senators Christopher Bond (R-MO) and Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary and HUD.

The letter states that approximately 3.5 million people in the United States, including 1.4 million children, will experience homelessness this year. "In many areas, there persists a tremendous and, sometimes, growing need. In other areas, there is indisputable evidence that combining HUD's Homeless Assistance Programs with local and state government and private sector funding works to end homelessness for the families and individuals they serve." Asking that McKinney programs be funded at the President's requested level, $1.536 billion, the letter states, "homeless assistance for our vulnerable population is worth the investment."

Members have until close of business on May 8 to sign onto the letter, and should contact Reagan Anderson in Senator Martinez's office or Sharon Rapport in Senator Reed's office if they wish to do so.

On April 27, 35 Senators sent another letter to Senators Bond and Murray, this one requesting increased funding for the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program. On March 14, 107 Representatives sent a similar letter to Representatives Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and John Olver (D-MA), Chair and Ranking Member, respectively, of the House Appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over HUD programs.

"While major strides have been made in treatment options for people living with HIV/AIDS, the cost of these new treatments can often force people to decide between essential medications and necessities such as housing," reads the letter. "At any given time, one third of all Americans with AIDS are either homeless or in imminent danger of losing their homes." Signatories note that $3.5 billion is needed to truly meet the housing needs of all those living with HIV/AIDS. "In light of budget realities, however," the signatories ask for $424 million "to help those in the greatest need."

The final letters, along with a list of signatories, is available at: www.nationalaidshousing.org/Spring2006newsletter.htm.

Also in the House, on May 3, 51 members of the House of Representatives sent a letter in support of increased funding for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) and at least level funding for the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) to House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, HUD and the Judiciary Chair Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Ranking Member John Olver (D-MA).

The FHIP program provides resources to fair housing organizations and other nonprofit organizations to educate the public and to enforce federal fair housing laws. The President has requested level funding of $20 million for FHIP in FY07. The 51 Representatives are requesting $50 million to ensure that "private fair housing organizations have the resources to combat housing discrimination."

the letter is available at:
http://lee.house.gov/index.cfm?ContentID=732&ParentID=0&SectionID=4&SectionTree=4&lnk=b&ItemID=727.

Finally, Senate Special Committee on Aging Chair Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Ranking Member Herb Kohl (D-WI) are asking Senators to sign a letter supporting $742 million for the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly program. The President has requested that the Section 202 program be cut by 26% for FY07. According to AARP, there are nine seniors on the waiting list for every one Section 202 unit that will become available in a given year. According to the letter, "A $742 million appropriation would restore Section 202 funding to the FY 2006 level and ensure that the program meets the housing needs of seniors." Senators can sign on to the letter by contacting either Mike Smith in Senator Smith's office or Brian Heindl in Senator Kohl's office.


(http://nlihc.org/mtm/mtm11-18.html)

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SENATE PASSES SUPPLEMENTAL SPENDING BILL, INCREASES HURRICANE RECOVERY DOLLARS

Defying veto threats by the White House, on May 4 the Senate passed a $109 billion supplemental spending bill for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and for hurricane recovery. The hurricane recovery portion of the bill was increased on the Senate floor by an additional $1.8 billion, for a total hurricane recovery package of $28.9 billion. The House-passed version of the bill (H.R. 4939) includes a hurricane recovery package of $19.2 billion; the President requested $19.8 billion for such efforts.

Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and David Vitter (R-LA) successfully offered an amendment that would, within the $202 million appropriated for tenant-based rental assistance, ensure that no less than $100 million be available as project-based assistance to support the reconstruction, rebuilding and repair of damaged or destroyed assisted housing in the Gulf Coast, or new units built with Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). Within the $100 million, the amendment further targets funds for 4,500 project-based vouchers for permanent supportive housing units. This amendment passed by unanimous consent.

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) had the only other vote on a housing-related amendment, which also passed by unanimous consent. The amendment, co-sponsored by Senators Landrieu, Vitter, Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), would ensure that no state receive less than 3.5% of the $5.2 billion allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. This would presumably ensure that Louisiana receive the $4.2 billion the state requested, while Florida, Texas, and Mississippi would each receive no less than $182 million.

An amendment that added $2.2 billion for levee reconstruction in coastal Louisiana was approved, though not with the President's requested offset from FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund. The funds would support the reconstruction of levees in all areas of New Orleans except for lower Plaquemines parish. These funds are in addition to $1.5 billion in levee projects and flood control originally included in the bill.

Additional dollars and language added on the Senate floor would, among other things: require the Army Corp of Engineers to prepare a report within 60 days that details a plan for hurricane protection for lower Plaquemines Parish; require the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide monthly accounting reports to Congress on the status of the SBA Disaster Loan program for Katrina, Rita and all future disasters; expand the cap on Community Disaster Loans from 25 to 50 percent; designate the Katrina and Rita disaster areas as Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZones), giving small businesses a preference when bidding on federal projects; and raise the FEMA reimbursement level for Texas counties from 75% to 90%.

On April 25, President Bush threatened to veto the final spending bill if it comes to him with a cost greater than $94.5 billion, which equals his original supplemental spending request, plus an additional $2.3 billion to respond to an avian flu pandemic. The next day, 35 Senators, one more than needed to sustain a veto, wrote to the President, commending his veto threat (see Memo, 4/28) and vowing to uphold it on the Senate floor. Some of these same Senators, however, voted to approve additional spending on the Senate floor, as well as voting for the bill's final passage. The final vote was 70-20; Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) voted against the bill.

Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said soon after the final Senate vote that he expects there to be some negotiating room with the White House as to the final cost of the bill. Conferees may attempt to strip egregious line items from the bill, such as the $700 million to relocate a private corporation's rail line in Mississippi, to lower the cost of the bill and avoid the President's veto. Or, in an attempt to assuage the Administration, Senate fiscal conservatives and appropriators, each of whom come to negotiations with very different spending agendas, conferees may chose instead to make across the board cuts to the entire spending bill.

Immediately following the bill's passage, all members of the Senate Appropriations Committee were named to the conference committee. House conferees have not yet been named, but negotiations are expected to begin the week of May 8.

(http://nlihc.org/mtm/mtm11-18.html)

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 TIPS/RESOURCES

MANAGEMENT: 6 VITAL STEPS TO YOUR FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

More than $250 billion in charitable gifts in the U.S. were calculated last year. But competition for the philanthropic dollar seems fiercer than ever among the more than 1.1 million 501(c)(3) groups in the nation.

Nonprofits cant just sit on the sidelines and hope that donors pass some of the $250 billion in contributions their way. Fundraising efforts must be coordinated and strategic to maximize any potential donors.

In the second edition of his book, Fundraising: Hands-On Tactics for Nonprofit Groups, L. Peter Edles shows nonprofits how they can design and run a successful fundraising campaign with effective strategies and suggestions on cultivating donors.

Edles, who has directed annual and capital campaigns for organizations for more than 30 years and has taught masters degree courses in fundraising management, believes there are six requirements that are vital to the success of any fundraising campaign:

* The goals of the organization must be compelling to ensure intense donor commitment.

* The organizations growth patterns must easily be perceived.

* The organization or its key leaders must be strongly visible to the people whose support is expected.

* The chief executive and volunteer leadership must be highly competent, totally committed, and be proven, excellent fundraisers.

* The campaigns needs must be specific, attractive, people-oriented, and have a sense of urgency.

* The results of the campaign must be measurable.

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

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ONLINE: 4 EASY WAYS TO IMPROVE EMAIL RESPONSE

In direct mail fundraising, sometimes as many as 90 percent of prospective donors didn?t even open the envelopes. Yet, very little time and effort was put into testing outer envelopes. The same is true with email.

According to Rick Christ, president of npadvisors.com in Warrenton, Va., and a contributing editor of The NonProfit Times, many of your emails aren?t being opened. With email there are four possible reasons:

1. It isnt being delivered: Its vital that you make every possible attempt to keep email addresses accurate and current. When emails from past donors bounce, you need to reach out to them via postal mail and ask them for an updated address. Gift receipts are a great, low-risk way to ask for email addresses.

2. It’s ending up in their spam folder: Don’t be too cute with your content or subject line. Your donors are using ever-more-devious ways to cull spam from their inbox. Test your letters with a group of insiders to make sure each issue is being delivered before you send it to the whole list.

3. Your subject line is vague, too-cute, or suspicious: Again, dont be too clever. The key word or words of your issues (animal safety, kidney research, etc.) should probably be in the subject line of every email.

4. Your from address is suspicious or unknown: Christ explained that he used to get emails from the Legislative Information office of a nonprofit. Unfortunately the from address was just LegInfo and it looked like junk. Why not use a short form of your organization?s name, like Kidney Assoc. as the from address Better yet, test two different from addresses and see which one produces the better results.

You can argue with Rick Christ at rick@npadvisors.com

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

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DONORS: RETAINING AND UPGRADING YOUR DONORS

As hard (and expensive) as it is to find donors, the last thing a fundraiser wants to do is to lose one. Therefore it is fundamental in building a successful fundraising program that you must cultivate the relationship with your donors.

Forming stronger bonds and engaging in a dialog with donors leads to more involved supporters, longer retention, and larger gifts, according to Geoff Peters, president, Creative Direct Response, Crofton, Md.

If the donor was acquired by direct mail this can be done through the same channel (i.e. direct mail) or through different channels such as telemarketing. There are a number of donor involvement tools that vary according to the charity and its cause. They can be as simple as asking the donor to become involved by signing a petition or calling their congressperson or even attending a seminar or special event. Some involvement tools are more complex such as inviting the donor to volunteer and become involved personally (e.g. Help Habitat for Humanity build a home? or Visit the slums in Haiti with Food for the Poor).

According to Peters, retention can also be aided by upgrading donors. This will encourage donors to contribute in larger amounts, or more frequently (e.g. monthly) and for a longer period of time. Upgrading donors is not solely about asking for higher dollar amounts, it is also about cultivating a stronger relationship which in turn is evidenced by a greater financial commitment.

So when upgrading donors, there must be a reason given for the upgrade. Sometimes this is as simple as reminding them of the great need (e.g. people are starving) or it can be more personal such as your support is appreciated but we really need you to help out by sponsoring a child and making a commitment to a monthly gift.

Whatever your cause, involving donors more deeply will produce fundraising benefits as well as a greater sense of satisfaction by the donor that they are supporting a cause to which they feel close. It also makes the fundraisers job more fun.

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

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REPORT ON NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP: DARING TO LEAD

Report on Nonprofit Leadership. CompassPoint Nonprofit Services and the Meyer Foundation have released a new report on nonprofit executive leadership – Daring to Lead 2006. For the report, almost 2,000 executive directors from community-based groups in eight major cities were surveyed. The findings are organized under five different headings: executives plan to leave their jobs within five years; boards of directors and funders contribute to executive burnout; executives believe they make significant financial sacrifices to lead nonprofits; executives seek new skills and strategies for organizational sustainability; and bench strength, diversity, and competitive compensation are critical factors in finding future leaders. To find out more about these findings and the recommendations to executives, boards of directors, funders, and capacity builders, go to:

(http://www.compasspoint.org/assets/194_daringtolead06final.pdf)

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Report on
RENTAL VACANCIES AND HOMEOWNERSHIP CONTINUE DECLINES

Rental vacancy rates declined in the first quarter of 2006 from a year ago as the proportion of Americans who owned their homes also fell, according to the most recent Housing Vacancy Survey from the Census.

The rental vacancy rate fell significantly from 10.1% in the first quarter of 2005 to 9.5% in the first quarter of 2006. The decrease was significant in the South and West while rates remained statistically unchanged in the Northeast and Midwest. In general, rental vacancies fell furthest in the suburbs while remaining statistically unchanged in central cities and non-metro areas. The homeownership vacancy rate, while remaining significantly lower than the rental vacancy rate, continued to climb from 1.8% in the first quarter of 2005 to 2.1% last quarter.

At 68.6%, the seasonally adjusted homeownership rate was also down significantly from 69.2% the year before. The decline in homeownership was widely experienced. White, black and Hispanic households all saw a decline in their rate of homeownership, as did most age groups and households above and below the median household income.

The press release and additional data from the survey is available at:

(www.census.gov/hhes/www/hvs.html)

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MINORITY PHILANTHROPY: THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED

By Susan Raymond, Ph.D.

Increasingly, modern philanthropy is not just about the mega-rich. It is also about Americans from all walks of life. The longest period of economic growth in the nation's history lifted many boats.  The number of small family and community foundations has doubled since 1980. Among the significant actors in the growth of current and future U.S. philanthropy are America's minorities. By the end of 2000, 28.7 percent of the U.S. population was non-white (79.13 million people) compared to 12 percent a century ago. By 2015, that portion is expected to rise to 30 percent.

Let us pause, however. It is important to acknowledge that economic good times have not resolved the nation's poverty problem. Indeed, poverty rates for full-time workers have stayed constant in the last two decades, and wealth concentration in the uppermost tiers of income levels has increased. Moreover, the economic elevator goes both up and down. Three-quarters of Americans can expect to see their annual income rise or fall by 5 percent in any given year.

Still, it is important to recognize that economics is creating new philanthropic leadership in American minority communities.  In the Hispanic community, poverty rates have dropped to their lowest levels since the late 1970s. Less than a quarter (23 percent) of Hispanic households are below the poverty level and median income rose 6 percent between 1998 and 1999. Latino business leadership is also stepping into the front lines of philanthropy. The New America Alliance has been formed by Latino entrepreneurs interested in addressing deep-rooted problems within their own community as well as in creating greater opportunities for Latino entrepreneurs.

In the African American community, the philanthropic spirit is not, admittedly, a "new new thing." Charitable giving in the black community dates from at least the late 1700s, when Richard Allen and Absalom Jones founded societies of free men to support poor widows and orphans.

Indeed, the Underground Railroad of 1804 certainly qualifies as a black philanthropic effort, with a social return on investment that would satisfy even the most hard-nosed of today's Venture Philanthropists! Economics is further enabling this history. In metropolitan Boston, with the fastest growing urban black population in the nation, household incomes among blacks rose 40.2 percent in the 1990s. This change is striking in comparison to the overall Massachusetts increase of only 16 percent and the national increase of 11 percent. Nationally, 25 percent of African American households are in the top two quintiles (top 40 percent) of income. In the black community, 53 percent of households made charitable donations in 1997, up from 51 percent in 1993. This contrasts with a decline in the national average from 73 percent to 69 percent in the same period. Some 60 percent of African American giving flows through church communities.

Immigrant minorities are also major philanthropic players. In recent years, the U.S. has received more than 1 million immigrants annually, 660,000 legally and an estimated 300,000 without documents. The U.S. is now home to nearly 30 million foreign-born residents. More than 25,000 high-tech emigres from India have settled in the U.S. to lead the technology explosion. They now run more than 750 technology companies in Silicon Valley alone. Immigrant giving is global. Beneficiaries are not just communities in which immigrants live and succeed, but also those back home. In 2002, the U.S. recorded $32 billion in remittances to Latin America alone from foreign born workers sending money to their home countries. Nearly 23 percent of all international remittances originate in the U.S.

In the U.S., minority leadership in philanthropy tends to focus resources on deep and historically intractable social problems, seeking to work creatively at the community level. Minority resources also focus on opening up market opportunities for their communities, so that progress on the educational and social fronts will lead onward to progress and stability economically. While the "new philanthropy" that generates 8-figure donations to academic centers may grab the headlines, it is quieter, less flashy minority philanthropy that may be making the most creative investments in street-level solutions to the nation's enduring social and educational inequities.

So, the longer America can preserve and extend economic growth, the more new entrants to philanthropic leadership will come from America's minorities. And the more robust and creative will be the philanthropic landscape.

Sources:
"Black Philanthropy Conference Taps into the Collective Wealth of the Black Middle Class in New England," Business Wire, May 22, 2000.

Celia Dugger, "Return Passage to India: Immigrants Pay Back," New York Times, February 29, 2000.

Denise Meredith, "Black Philanthropy Will Continue to be a Strong Force," The Business Journal (Phoenix), April 21, 2000.

"Latino Leaders Form Philanthropic Alliance," The Los Angeles Times, January 12, 2000.

Migration News, November 2000.

D Hernandez, "With Fewer Dollars to Go Around, More are Going Around the World," New York Times, July 14, 2003.

Population Reference Bureau.

U.S. Bureau of the Census.

*Susan Raymond, Ph.D., is Sr. Managing Director, Research, Evaluation, and Strategic Planning for Changing Our World Inc., a leading consulting firm helping nonprofits and private and corporate philanthropists achieve their goals.  Dr. Raymond is also Chief Analyst for onPhilanthropy (www.onphilanthropy.com), a global resource for nonprofit professionals, and the author of The Future of Philanthropy: Economics, Ethics, and Management (from which this article was adapted), published by Wiley & Sons.

You may contact the author at: sraymond@changingourworld.com

(http://www.onPhilanthropy.com)

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Solving the Mysteries of the Greatest Untapped Source of Fundraising Revenue
10 PRINCIPLES FOR SUCCESSFUL U.S. HISPANIC FUNDRAISING

By Gladys Miranda and Jaime Townzen

The focus of marketers on the U.S. Hispanic population is growing rapidly. It's a new, vital market, with the potential to greatly increase revenue.  Top American corporations have recognized the value of making it a priority, and they are investing millions of dollars to reach this segment.  However, for nonprofits, this is a relatively untapped market.

Recent research reflects that Hispanic buying power will escalate from $700 billion today to more than $1 trillion in just two years. The current 43-million-strong Hispanic population will expand to more than 1/5 of the total U.S. population in just over a decade. And, being younger than the current general market donors, with a median age of 25, newly acquired Hispanic donors represent a great lifetime value potential as well.

Understanding of Hispanic culture and acculturation issues is imperative in successful fundraising strategies.  This ethnic group shares strong roots in family, customs, values and religion, but their lifestyles and language-preferences (English, Spanish or both) are strongly impacted by levels of acculturation: recent immigrants, foreign-born with varying lengths of residency in the U.S., and first-, second- and third-generation Americans.

Appropriate use of Spanish-language and bilingual communications combined with the best marketing practices and culturally relevant messages will enable fundraisers to expand their market presence, increase their donor file, and create a new source of revenue by targeting this ever-growing segment of the population.

10 key Hispanic fundraising principles:

* COMMIT TO THE MARKET
As with any new audience segment, organizations must make realistic long-term commitments to grow their Hispanic file and increase donor lifetime value.

* EMPLOY MULTI-CHANNEL BRANDING
Using a multi-channel strategy to develop brand awareness is imperative to gain trust in this segment. This can be achieved by sharing culturally relevant messages and offers via television, radio, print, direct mail, online, and face-to-face events.

* BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
Brand awareness among Hispanics also includes building relationships with members of the community, media personalities, well-known Hispanic celebrities, political figures and key religious leaders.

* TARGET HIGH-VALUE SEGMENTS
Identify and target the most committed Hispanic donors based on lifestyle, levels of acculturation and demographics.

* APPEAL TO HISPANIC HEARTS AND VALUES
All creative materials should incorporate culturally and linguistically sensitive messages combined with images where family, community, and culture are central elements.

* ADDRESS LANGUAGE NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS
Most Hispanics recognize that English language proficiency is necessary for success in American society.  For this reason, bilingual communications in donor acquisition that capture language preference (Spanish, English, or Bilingual) for cultivation are stimulating much stronger response rates and becoming the standard strategy.

* MAKE IT EASY TO GIVE
Hispanic customs and varied levels of acculturation call for a variety of payment options to increase ease of giving, including gifts by credit and debit card, check, money order and wire transfer.

* CLOSE THE LOOP
Spanish language and/or bilingual continuity must be infused across all touch-points of communication infrastructure, including phone centers, fulfillment material and the internet.

* TRACK RESULTS AND REFINE STRATEGIES
Regularly reviewing results is the best practice for tracking progress and revisiting strategies in a timely manner for any successful Hispanic marketing campaign.

* BEGIN NOW
Now is the time to get your Hispanic program off the ground. Don't waste any more time letting this generous group of potential donors choose organizations other than your own!

By following these 10 principles along with fundraising best practices, nonprofits will be able to successfully launch, cultivate and grow a Hispanic program, that in a short time can be expected to emulate the results of even their greatest revenue-generating programs.

*Jaime Townzen is an Account Supervisor and Gladys Miranda is a Creative Director. Both work for the Russ Reid Company, the leading agency partnering exclusively with nonprofits in direct response fundraising, public relations and government relations. Over the last 10 years, the Russ Reid Company has successfully developed the country's largest Hispanic fundraising program for nonprofit organizations. You may contact the authors at: gmiranda@russreid.com or jtownzen@russreid.com

(http://www.onPhilanthropy.com)

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 NEWS

HISPANIC FOUNDATION OF SILICON VALLEY NAMES ITS FIRST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Long time community leader with family history of involvement takes helm of foundation on April 17

The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley (HFSV) today announced it has reached a major milestone in its history by naming Teresa Alvarado its first ever executive director.

Alvarado, who was selected by the HFSV Board of Directors after a year-long national search, takes the helm April 17 of the five-year old foundation which has established a solid track record of grantmaking, volunteerism and leadership development in the Silicon Valley Latino community.

"The time was right to make a strategic investment and hire an executive director," said Ivonne Montes de Oca, HFSV board member and co-founder of the foundation. "Our foundation is at a point in its history when having someone with passion and a clear vision will help strengthen the critical role we play in harnessing the resources, enthusiasm and commitment of Silicon Valley Latinos to improve our community."

Alvarado, 41, brings a unique blend of corporate and nonprofit experience to her role as executive director. She joins HFSV from Pacific Gas and Electric Company where she spent seven years as a government relations representative for the San Jose region serving as the liaison between the utility company, elected officials, governmental bodies, and community leaders in Silicon Valley, as well as external stakeholder relations and corporate contributions to nonprofit agencies in the region. She also has served on the board of directors for the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley for six years, including two years as president.

"I am truly honored to be able to serve the community in this capacity," Alvarado said. "The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley has developed a depth of knowledge and experience that makes it uniquely qualified to understand and respond to the key issues affecting the Latino community in this region."

"The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley plays an important role in showing how strong philanthropy within the Latino community really is," said Carmen Castellano, president of the Castellano Family Foundation. "HFSV provides an important link between individuals, corporations and foundations that want to contribute and the resources, knowledge and opportunities for them to take action."

Although the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley was officially established in 2000, it was born out of the long tradition of community building and grantmaking started by community leaders with the Hispanic Charity Ball in 1989.

Teresa, along with a cross-section of leaders who serve on the organization's board of directors, is committed to building upon the solid infrastructure of financial management, organizational efficiency, measurable community impact and mission-driven programs.

With seed funding from the Peninsula Community Foundation in 2001 and a strategic partnership with Community Foundation Silicon Valley over the past three years, the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley has been able to build its infrastructure and reach this turning point in its history.

"The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley has a long tradition of understanding and supporting the needs of the Latino community in our region," said Peter Hero, president of Community Foundation Silicon Valley. "Teresa is a dynamic leader with deep roots in our community. Her experience and reputation are what an organization like HFSV needs at this moment to leap to the next level."

Alvarado said, "HFSV's long history and reputation are key factors that attracted me to this position and are critical to the future success of the organization."

Alvarado's life-long commitment to community involvement is a family tradition. She is the daughter of Santa Clara County Supervisor Blanca Alvarado and sister of Jaime Alvarado, executive director of the Mayfair Community Initiative and co-founder of Teatro Vision. Her brother, Mike Alvarado, has been active in San Jose's Evergreen community for many years. She also has two older sisters, Leticia and Monica. Her father, Jose J. Alvarado, was a prominent radio program host and businessman in the 1940's and 1950's in San Jose.

Through her more than 20 years of involvement in a variety of nonprofit organizations in Silicon Valley, Alvarado has developed a keen understanding and grasp of nonprofit governance. She has played key leadership roles on boards of directors and committees, including as founder of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley, and board member of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, YWCA of Silicon Valley, Franklin McKinley Education Foundation, San Jose-Evergreen Community College District Foundation, and Rotary Club of San Jose.

Her involvement and commitment to the community has been recognized by California State Senator Elaine Alquist, who named her San Jose Woman of the Year in 2005, and by the NAACP of Silicon Valley which bestowed its Freedom Fighter Award to Alvarado in 2005. She was also named a Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Initiative Local Heroes Award winner in 2005.

About the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley
The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley (HFSV) cultivates philanthropy to inspire Hispanic children and families to achieve personal greatness. HFSV engages leadership and bridges resources to invest in a thriving Hispanic community. For more information, visit www.hfsv.org.

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(http://www.hfsv.org)

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May 2006

BICH THINKS BIG

By Jackie Bong Wright
Asian Fortune

Political Stand

Nguyen Ngoc Bich, chairman of the Board of National Congress of the Vietnamese Americans, didn’t waste any time catching Dennis Hastert before his visit to Vietnam.  As Vietnam strives to gather support for entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), Bich sent the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives a list of Vietnamese American concerns, and asked him to convey them to Hanoi.

Bich reminded Hastert that Vietnam is still considered a Country of Particular Concern for its poor record on religious freedom and that it is among the worst violators of human rights generally.  He asked Hastert to bring up the Vietnam law (CP/31) that allows Vietnamese local authorities to put people under house arrest, noting that the law now affects two of the country’s most prominent Buddhist leaders -- the Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang and Thich Quang Do -- as well as Dr. Nguyen Dang Que and a dozen other dissidents.  Bich also asserted that Prime Minister Phan Van Khai’s agreement to legalize the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam and Protestant “home” churches, made last year when he visited Washington, should be honored. 

Bich requested, too, that Hastert ask the government of Vietnam to put a stop to the trafficking of thousands of Vietnamese women and children to places like Cambodia, Taiwan, Thailand, and China.  He asked Hastert to urge that independent trade unions be allowed so that worker’ rights could be truly defended.  Finally, he said, freedom of expression and of the press, especially internet freedom, must be respected if Hanoi is to be given Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status before its entry into WTO.

Such letter-writing is old hat for Bich.  As a former Director of Information for the South Vietnamese Embassy in Washington (1967-1971), Nguyen Ngoc Bich became a familiar signature on letters to newspapers and government offices in the U.S. and around the world.  His task was to clear up the misperceptions and misrepresentations then circulating about the Vietnam War.

Later, as a refugee and private citizen in the U.S., he addressed himself to the same wide audience.  Since the 1980s, his op-ed pieces have appeared in such prestigious publications as The Washington Post and Washington Times, where he has commented on the forced repatriation of boat people, normalization of US-Vietnam relations, and Robert McNamara’s “nonsensical” memoirs.

Big Education, Big Goals

The product of French elementary and high schools in Vietnam, Bich went on to study at some of the world’s best-known institutions across a variety of disciplines.  He attended Princeton on a Fulbright scholarship in Political Science, Columbia University in Chinese and Japanese languages, and the Universities of Vienna and Munich in German Language and Literature.  He studied Spanish at Trinity College, and did Bi-lingual Education and Theoretical Linguistics at Georgetown.  The result is that Bich today speaks seven languages, reads about twelve, and is well versed in world politics.  Politically, he continues to be a Vietnamese nationalist.

As befits a man whose education has been broad and deep, Bich thinks big.  In 1971, he returned to Vietnam with his wife, Dao Thi Hoi, a Ph. D. in Linguistics, to open a university that would specialize in management and mass communication - important disciplines then lacking in the Vietnamese university system.  They wanted their Mekong University to train Vietnamese managers and produce what Bich called “ Vietnamese Ted Turners and Bill Gates --leaders able to communicate their ideas to the whole country so that everybody would follow.”  Their dream was shattered when Vietnam was unified three years later and the Communists confiscated the 10,000 books Bich and his wife had brought to Vietnam from the U.S.

A Renaissance Man

Paradoxically, this man of action is best known as the editor and translator of the first anthology of Vietnamese poetry in the English language.  A Thousand Years of Vietnamese Poetry, published in 1975, was done in collaboration with W.S. Mervin and Burton Raffel. One reviewer,  Dorothy Kelso, said in the Patriot Ledger, “After this, Vietnam’s voices are no longer alien… Vietnam’s voices are our own.”

Earlier, in 1969, Bich had translated into English a compilation called The Poetry of Vietnam and, the following year, the Summons of the Souls by Nguyen Du, known as Vietnam’s Shakespeare.  His translation of former Vietnamese Communist dissident Nguyen Chi Thien’s poetry led to Thien’s being nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991.  Another translated poem, Plum Branch, was set to music by Carey Creed.  A Bich-translated poem by the 15th century poet Ngo Chi Lan was anthologized in a Metropolitan Museum of Art gift book in 1992, and his translation of Du Tu Le’s poem What I leave to My Son appeared in the New York Times in 1994.   Thus, Bich’s translations have given voice in America to Vietnam’s most celebrated literary treasures.

Bich has not stopped at translations.  His essays on Vietnamese poetry have been published by the University of Illinois at Carbondale (1972) and the Asia Society (1985).  His well-known article, Vietnamese Literature Under Communism, 1945-85, was published by the Association of Asian Studies in 1986.  He has contributed articles on Southeast Asian Literature to the Funk and Wagnall’s Encyclopedia (1965 edition) and the Oxford Companion to Women’s Writing (1994).

Bich has also read poetry on radio and television throughout the U.S.  He has appeared on the NBC Today Show with Hugh Downs, the Tomorrow Show, and numerous local television programs.  He has recorded folk songs at Columbia University and presented Vietnamese music at the Folk Life Festival organized by the Smithsonian Folk Life Program

Zeroing In: Education and Community

Bich has long been involved in education, starting as a teacher of English to adult refugees in the 1970s.  In 1991, President Bush Sr. appointed him Deputy Director of the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs at the Department of Education.  He became Acting Director, overseeing a budget of $240 million, when Director Rita Esquivel left in 1992.  At Education, Bich had the chance to participate in America 2000, an ambitious program launched by President Bush and the 50 state governors.  The goal was to put the U.S. first among the advanced industrial nations by the year 2000 in English, history, geography, and, especially, mathematics and science. 

As if all that were not enough, Bich has been active in community affairs.  He helped form in late 1975 the Buddhist Congregational Church of America, which three years later built the first Vietnamese Buddhist temple in Washington, DC.  He founded the Vietnamese Parent Association.  He started the Vietnamese Senior Citizens Association.  To facilitate the exchange of educational materials and teaching methods among Vietnamese American teachers, he established the National Association for Vietnamese American Education (NAVAE).  He became active on the boards of the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans (NCVA), Boat People SOS, and the Vietnamese Cultural Association in North America (VICANA).

A Leader for Younger Generations

In 1997, Bich entered the world of radio, becoming Director of the Vietnamese Service of Radio Free Asia (RFA).  Funded by Congress, RFA is similar to Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, recognized for helping bringing down Communism in Europe.

Bich brought his own, open approach to RFA, giving Vietnamese Communist officials and others the chance to express themselves in a democratic way so audiences could have access to a variety of ideas.  Listeners heard about hot-button topics like women, youth, religion and education from commentators across the political spectrum.  Although Bich retired from RFA a couple of years ago, he has not slowed down.  He spends 12 to 14 hours a day editing and publishing books, and sitting on the boards of a number of non-profit organizations.  He also writes, does research, and travels to deliver speeches around the U.S. and overseas.

Bich says he feels now is the time to start passing the torch to younger generations.  One way is through the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans (NCVA), which he founded 20 years ago and chairs today.  Second-generation member Hung Nguyen became the organization’s president in 2004.  The primary focus is to train young students and professionals in leadership development, service to the community and participation in the public and policy sectors.  Past participants come from the U.S., England and Australia to attend NCVA’s annual Vietnamese American Youth Leadership Conference. They have time to interact with legislators and government officials and enjoy a Gala Dinner featuring special speakers who inspire their young audiences.

To Nguyen Ngoc Bich, the last word, “NCVA’s best accomplishment was the transfer of leadership from the older generations to the younger generation through a democratic process.”

(http://www.asianfortune.com/may06/articles/NguyenNgocBich%20profile.htm)

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May 3, 2006

VIRGINIA PRINCIPAL ISSUES APOLOGY FOR REMARKS
Linking Ethnicity and Cheating Was Wrong, Fairfax Leader Says

By Maria Glod
Washington Post Staff Writer

The outgoing principal of Fairfax County's elite Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology has apologized to students, parents and teachers for linking ethnicity to stealing and cheating by some students.

In a one-page letter, printed this week in the monthly Parent, Teacher and Student Association newsletter, Principal Elizabeth V. Lodal raised several other issues at the county's flagship high school, writing that the school needs to do more to prevent cheating and help students cope with stress in the high-pressure academic environment.

Lodal, 62, has announced that she will retire in July after heading the school for six years. Thomas Jefferson, considered one of the top schools in the nation, is a magnet school that accepts students from Northern Virginia. Students from Fairfax as well as most nearby school districts compete for admission.

In the letter, Lodal said she was discussing theft and cheating in March at a PTSA meeting and "identified the ethnicity of the students who were caught and the percentage of these students who were involved with disciplinary issues in early 2006."

Lodal, who began her career in Fairfax schools in the 1970s and has been principal at three other schools, would not describe exactly what she said, but a teacher who attended the meeting and several parents who met with Lodal afterward said she noted that several of the offenders are Asian.

"I violated my own core values," Lodal said in the letter. "I sincerely and unequivocally believe that ethnicity has absolutely no relationship to ethics or behavior. . . . The appearance of bias is inappropriate in any setting, especially an educational one."

Lodal said in an interview that the incident was not a factor in her decision to retire. She provided a copy of the letter to The Washington Post, but she declined to discuss the extent of the cheating and theft problems at the school. Fairfax County schools spokesman Paul Regnier said discipline problems at the school have involved "a small number of incidents and a small number of students," but he said he could not elaborate because of privacy concerns.

Richard Shin, whose son attends Thomas Jefferson, was among the parents who said he thought Lodal unfairly associated bad behavior with Asian students. But he said she apologized in a meeting with Asian parents and that he and others were satisfied.

"She admitted it was a big mistake that she made and that she values diversity," Shin said. "She was very sincere, and everyone felt that."

Some teachers and school board members noted that Lodal has been a strong supporter of increasing minority enrollment at the school and said her comment was an innocent mistake. They also said Lodal has encouraged ethics education and urged students to be involved in the community.

Jim Jarvis, a geosystems teacher who said he admires Lodal, said he thinks the principal used "poor phraseology" but intended to highlight isolated incidents of cheating to send a message to students and parents.

"I think with some kids it's probably a pretty significant problem, but with the bulk of our kids, it's an issue we don't encounter," Jarvis said. "But there's a perception here that if we don't address it, it will grow. That's what the principal has done, said it can't be ignored."

As the school district launches a nationwide search to replace Lodal, the tumult surrounding her retirement illustrates the kind of scrutiny any administrator at Thomas Jefferson will face.

"TJ is very high pressure," said School Board member Kaye Kory (Mason). "It's like working in a fishbowl. It's an extremely demanding student body and parents and a constant flow of distinguished visitors."

When the job was last open, in 2000, Lodal emerged from retirement to temporarily fill the slot. After an 18-month search that included the hiring of a $20,000 headhunter, she was named principal.

Lodal supported a 2004 School Board decision to change the magnet school's admissions policy in an effort to increase minority enrollment. At the time, some parents worried that the shift could lower the school's standards. In addition, some parents say they are concerned that the school is watering down its math and technology focus.

The school is about 61 percent white, 30 percent Asian, 2 percent Hispanic, 1.2 percent black and 5 percent other ethnicities. The school has 1,738 students.

Already, parents are weighing in about what characteristics they think Lodal's successor should have.

"Mrs. Lodal was primarily interested in changing the racial composition of the student body and promoting social sciences," said Louise Epstein, a PTSA member whose daughter attends the school. "I hope the next principal will have more background in math, science and technology and will shift the focus in that direction."

Lodal said she has been nominated by Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) to serve as a delegate on the Education Commission of the States, a nationwide group that tracks trends in education policy and holds seminars for educators.

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/02/AR2006050201589.html)

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May 4, 2006

COMMISSION CITES FIVE ASIAN NATIONS FOR LACK OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Burma, North Korea, China, Vietnam, Indonesia violate "universal rights"

By Jane Morse
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Five East Asian nations have been named by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for "egregious violations of the universal right to freedom of religion or belief."

Burma, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), China and Vietnam were designated for 2006 as  "countries of particular concern" (CPCs) in the report USCIRF submits each year to the U.S. secretary of state.

Other nations included in the 2006 list of CPCs are Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Eritrea, Iran and Pakistan.  USCIRF also placed Indonesia on its "Watch List," along with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia and Nigeria.

The 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) requires that the United States designate as CPCs those countries whose governments have engaged in or tolerated systematic and egregious violations of the universal right to freedom of religion or belief.  The work of identifying these countries is done by the USCIRF, an independent, bipartisan U.S. government agency established under the IRFA.

The designation of CPCs not only puts a spotlight on those countries where the most severe violations take place, but also lays the groundwork for important decisions in U.S. relations with these countries.

The commission also develops a "Watch List" of countries guilty of lesser abuses of religious freedom.  In these countries, conditions do not rise to the statutory level requiring CPC designation but require close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by the governments.

CHINA

The commission made its first official visit to China in 2005 and determined that the government continues to be responsible for "pervasive and severe" violations of religious freedom and related human rights. "

In the letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that accompanied the USCIRF's 2006 report, Michael Cromartie, the USCIRF chair, wrote:  "Every religious community in China is subject to serious restrictions, state control, and repression.  The most severe religious freedom abuses are directed against Tibetan Buddhists, Uighur Muslims, Roman Catholics, house church and unregistered Protestants, and spiritual groups such as the Falun Gong."

Abuses against members of these religious communities include imprisonment and torture, Cromartie wrote.

Even though the Chinese government issued a new Ordinance on Religion in March 2005, its provisions, in fact, restrict rather than protect religious freedom, offering government leaders more extensive control over all religious groups and their activities, Cromartie reported.

Cromartie also noted that Beijing continues to disregard its international obligations to protect North Korean refugees within its borders who face persecution on their return.

For more information on U.S. policies, see The United States and China.

BURMA

Suppression of human rights and religious freedom has gone from bad to worse in Burma, the report says.   The military junta uses a pervasive internal security apparatus to monitor the activities of all religious organizations.  Religious minorities have been subjected to violence.

For more information on U.S. policies, see U.S. Support for Democracy in Burma.

NORTH KOREA

USCIRF found that there are "virtually no personal freedoms in North Korea and no protections for universal human rights."  Those discovered engaging in clandestine religious activity, the report found, have been arrested, imprisoned, tortured and sometimes executed.

"Religious belief of any kind is viewed by the government as a potential competitor to the forcefully propagated cult of personality centered on Kim Jong Il and his late father, Kim Il Sung," according to Cromartie.

For more information on U.S. policies, see The U.S. and the Korean Peninsula.

VIETNAM

The government of Vietnam, the report says, continues to harass, detain, imprison and discriminate against leaders and practitioners of all religious communities.

Although the Vietnamese government, in response to its designation as a CPC, has released a number of prominent religious prisoners, reopened some churches and officially outlawed forced renunciations of faith, serious abuses continue.

Among those most targeted, according to the report, are Montagnard and Hmong Protestants, Vietnamese Mennonites, followers of Hoa Hao Buddhism and leaders of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.

INDONESIA STAYS ON THE "WATCH LIST"

The USCIRF study found that the religious freedom has increased somewhat in Indonesia since 2002.  But the commission remains concerned about "ongoing sectarian violence and the Indonesian government's inability or unwillingness to hold those responsible to account," according to Cromartie.

The commission cited as troubling the forcible closures of worship buildings belonging to religious minorities and the growing political power and influence of religious extremists, who harass and sometimes instigate violence against moderate Muslim leaders and members of religious minorities.  In the past year, a Hindu temple was bombed in Central Sulawesi and mobs attacked an Ahmadiyah compound in West Java several times.

For information on U.S. policies, see International Religious Freedom and East Asia and the Pacific.

For additional information, see the State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report for 2005 on the department’s Web site.

The full text (PDF, 260 pages) of the 2006 Annual Report is available on the USCIRF Web site.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)


U.S. policy on International Religious Freedom
(http://usinfo.state.gov/dhr/human_rights/intl_religious_freedom.html)

U.S. policy on East Asia and the Pacific
(http://usinfo.state.gov/eap)

State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report for 2005
(http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005)

Full USCIRF Report
(http://www.uscirf.gov/countries/publications/currentreport/2006annualRpt.pdf)

 (http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=May&x=20060504161811ajesrom0.3567469&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html)

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May 8, 2006

A NEW LANDFILL IN NEW ORLEANS SETS OFF A BATTLE

By Leslie Eaton

 NEW ORLEANS — Block after block, neighborhood after neighborhood, tens of thousands of hurricane-ravaged houses here rot in the sun, still waiting to be gutted or bulldozed. Now officials have decided where several million tons of their remains will be dumped: in man-made pits at the swampy eastern edge of town, out by the coffee-roasting plant and the space-shuttle factory and the big wildlife refuge.

But more than a thousand Vietnamese-American families live less than two miles from the edge of the new landfill. And they are far from pleased at having the moldering remains of a national disaster plunked down nearby, alongside the canal that flooded their neighborhood when Hurricane Katrina surged through last year.

Environmental groups are also angry, accusing local and federal officials of ignoring or circumventing their own regulations, long after the immediate emergency has ended. The same thing happened after Hurricane Betsy in 1965, they warn, and that dump ended up becoming a Superfund site.

The new landfill, known as Chef Menteur after the highway that borders it, sits across a canal from Bayou Sauvage, the largest urban wildlife refuge in the country, with 23,000 acres of marshland, canals and lagoons that are home to herons, egrets, alligators and, in the fall, tens of thousands of migratory ducks.

Nonetheless, the landfill lacks some of the safeguards that existing dumps do, like special clay liners. The government says they are not needed because demolition debris is cleaner than other rubbish.

Residents and environmentalists think otherwise, because after Hurricane Katrina the state expanded the definition of construction and demolition debris to include most of a house's contents, down to the moldy mattresses and soggy sofas.

"It's essentially the guts of your house, all your personal possessions," said Joel Waltzer, a lawyer representing landfill opponents. "Electronics, personal-care products, cleaning solutions, pesticides, fertilizers, bleach."

State officials say that the new landfill is safe and that they are simply moving quickly to protect public health and the environment, using techniques that did not exist 40 years ago. The new site was chosen to speed up the cleanup, they say, because the debris will not have to be hauled far. The state estimates that 7.2 million tons of hurricane debris remains to be cleaned up; the Chef Menteur landfill will take 2.6 million tons.

"You cannot rebuild until you clean up," said Chuck Carr Brown, an assistant secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, which provided a permit for the landfill. "I'm still in the eye of the storm."

The state has agreed to do some extra monitoring of groundwater, Dr. Brown said. But it has determined "there's nothing toxic, nothing hazardous," he continued. "There will be no impact" on the community, which is sometimes called Versailles.

Like so many disputes that have erupted since the hurricane, this one involves some highly charged issues: politics, money, history and race. Not to mention a highly developed distrust of government that almost all Louisianians now seem to share.

Unlike most residents of eastern New Orleans, the Vietnamese have returned, rebuilt and drawn up elaborate plans for their 30-year-old community's future. Now they feel unwelcome, said the Rev. Vien thé Nguyen, the pastor of Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church and a leader in the fight against the landfill, which opened on April 26.

"They're threatening our very existence," Father Vien said of the government agencies that approved the dump site, which residents fear will tower 80 feet or more above their neighborhood, dwarfing the new church they are planning to build, once the Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers are gone from the site.

Father Vien said he was particularly worried about the quality of water in the canal and the lagoon that run through the neighborhood of tidy brick houses. Residents use that water on the tiny waterside gardens that supply the community with sugar cane and bitter melon and Vietnamese varieties of vegetables, he said.

He and his parishioners are particularly angry at Mayor C. Ray Nagin, who in February used emergency powers to waive zoning regulations for the landfill.

"Maybe we're not the right kind of people he wanted to return," Father Vien said. Neither the mayor nor his staff responded to requests for response to the priest's comments.

The state and the Army Corps of Engineers, which is handling cleanup in the city, say that without the dump, the cleanup would take much longer. The existing dumps would not be able to process all the debris fast enough, officials say, and are too far from the blighted buildings.

And the need for the new dump will only increase, they say, as the cleanup progresses. Maurice Falk, the corps official in charge of the cleanup, said at a federal court hearing last week that only 115 houses have been demolished so far.

Given that slow pace, critics question why the landfill had to be opened so quickly, before environmental studies were prepared and the community was consulted. The community would be willing to negotiate a compromise and do its part in the cleanup of the city, said Kelly H. Tran, who lives in the Vietnamese enclave and with her husband runs a construction company that has been fixing damaged houses.

But, she continued, "It's not fair for us to have no voice in this big decision, this critical decision."

State officials said they had reviewed the site for a landfill in the past, when political opposition had blocked it, and now simply could not wait two or three months to get through the public comment period. But on April 28, after the opposition was in full cry, the state and the corps put out a notice soliciting public comment on the landfill.

If residents or opponents "have something we missed, we'll address it," said Mike D. McDaniel, the secretary of the State Department of Environmental Quality. As for those who argue that there is no emergency involved, he disagrees. "Some people can't seem to understand this is not business as usual," he said.

Environmental groups are not happy. Adam Babich, director of the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic, said government agencies in the region had never been vigilant about complying with environmental regulations but had been especially lax since the storm. This attitude is most apparent, he said, when it comes to landfills. In nearby Plaquemines Parish, a longtime dispute over a landfill has flared up because the dump is taking in Hurricane Katrina debris.

And sparring continues over the Old Gentilly landfill, an old-fashioned, unlined dump that the state closed in 1986 but reopened after the hurricane. It is now accepting a limited amount of debris after a suit was filed by the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, one of the groups represented by Mr. Waltzer, and it was criticized in a report commissioned by FEMA.

The fight over the new landfill is by no means over, Father Vien said. On April 27 he was showing visitors the site — and admiring the alligators gliding through the adjacent Maxent Canal — when he got the news from Mr. Waltzer that a federal judge had refused to issue a temporary injunction against the dump.

At first he seemed stunned. "I cannot believe that," he repeated several times.

Then he rallied.

"The game is not over," he said. "It just started, actually."

(http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/08/us/08landfill.html)

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

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