| VAI Magazine Issue 315 |
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Poster: sysadm - Date: 31.12.2008, 17:21 |
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| President of Board Director Letter. |
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Poster: jconley - Date: 02.12.2008, 04:11 |
On behalf of the Board, I am happy to welcome and thank you for visiting our new website. In this website, you will find information about our History, Mission, Vision, along with all of our activities throughout the years. We hope you find this website rather helpful.
My journey to America in 1975 was full of sorrow and heartache, which has forever left me with the deepest of scars. I had made a promise to myself to stay strong and never to look back. Like other Vietnamese refugees, I was frightened by the fact that I had to leave the life that I had and start a whole other life in a country that was only foreign to me, America. America has allowed me to voice my opinions and to stand up for what I believe in. I am more than grateful and proud to call myself a Vietnamese American. We are no longer a crowd of people that are running away from a country of war, but a force that has come together to move forward as one, Vietnamese Americans. We have now entered a new generation and the time has called for change. VAI has changed slowly in the past few years as a result. Although some of these changes have not all been agreed with, they are changes that have been made to secure our future as an organization. As the president of VAI, I can honestly say that it has not been an easy road, but it is in my heart to help this organization grow as a community for our future. I am the president of VAI and I will be doing all that I possibly can to help and support my community and anyone in need of my service.
VAI background
The Vietnamese Association was started in 1976, 32 years ago as a volunteer agency to help Vietnamese refugees. It started from scratch, without any money, heat or electricity. Now, the organization has changed drastically. Times and people have changed. Our people are changing for the better. VAI has taken upon itself to serve the community and cater to the changes of our new generation to ensure our future.
Back in the eighties, we catered to the Vietnamese community by offering services such as government assistance, English classes, and employment services. Now, because it is not the Vietnamese refugees that we are serving, but Vietnamese Americans, we have made changes to adapt with this new generation of people. We no longer have poor Vietnamese refugees in need of money and shelter coming to us but now have Vietnamese American clients coming to us for other things such as helping them expand their businesses, how to get a mortgage loan, and asking us how to apply to Ivy League schools--- things we only dreamed of when we left Vietnam.
What we found is that our community has asked us to assist them with almost every aspect of their lives- family planning, employment, youth programs, senior services, health, government assistance- you name it, we’ve been asked to provide- quickly, professionally, and many times in the Vietnamese language.
Lately, we’ve been asked to do more. And we can ALWAYS do more. As Board President, I have made sure that we are offering MORE PROGRAMS, EXPANDED SERVICES, and NEW OPPORTUNITIES.
It has not been easy to adapt with this new vision, but it is something that we must do. Change is a difficult task. It is something that needs to happen. We must change with the community that we were created to serve.
-In the past year along, we have made huge advancements to our organization. We have stepped up the technology in our systems by turning to QuickBooks, as well as submitting proposals for more computers, advanced computer classes, and trainings in web design.
We held joint staff and board retreats to discuss our new vision. There is nowhere else like VAI where you will see such committed staff, some that have even been with us for over 15 years!
We have increased our collaborations and our outreach by pairing up with the Mutual Assistance Associations for Financial Literacy Workshops,
We have also been lucky enough to partner with the White House – Mr. Rudy Pamintuan and Mr. Jimmy Lee have supported us from day one.
We brought 40 seniors to the “NEXT” conference, where they sat in on a Vietnamese-translated workshop to learn about Medicare and Medicaid Part D. Some told me that they felt lucky- they had lived in Chicago for over 32 years and never been to the Chicago Hilton.
In 2006, we teamed up with the Asian American Institute to translate candidates’ survey materials into Vietnamese, as well as the instructions on how to vote. We brought forty to vote that day – and they said they felt like real Americans.
In 2008, we again teamed up with the Organization of the NorthEast and instructed people on how to vote and brought people to Truman College to early voting.
In the last two years, the Board has worked very hard to complete renovations on our new building and made it possible for VAI to move on March of 2007. Along with the effort for change, the Board has created this new and improved website by our well trained staff.
We have answered the call, and we are so very much looking forward to our bright future.
Next year, we will be working on the new senior housing and our culture center. These projects will complete within 3 to 4 years.
Changes and excitement are happening not only throughout Chicago, but throughout the state as well.
I thank you for your support in this time of change
I know that there cannot be Success without team work- so I want to thank all of my Board members and our staff who went through the ice and storm. It means so much to me- and I will never forget what all of you have done.
Sincerely,
Jackie HaDo Conley
President |
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| Vietnamese New Year 2009 |
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Poster: sysadm - Date: 01.12.2008, 20:05 |
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| Thong Bao |
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Poster: sysadm - Date: 26.11.2008, 19:24 |
Thông Báo
Quư Bà, Quư Cô KHÔNG CÓ BẢO HIỂM SỨC KHỎE muốn được Chụp Quang Tuyến Ngực và Khám Phụ Khoa MIỄN PHÍ, xin liên lạc để lấy hẹn:
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