OCA - Orange County Chapter

Hello Everyone,
There are not many new updates this week, but I just want to remind everyone of the upcoming events. We have the OCA National Convention coming up at the end of the month. I know it is out in Washington, DC but for those of you who are able to make it, I think it will be a very educational and fun experience. I have heard many good things about the event and this year will be my first time attending it so I am really looking forward to it. Also, we have the Bowsers Museum event in September. For those who have never seen the Terra Cotta Warriors, this is an event you definitely will not want to miss. Finally, we are participating in HKASC’s mixer on July 24th which will showcase OCA-OC so that’s would be a good event to attend. Finally, I want to note the NAAAP Convention event that’s taking place toward the end of August. It is being organized by one of our very one board members, Jhemon Lee who has been a vital role to OCA-OC’s operations. The event will take place in Los Angeles and will span across the entire weekend with workshops, events, banquets, and a career fair so there’s definitely something for everyone. I strongly encourage everyone to attend if you have no prior engagements. It takes places every year but hardly in a location as close as Los Angeles so don’t miss this opportunity to check it out.

Also, I just want to mention that there have been layout changes to the newsletter and I would appreciate any input on the new look and how you think it can be improved or what you like about it. Our board runs on positive reinforcement so any comments, good or bad are welcome and encouraged.
——————————————————————————–
As a kind reminder to our members, OCA-OC officers are here to help you so feel free to contact us anytime. I am easily accessible through e-mail at yaolee@gmail.com. As you can see, the newsletter is constantly changing and always a work in progress. I am open to hearing from you regarding any topic: from our website and newsletters to suggestions you may have for our organization to how you can get more involved with OCA-OC. We are always looking for energetic individuals to help achieve our mission in empowering the Asian American voice in the Orange County and national community. The information found on this newsletter can also be found on our website here.

OCA News

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICANS SET TO JOIN OCA IN NATION’S CAPITAL TO CELEBRATE 35th ANNIVERSARY
OCA’s National Convention to be held in Washington, DC, from July 31 through August 3, 2008

WASHINGTON DC - OCA, a national Asian Pacific American organization with over 80 chapters and college affiliates around the country dedicated to advancing the political, social, and economic well-being of APAs, is proud to announce that its 2008 Annual National Convention will be taking place in Washington, DC, from Thursday, July 31 through Sunday, August 3. This year is OCA’s 35th anniversary.

“The theme of this year’s convention is Voices for Progress: Celebrating 35 Years of Leadership and Commitment. We will take this opportunity not only to look back on OCA’s achievements, but also to focus on our vision for OCA and its role in the APA community for the next 35 years,” said Ginny Gong, OCA National President, “We hope you will be able to join us for this remarkable and memorable event.”

This annual event draws over a thousand Asian Pacific Americans from around the country and is one of the largest gatherings of APAs in the US. This year the convention features three days of workshops; exhibits and a career fair; a community health fair; an authors’ forum; the OCA Gala Awards Banquet; and special programs for APIA youth and college student leaders, corporate employees, entrepreneurs, and seniors.

OCA will also honor members of the Asian Pacific American community, including this year’s OCA Pioneer Award recipients: Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Arthur Dong, “Father of American Tae Kwon Do” Grand Master Jhoon Rhee, OCA founder KL Wong, and actress Nancy Kwan (invited). OCA will also recognize the achievements of its own members with the Chapter of the Year Award and the Unsung Hero volunteer awards.

The workshops, exhibits, career fair, and community health fair are free and open to the public. College, youth and senior activities are free but are open to a limited number of registered participants. Interested parties should contact the OCA National Center at oca@ocanational.org This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or 202 223 5500. Tickets for all meals and special events, including the Gala Awards Banquet, are available for purchase online at www.ocanational.org. A full listing of all events is online. Early registration closes July 20, 2007. The conference will take place at the Hilton Washington in Washington, DC.

——————————————————————————–

OCA RECEIVES NEW INTERNSHIP FUNDING FROM THE COMCAST FOUNDATION
WASHINGTON DC - OCA, a national organization with over 80 chapters and college affiliates across the country dedicated to ensuring social justice for Asian Pacific Americans, is proud to announce that the Comcast Foundation has provided funding for the OCA Summer Internship Program in 2008.

“The OCA Internship program is one of OCA’s signature programs. Every year, we bring about 30 college students to Washington, DC, to work at the highest levels of the public sector. Our interns have gone on to become leaders in business, government, and their communities,” said Ginny Gong, OCA National President, “Nurturing youth leadership is one of OCA’s major program areas, and we are excited to be working with Comcast to continue this very successful program.”

Comcast will fund seven highly motivated and accomplished college students to participate in the OCA Internship Program, including a special Intern Day hosted by Comcast. The interns will be placed at such agencies as: Department of Justice, Department of Energy, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Interns have also been placed at Congressional offices and at partner organizations from the NAACP, NEA to APIA Vote. In addition, interns participate in weekly brown-bag lunches and OCA’s annual National Convention.

“We are proud to support this unique internship program for Asian Pacific American community members,” said Susan Gonzales, Vice President of the Comcast Foundation. “The OCA intern program provides outstanding training and education necessary to support the growth of our future leaders.”

“The OCA Internship program is one of the largest and longest-running programs of its kind,” said Michael Lin, OCA Executive Director, “We are dedicated to continuing to reach out to the next generation of leaders and providing opportunities for them to gain experience in Washington, DC. Comcast’s support of the program will certainly help us bring this program to the next level.”
——————————————————————————–

OCA Announces 2008 OCA/GM Unsung Heroes Awardees
Washington DC- OCA, a national organization with over 80 chapters and college affiliates across the country dedicated to ensuring social justice for Asian Pacific Americans, is proud to announce its 2007-2008 OCA/General Motors Unsung Heroes.

“We are honored to give the Unsung Heroes Award to ten OCA members whose tireless efforts, inspiring attitude, and generosity of spirit strengthen and build the APA community,” said Ginny Gong, OCA National President, “The Awards, created with generous support from General Motors Corporation, recognize our members for their hard work and dedication to OCA’s mission of advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans.

The awardees will be recognized at a presentation ceremony during the OCA Gala Awards Banquet. The Awards Banquet will be held on August 2, 2008, during OCA’s National Convention and 35th Anniversary Celebration in Washington, DC. All OCA members, except OCA Chapter Presidents, Executive Council members and National Staff, are eligible for this award.

“GM highly values volunteerism, and is committed to sponsoring organizations and programs that support the Asian American community. We are proud to sponsor the OCA/GM Unsung Heroes Award for the eighth year to bring recognition to deserving individuals working for the betterment of the Asian American community,” said Roderick Gillum, Vice President, GM Corporate Responsibility and Diversity

“The Unsung Heroes are the individuals who are diligently working behind the scenes, but who have inspiring stories that deserve to be shared,” said Michael Lin, OCA Executive Director, “OCA wishes to recognize them for the work they have done that has led to OCA and Asian Pacific Americans becoming a visible and integral part of their communities.”

The 2007-2008 Unsung Heroes Awardees are as follows:

Ken and Maricel B. Avelino (OCA-Greater Sacramento) are a powerful duo. Together, they produced OCA’s 2007 National Convention in Sacramento. Maricel’s theme for the convention “Light the Torch for the Next Generation” was prevalent throughout the event. The convention celebrated the APA community through an emphasis on unity and culture and was a huge success

Ann and Howard Chan ( OCA-Long Island) have been members of their OCA chapter for over 30 years, and recently became top fundraisers for the OCA-LI Gala. Ann has been Vice-President of Programming for the past five years, working hard nominating honorees for the annual galas, and programming meetings and events in the APA community.

Jerry S.Y. Cheng (OCA- New York) has served as President, Executive Vice-President and Treasurer of OCA- New York, and is currently a chapter board member. Jerry was very active in building up the Advisory Council and encouraging young professionals to sit on the advisory board. Jerry has also been able to successfully reach across lines, build coalitions with other organizations in the APA community, which has been a huge asset to the chapter

Phoenix Y. Cheng (OCA-Pittsburgh) has been an OCA member for over twenty years and has served as treasurer for much of that time. Phoenix helped reconstruct the chapter’s income statements, a daunting task that she accomplished diligently. As treasurer, she oversees many of OCA-Pittsburgh’s events and is also responsible for the General Fund, Youth Fund, Senior Fund, Cultural Fund, and United Way Fund. Her attention to detail and willingness to commit is unmatched.

Wallace S.J. Ching (OCA-Hawaii) has dedicated his life to public service. In 2006, when Wallace was president of OCA-Hawaii, the affordable housing that his father had dedicated much of his life to was being threatened with closure, and Wallace launched a strong campaign to keep it from being destroyed. He has made his life about giving back to the community in meaningful and concrete ways, strengthening both the OCA-Hawaii chapter and our community.

Mike Fong (OCA-Greater Los Angeles) is currently the community relations director for his chapter and has done a tremendous job fundraising for and organizing numerous events. Michael has gone full-force into the community to get people involved with and motivated about events, and was a member of several planning committees, organized raffle tickets, and helped to coordinate the silent auction for the OCA-GLA’s annual Image Awards.

Julie Hwang (OCA- Dallas/Fort Worth) has been an OCA member for six years and is currently a chapter board member and VP Secretary. She started her work with OCA as a facilitator for the youth leadership conference. She is now heavily involved in OCA events such as Feed the Homeless, PBS pledge drive, and the Junior Leadership Seminar. She is the editor and creator of the annual Lunar Program Book.

David Lai Len (OCA-New Jersey) is the chapter’s newsletter editor and has produced outstanding work, earning the chapter First Place in Chapter Excellence Award in Communication. He has also focused on raising awareness about human trafficking and for three consecutive years, he organized the OCA-New Jersey Human Trafficking Seminar. He also founded the Robert E. Wone Memorial Scholarship, which awards a scholarship to the winner of the OCA-New Jersey Asian American Essay Contest.

Wade W. Loo (OCA-San Mateo) has been a long-time member who never fails to help with dinners, mixers, scholarship luncheons, and Achievement Awards Galas. He is also the driving force behind the chapter’s annual Gala and works tirelessly on numerous tasks. He has been an invaluable asset in putting on events and organizing and motivating strong teams to help with OCA-San Mateo functions

Xiaochun Luo (OCA-Westchester/Hudson Valley) is the executive Vice President of OCA-Westchester/Hudson Valley chapter. She has worked hard to forge a strong relationship with Families with Children from China and volunteers for their events. Xiaochun served as the OCA Dynamic Achiever Award gala chair and meticulously planned the event and was very successful at fundraising, registering over 1,000 people for their Lunar New Year event.

Founded in 1973 as the Organization of Chinese Americans, OCA is a national organization dedicated to the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States.

Additional News
Historic Presidential Town Hall Available to be Viewed on You Tube & APIAVote Web site
Due to popular demand, APIAVote uploaded via You Tube the Presidential Town Hall event that featured Presidential Candidates as well as several performances emceed by Tamlyn Tomita.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders made history on May 17th at the first APIAVote Presidential Town Hall, where Senator Hillary Clinton attended via live satellite feed, and Senator Barack Obama attended via teleconference. The Town Hall drew approximately 1,800 attendees, and an additional 2,800 joined the Town Hall online, according to online streaming partners ImDiversity.com and Punjabi Community Hour.

“This dialogue that unites our national leaders to our issues is just the beginning,” APIAVote interim executive director Vida Benavides said. “We would like to continue the conversation with our national candidates in the years and elections to come, not only when candidates campaign, but more importantly, when they have been elected to office.”

“The questions we had for Senators Clinton, Obama, and McCain reflect the diverse needs and disparities among our communities, and we certainly hope that they realize the growing strength and ability of how we vote accordingly based on these issues,” APIAVote co-chair Noe Kalipi stated. “We also anticipate that they increase their efforts to reach out to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Our votes are 3 million strong and growing steadily, and we are a permanent and increasingly influential fixture in the American electoral process.”

The Democratic Presidential Candidates addressed policy questions posed to them by local and national members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, including Doua Thor (Southeast Asian Resource Action Center), Napali Woode (Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement), MaryAnne Foo (Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Alliance). Senator McCain did not participate due to scheduling conflicts, and was represented by California State Representative Van Tran.

Photos and videos of the Town Hall are available at www.apiavote.org and www.youtube.com/apiavotenational. Clips online feature all of the Town Hall content including the presidential candidate portion and performances by Beau Sia, Camille Velasco, and Kaba Modern Legacy.

APIAVote is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that encourages and promotes civic participation of Asian Pacific Islander Americans in the electoral and public policy processes at the national, state and local levels. For more information about APIAVote, please visit www.apiavote.org.

Upcoming OCA-OC Events

OCA-OC invites you to join us at
HKASC’s 6th Summer Mixer
July 24, 2008
6:00pm - 8:30pm
Irvine Marriott Hotel
18000 Von Karman Avenue, Irvine CA 92612
Price: Members of HKASC or co-operating organizations - $15
Non-members/at the door - $20

Join us to meet and network with other association members and your potential business partners. Attendees will have a chance to win the Grand Raffle Prize, a roundtrip air ticket between Los Angeles/Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific Airways, with a Harbor Cruise in Hong Kong

For information on attending, please follow this link or e-mail any OCA-OC officers/board of directors or e-mail HKASC at info@hkasc.org.

——————————————————————————–

OCA National Convention
July 31st - August 2nd, 2008
Hilton Washington
1919 Connecticut Ave NW (At T St)
Washington DC
Price: Varies

We are pleased to announce the 2008 OCA National Convention and 35th Anniversary Celebration which will take place this year in Washington DC.
This event is a great opportunity for OCA-OC advocates to reach out to OCA on the national level. They will be providing many helpful workshops as well as hosting wonderful meals throughout the convention. There events are included with registration for the convention or can be attended a la carte. Some events will be free as well.
For more information, visit the website.
Convention flyer can be found here.

——————————————————————————–

OCA-OC presents
Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor
at Bowers Museum

September 5, 2008
4pm, 5pm, 6pm
Bowers Museum
2002 N Main Street, Santa Ana CA

The Bowers Museum offers free admissions on Friday nights for up to 100 visitors per hour at 4, 5, and 6pm. For a limited time only, Bowers Museum presents the largest exhibit of Emperor Qin’s Terracotta Army ever seen outside of China. This Terracotta army of soldiers, servants, musicians, acrobats, and animals silently remained underground for two thousand years. Until, in 1974, Chinese farmers digging a well made the startling discovery of a terracotta head.

Now is your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see one of the 20th century’s greatest archaeological finds, often referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the Ancient World.

Members and those interested: Please join us for casual dinner afterwards at the GREEN PARROT CAFÉ at 7:30pm directly across from the museum. Please RSVP for dinner by 9/1/08.

Green Parrot Cafe: 2035 N Main St, Santa Ana CA

For additional information, please contact Betty Chu at BettyC@oca-oc.org

Upcoming Community Events

YGAP Beach Day
July 19th, 2008
11:00am - 4:00pm
Location: Huntington Beach, State Beach-side
Price: $10 non-YGAP members before July 17th and prepay
$15 non-YGAP members before June 27th and pay on-site
$20 non-YGAP members day of event
Summer is here! Can’t wait to hit the beach to get a cool breeze and a tan? Play some beach volleyball and other games! YGAP will provide lunch, snacks and drinks. All you need to bring is yourself and beach necessities (i.e. sun block, towel, beach umbrella, change of clothes).

The event will take place at the tables (and volleyball courts) closest to Newland St and Pacific Coast Highway, around tower 11. Look for the blue canopy! RSVP here.

For more information about the event, contact Ted at ted@ygap.org.
——————————————————————————–

NAAAP National Convention
August 21-24th, 2008
Location: Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is proud to be the host of the 22nd Annual National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) Convention & Diversity Career Fair, which boasts the theme, “Leadership: Rising and Shining Stars.”

The NAAAP National Convention will include a two-day diversity career fair, more than 20 workshops focused on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, diversity and community service, over 45 national and local workshop speakers, inspiring keynote speakers, Friday and Saturday dinner galas, valuable networking, and exciting entertainment.

SPEAKERS AND WORKSHOPS

Year after year, NAAAP has been graced with many high profile individuals who have donated their time and energy to speak and inspire our community. Confirmed speakers this year include:

Mike Honda, United States Congressman
John Chiang, California State Controller
Scott Oki, philanthropist, former Senior Vice President, Microsoft
Kelly Hu, Actress
Coco Lee, Singer
Members of the band Linkin Park
J.D. Hokoyama and LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics)
Workshop and Panel Topics will include:

Leadership for the 21st Century
How ERGs and BRGs are Good for the Bottom Line
Non-Profits: How to Really Get Involved
Asian Americans Breaking into the Entertainment Industry
How to Work with the Media
Open Space Technology
Going for the Gold: Asian Americans in Sports
Negotiations with a Killer Attitude
Conflict and Dispute Resolution
Financing Your Small Business
CAREER FAIR

This year’s diversity career fair will take place in the California Showroom of the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles on August 22 and 23 from 9 AM to 5 PM.

Exhibitors include:

ARAMARK
Dell
Microsoft
Raytheon
Safeco Insurance
Sodexo
Wachovia Bank
Coors Brewing Company
McDonald’s
State Farm Insurance Company
The Coca Cola Company
Sun Microsystems
UPS
and many more!
Admission to the career fair is free. Simply register http://www.naaap.org/careers, attend the fair and land your dream career!
Please visit our convention website for additional information and registration!

Scholarship Opportunities
The Southern California Institute of Technology is offering two scholarship programs for qualified low-income individuals to get an education at no cost to them. The two curriculums offered through the scholarships are: Accounting Specialist, and Business Administration. It is a 7-month program and our Job Placement Department help to place students with companies local to the Orange/Los Angeles/Riverside Counties. Students may also continue their education to achieve a Bachelor of Science Degree (All programs). SCIT is fully accredited and has been in business in the city of Anaheim for over 21 years. Please contact Trinh Dang, admissions counselor for Vietnamese students at SCIT by phone at (714) 300-0300 ext 216. More information can be found on their website: www.scit-scu.edu/
Additional Opportunities
2009-2010 OCA Executive Council Nominations
OCA’s Nominations Committee is currently accepting nominations for those interested in running for a 2009-2010 Executive Council position in the October 2008 election. The eligibility requirements, official duties, and term conditions of the Executive Council members are available from our Bylaws which will be provided upon request from any of the OCA-OC officers/board of directors. No nominations will be accepted after September 1, 2008.

If you are interested, please contact one of the following members of the Nominations Committee:
Virginia Ng ( New Jersey), Chairperson, virginialou@yahoo.com
Joyce Eng (Greater Sacramento), jeng916@sbcglobal.net
Jhemon Lee (Orange County/Inland Empire), jhemon@post.harvard.edu (Our very own Board member)
Winnie Tang ( South Florida), winnievhtang@aol.com
David Yao (Greater Washington, DC), davidyao@patriot.net

This is your opportunity to help guide and shape OCA as we enter our next 35 years of leadership and commitment. We hope you will consider running for an office on the OCA Executive Council!