| Founded in 1973, the OCA is a national 501(c)(3)
non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization dedicated to securing
the rights of Asian Pacific Americans through initiatives at all levels
of the government.
http://www.oca-stl.org info@oca-stl.org OCA-STL P.O. Box 4151 Chesterfield, MO 63006 If you are visiting Washington DC, make sure to check out our national building at OCA National Center 1322 18th Street NW Washington, DC 20036 | Introduction Welcome
to our fourth quarter newsletter. We are excited to be bringing
you future, current, and past news that OCA has been involved. Our
current president, board members, and advisors are hard at work to bring
you great events to the Asian community. If you have any ideas,
suggestions, or questions, please send an email to info@oca-stl.org. Upcoming Events
|
May 12th 2011
Boeing Asian American Professional Association (BAAPA) celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May
Every year, BAAPA celebrates the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May with fellow Boeing employees by hosting a cultural event. This year they will be hosting the “Asian American Expo” at the Boeing campus. The purpose is to increase awareness about Asian Pacific Americans and foster a more inclusive and diverse workplace environment.
April 21st 2011
MAABA/Mound City Bar Association Unity Dinner
The Missouri Asian American Bar Association, the Mound City Bar Association, and the Missouri Bar
will have their eleventh annual unity dinner. Expected attendees include OCA President Eling Lam and VP Thong Tarm along with Missouri Supreme Court Justices and
many business leaders.
April 3rd 2011
SB390 public hearing
The SB390 (Aerotropolis Tax Credit) is a proposed bill that will provide significant impact to future economic development for the St. Louis region.
Senators, Eric Schmitt, John Lamping, and Maria Chappelle-Nadal will be on hand to discuss with Asian American leaders on the bill what is at stake.
Past Events
March 20th
Discussion on the formation of an Asian American Chamber of Commerce
With the passion and drive from the Asian community, a group of Asian American leaders met to discuss the formation of a chamber of commerce.
Missouri Asian American Bar Association President Alex Lee led and organized the meeting. Over 30 interested parties attended the meeting.
They include the Korean Association members, OCA, MAABA, Indian American Association, and the Chinese Association.
March 19th
OCA welcome the new President of the Missouri Botanical Garden
OCA-St. Louis, Korean Association, Japanese American Citizens League, Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans, and the Missouri
Asian American Bar Association welcome Dr. Peter Wyse Jackson as the new President of the Garden.
Each leader of their organization was able to introduce themselves and briefly
discuss how they can work with Dr. Jackson on his goals and objectives for the garden.
March 7th Midwest China Hub Discussion with potential candidates
Asian Leaders from the St. Louis metro area met up to discuss potential candidates as a representative for the Midwest China Hub.
This was a continuation from the March 2nd meeting.
The three candidates who were interested in serving
as a representative to the MCHC were discussed and
interviewed. Their profiles has been submitted to the
St. Louis County Executive for his review.
March 4th
OCA and Rockwood School District - Partners in Education
Former OCA St. Louis President, Dr. Fung visited the students at Rockwood South Middle School to discuss Chinese culture.
About 30 students listen to the presentation he provided.
March 2nd
Midwest China Hub Discussion with the Commission members
St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley invited Asian American leaders to participate in a community discussion.
The Chairman of the Commission, Mike Jones brought on several points as to what has progressed and what more work that needs to be done.
One of the item Mr. Dooley would like to happen, is to select a representative from the community. This representative will be the voice and help
relay the information from his office to the Asian community. A follow up
meeting between the leaders in the community will provide a list of candidates.
February 19th OCA celebrate the Lunar New Year!
This year's celebration was a great success and
brought out more people than ever. Former KSDK news anchor, Rebecca Wu was
the master of ceremonies and OCA National President Ken Lee was the
keynote speaker. He spoke about his family immigrating to America and
his 35 year tenure at UPS. At UPS, he became the first Asian American to attain
the title of Vice President and was one of the highest ranked Asian Pacific Americans at the
company. This year's Youth Leadership Award winner was Dee Luo, a junior at Clayton High School, for her academic
excellence and community volunteering. St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley
invited Asian community leaders to attend a meeting on March 2nd to discuss about the Midwest China Hub.
He also provided an opportunity to apply for a job opening. Eling Lam provided a highlight of last year's chapter accomplishments.
Sponsors of this year's banquet are:
GOLD - M&I Bank
SILVER - Farmers Insurance, AT&T, AB Pac Asia
BRONZE - MAABA (Missouri Asian American Bar Association), Monsanto, Confucius Institute at Webster University, Andrews Academy, Wells Fargo Advisors, Prudential, OCA National President - Ken Lee
|
National News
State Farm Awards OCA $35,000 for 2011 JACL/OCA Leadership Summit Washington, D.C.
-
OCA, a national organization dedicated to advancing the social, political and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs), is pleased to announce that State Farm® has awarded $35,000 to OCA for the 2011 JACL/OCA Leadership Summit.
“OCA is so honored to have this relationship with State Farm and are grateful for their continued support,” said Ken Lee, OCA national president. “Because of State Farm, we have been able to cultivate our chapter leaders and provide them with the tools to strengthen local chapters and communities.”
The JACL/OCA Leadership Summit brings in 30 participants from the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and OCA to attend a three and a half day intensive training in Washington, DC. It is designed to introduce participants to the political process, enhance leadership skills, and educate on critical APA issues.
The summit also provides opportunities for participants to meet with APA leaders in Congress, the Administration, as well as partners from the Washington, DC social justice community.
“State Farm is proud to be associated with the JACL/OCA Leadership Summit. Ensuring the continuity of leadership talent is essential for sustaining two outstanding civil rights organizations dedicated to the well-being of Asian Pacific Islander Americans,” said Leslie Moe-Kaiser, State Farm Public Affairs.
“The leadership summit has served more than 200 OCA chapter leaders since OCA co-convened the program in 1994 with JACL,” said OCA Executive Director George Wu. “In fact, the majority of OCA’s current National Board and Executive Council began their national leadership training through this program.
We are dedicated to continually provide development opportunities for our chapter and community leaders.”
About
State Farm®:
State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in
the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a
leading insurer in Canada. Our 17,800 agents and more than
66,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more
than 79 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the
United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts.
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of
the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 34
on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies.
Walmart Foundation Awards $80,000 to OCA for Internship Program Washington, D.C.
- OCA, a national organization dedicated to advancing the social, political and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs), is pleased to announce they received an $80,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation. The grant will be utilized in 2011 to support OCA's goals of education and leadership by funding OCA's Internship Program for first generation APA college students.
“With the generous support given by Walmart and the Walmart Foundation for the 2011 Internship Program, OCA will be able to expand its ongoing programs and continue to educate, organize, and serve its constituency comprised of APAs, youth, and the communities that need the most assistance,” said Ken Lee, OCA national president.
Established in 1989, the OCA Internship Program has grown into a year round program to include over 20 undergraduates each year. OCA has provided internship opportunities to over 400 APA college students to learn about public policy issues that are affecting the APA community as well as leadership development tools, focusing on networking and workforce development. OCA interns are placed in Congressional offices, federal agencies, the OCA National Center, and other prominent non-profit organizations for ten weeks.
In 2010, OCA supported 26 interns in positions that included the Speaker of the House, the Minority Business Development Agency, and the White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islander.
“At Walmart, we understand that education is critical to the lives and well-being of all Americans. We are proud to support programs that provide opportunities for Asian & Pacific Islander Students to succeed,” said Walmart Foundation President Margaret McKenna. “Grants in this area serve to increase access for young people to get the quality education they need to be successful today and become the leaders we will need in the future.”
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation support educational opportunities that promote youth success. In 2009, Walmart and its Foundation gave more than $53 million to fund educational programs in communities across the country, including programs that support teachers, Veterans’ education and adolescent literacy, to name a few.
About
Philanthropy at Walmart
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support the charitable
causes that are important to customers and associates in their own
neighborhoods. The Walmart Foundation funds initiatives focused on
education, workforce development, economic opportunity, environmental
sustainability, and health and wellness. From Feb. 1, 2009 through Jan.
31, 2010, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $512 million
in cash and in-kind gifts. | | | | | Membership Info
If
you had considered becoming a member of OCA-STL this is the year to do
it! We are always looking for energetic individuals to help
achieve our mission in empowering the Asian American voice in the St. Louis Metro area and national community.
It is as easy as clicking on this link. Please select "MO St. Louis" in the "I would like to be affiliated with this chapter" drop-down.
For existing members. Click here to renew your membership! You
can send in your membership form by mail or in person at one of our
upcoming events! If you would like a membership form, please feel free
to contact our Membership Chair at: info@oca-stl.org Back to top |
|
