CAGP's Newsletter! Winter 2014

Save The Date!

Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia

Winter 2014 Newsletter

Celebrating the Holiday Season CAGP programs have been busy this season preparing for our annual agency fundraiser - Winter Celebration - and the ASP holiday event. Our after school program students participated in a “Secret Santa” event where they focus more on giving to others than receiving. Our students of the Cambodian Cultural Program practiced every Sunday to get ready for the Winter Celebration. The proceeds benefit our campaign to renovate the North Philadelphia office building.

Parenting Class February 19, 2014 10:30am - 12:30pm CAGP South 2416-18 S. 7th St. Phila., PA 19148

35th Khmer NY April 5, 2014 6:30pm – 12:00am Hilton Hotel 4200 City Avenue Phila., PA 19131

W I N T E R 2 0 1 4

Inside

From all of us at the Cambodian Association of

Greater Philadelphia, happy holidays & a wonderful 2014!

the

This issue of the CAGP Winter 2014 Newsletter

Renewal: The Capital Campaign

ASP Activities Health Activities

Arts & Culture Activities TOP Activities

MLK Day’s “Bridging the Dream” Event

Former TOP Teen Talks Life After HS & TOP’s Impact

CAGP WINTER 2014

2

A Message from the President Dear Members & Supporters, It is my honor and pleasure to step into this new role as the Board President of the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia (CAGP). As I embark on this journey, I would first like to acknowledge Ms. Chantha Chum, former CAGP Board President, for her outstanding service and dedication to the organization. Her leadership and contributions during the Association’s trying time has helped CAGP maintain its existence and significance within the community at large.

In moving forward, I will be diligent in recognizing and addressing any challenges ahead. I am assured that, with our currently skill-diverse Board of Directors, we will continue to overcome any obstacles and thrive as an organization. The active support and participation of our CAGP members and supporters were resilient in overcoming difficult situations that arose. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has continued to put forth his or her time and effort to help better the organization. CAGP continues to grow in strength and numbers. Our many committees and volunteer leadership structure are operating effectively. We currently have 13 Board of Directors and countless volunteers in our programs. Words cannot express how excited I am about 2014, and I hope that you continue to help us grow and thrive as an organization. The strength of our organization is premised on the level of involvement invested by our members and supporters. With that in mind, I look forward to seeing you at one of our many upcoming events. Respectfully,

Thinh (Tom) Thach President, CAGP

CAGP WINTER 2014

3

Renewal Campaign

Dear Friends:

1

We are in the process of making big changes at CAGP – and we need your help! Our North Center is the foundation of CAGP for over 30 years. Thousands of children, youth, adult and

The City of Philadelphia has agreed to match up to $8,000 toward the renovations at the Center. This means that for every dollar you donate, CAGP will receive two! Take advantage of this opportunity to leverage your gift for maximum impact – make a donation today!

Reviving the Cambodian Association’s North

Center through rebuilding and renovation

2

elderly have utilized programs and services housed at this building. Many children and youth have developed into productive and responsible adults right in front of our own eyes here at this very building. Therefore, we are raising funds to repair and renovate the center into a safe, warm and welcoming space for quality care, programs and services for many more generations to come.

Your gift will go TWICE as far

CAGP WINTER 2014

4

Are you in need of help applying for pubic benefits or medical assistance for your family? Drop by for

assistance at one of our two locations:

CAGP North Office 5412 North 5th Street Philadelphia, PA 19120 (215) 324-4070 Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30am to 4:30pm

CAGP South Center 2416-18 South 7th Street Philadelphia, PA 19148 (215) 389-0748 Wednesdays 9:30am to 2:00pm

Walk-in Service

North Office is only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please email staff if you require a quick response.

The Need We need about $200,000 to complete both the exterior and interior renovation. The estimate for the exterior is both $24,000 and that accounts for the following changes:

Increasing Handicap Access: Installing a handicap ramp will improve accessibility for many current and future clients in need of our comprehensive services.

New Roof: Repairing the roof of the building will prevent further damage and protect CAGP’s resources.

Improving Our Storefront: An inviting and more secure storefront will brighten our neighborhood and attract more community members.

Looking Ahead Renovating the North Center is not only necessary for us to thrive in the immediate future, but it will also lay the foundation for CAGP’s long-term plans. We are taking steps to open an on-site health clinic that will be culturally and linguistically equipped to serve the community, address health disparities, create a pipeline of health professionals, and help generate income to keep CAGP sustainable.

Your gift will help secure the matching fund from the City of Philadelphia in the amount of $8,000 toward the renovation.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation of $50, $100 or more to CAGP.

Payment methods available: Online at www.cagp.org OR

Write a check payable to CAGP Note on memo line: Renewal Capital Campaign

Name: ___________________________

Affiliation (if applicable): ___________________________

Address: ___________________________

Phone: ___________________________

E-mail: ___________________________

Mailing address: Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia 5412 N. 5th Street Philadelphia, PA 19120

CAGP WINTER 2014

5

CAGP WINTER 2014

6

35th Annual Cambodian New Year Celebration

Dear Friends and Family: It is with great pleasure that we invite you to our 35th Annual Cambodian New Year Celebration on Saturday, April 5th, 2014, at the Hilton Hotel on City Line Avenue. This is the largest Cambodian New Year banquet in the tri-state area where community members and supporters come together to support a great cause and share cultural traditions. The evening will commence with highlights of our accomplishments for the year, performances by youth in our Culture Program, followed by a sit-down dinner, and live band throughout the evening. Attendees typically include 500 supporters, community members, funders and leaders; and we hope that you can join us. If you are looking to promote your programs or services, this is a wonderful venue to reach a larger audience through our sponsorship opportunities detailed in the attached documents. Over the past two years, we have been tremendously impacted by the economic downturn, which led to a decrease in funding. However, through the continued generosity of supporters like you, we remain dedicated to providing much-needed programs and services that support, equip, and empower youth, families, and seniors in our underserved community. We hope that you are able to accept this invitation and also consider becoming an event donor or sponsor. We would be extremely grateful for your support. Please RSVP no later than Friday, March 21st. Please also advise us of any special mobility or dietary requirements you may have. We will follow up with you in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Sarun Chan at [email protected], or Rorng Sorn at [email protected], or call us at 215-389-0748. To learn more about CAGP and its services, please go to www.cagp.org. Thank you very much for your continued support, which has a significant impact on the Cambodian community. Sincerely,

Rorng Sorn Sarun Chan Executive Director Associate Director/Event Chair

CAGP WINTER 2014

7

After School Program Many of our youths in grades K-5 come from bilingual or multilingual backgrounds, and the Cambodian Association offers a program that meets their developmental needs socially, culturally, and educational. We are a Keystones STARS 1 site funded by PHMC, the City of Philadelphia, PNC Bank Foundation, Seybert Foundation, Allen Hilles Foundation, and the Henrietta Tower Wurtz Memorial Foundation. Contact | Eddy Sacksith at [email protected]

ASP Activities Increasing parental involvement in the program

means building strong bonds between youths and

their parents. We’ve been up to something…

A Night @ the Museum of Art On November 9th, program youths and their parents were invited to attend the “Every Family Night” event hosted by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was a great night for families to unite and enjoy art, music, dance and food together. Thanks to the Museum for providing ASPers with free transportation to the event.

ASP’s annual Fall Festival featured lots of fun games like pin the tale on the donkey, a moon bounce, and karaoke. Parents joined us to celebrate this time of year with youths and staff. It was an evening of bonding.

Fall Festival Celebration

Super Hero Fitness!! As part of our project-based learning, the students of ASP embarked on “Super Hero Fitness”, a project that asked them who their super heroes are and how they can be as fit as their heroes. The project allowed students to make the connections with flexibility, endurance and strength to physical fitness – a greatly fun and relatable way to study health.

CAGP WINTER 2014

8

CAGP WINTER 2014

9

Health Activities

2nd Annual Health Fair The event took place at both CAGP locations in North & South Philadelphia and impacted about 300 uninsured and underinsured people by giving them free flu shots, eye exams and feet exams. Our collaboration with the Hepatitis B Foundation, the City of Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, LaSalle Neighborhood Nursing Center, Philadelphia Corporation of the Aging, AmeriCare Pharmacy, Shop Rite Supermarket, and PASSi made it possible to provide free flu shots, eye exams, feet exams, Hepatitis screenings, and blood pressure and glucose screenings.

Staff’s Story Many of my clients don’t have a lot of family support and they look to me for help and guidance when they experience health issues. I do a lot of home visits, but much of my time is spent in the hospital or a rehabilitation center. On my visit to the Moss Rehabilitation Center at Einstein Hospital, I noticed that though the staffs are trying their best to help clients recover from cancer treatments or some other health issue, I realized that the center doesn’t provide activities that culturally relevant. My clients don’t benefit from make-up tutorial classes because they don’t use make-up. So, I decided to bring something in that they do enjoy doing – cooking. I gathered some ingredients for authentic Cambodian cuisine so that the clients can make food that they would usually cook at home. I am reminded that even the littlest things matter a big deal.

Bridging the gap between the community and quality health care, one person at a time.

Community Health Initiative This program provides free health services to low-income and underserved Cambodian-speaking residents. Services include educational workshops about chronic health and behavioral health, case management, & referrals to free mammograms and breast cancer screenings. We also host in-home workshops and an annual health fair in the Fall. This program is funded by SGK and First Hospital.

Contact | Chanphy Heng at [email protected]

CAGP WINTER 2014

10

Advertise with us and help the community at the same time!

Contact | Soky Chhe at [email protected]

CAGP WINTER 2014

11

2

Many of our youths come from low-income families throughout the city of Philadelphia, so we know it is imperative for CAGP to keep costs down. In previous years, the only funding available for this program was from the Philadelphia Activities Fund and the revenue we receive from our annual new years fundraiser in April. Unfortunately, the funding has not been enough to supply breakfast or lunch for our students – so we ask parents to donate snacks and/or pack food for their children. With continued support from the Philadelphia Activities Fund, additional support from PECO, and additional revenue from our newly annual Winter Celebration, the program can continue to keep annual registration costs low and provide snacks for our youths.

Contact | Putery Long at [email protected]

Cambodian Cultural Program CAGP aims to preserve and promote Cambodian culture by offering traditional dance, hip-hop dance & Khmer language classes. We make our classes accessible to youths from low-income families by charging a low, $25 registration fee & holding regularly scheduled classes on Sundays from 11:00am to 3:00pm. This program is funded by the City of Philadelphia’s Activities Fund & PECO.

Arts & Culture Activities

Cultural Program

Preserving Cambodian arts, culture and language, while infusing the Cambodian-American

experience.

1

In October, our longest running program, the Cambodian Cultural Program, returned for another year of enriching programming that engages youths in learning and developing literacy in Khmer (Cambodian language), traditional Cambodian dance, and modern break-dance – BBoy style. We’ve had more students this year than any other year, and they have been working hard during practices.

CAGP WINTER 2014

12

Contact | Sarun Chan at [email protected]

In it’s fourth year, TOP focuses on the theme of “Spirit”. The program aims to develop, cultivate, and celebrate identity by focusing on: personal & professional development; services to society; advocacy on local, national and international social issues; college and career preparatory; and participating in social events. TOP meetings are scheduled for every other Friday.

Teens Organizing Proactivity

TOP Teens Start the Program Year Off with Great Promise

1

It was just two months ago when the new cohort of Teens Organizing Proactivity formed – 45 students representing a diverse ethnic demographic. During this short time, TOP Teens have been participating in College Days – days designated strictly for writing and developing college & scholarship essays, and completing college applications.

TOP Teens are also receiving a lot of insight about real life and real work experience from current college students and professionals who share their life journey, struggles, identity and accomplishments on their path towards

2

becoming future doctors, teachers or lawyers. Our special guests visit TOP during regularly scheduled meetings.

TOP meeting days are the prime time for participants to engage in important talks about family, drugs, sexual orientation, stereotypes and more. Members are encouraged to respect and learn from one another’s viewpoints and perspectives.

On January 20th, TOP hosted the annual MLK Day of Service and brought together American, Immigrant, and refugee community members to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King (see flyer on page 9).

CAGP WINTER 2014

13

TOP Leads MLK Day of Service On a day when many people enjoy an extra day off from work or school, the participants of CAGP’s youth program, Teens Organizing Proactivity, spearhead a day of service to the community on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. TOP Teens worked as a team to develop an event that brought together “American, immigrant and refugee communities for a conversation about Martin Luther King, Jr., his dream, and our own dreams growing up as immigrants and refugees in the community,” says Associate Director Sarun Chan. With over 150 participants and volunteers at the event, members of the South Philadelphia community rallied together to clean up the streets, spanning across 36 blocks, including its neighborhood park – Mifflin Square Park. Medical students from Temple University also aided us in providing free health screenings to those who attended the event. Councilman Mark Squilla, Judge Ida Chen, Community Relations Officer Gary Harkins, Migrant Education, EPIC Stakeholders, Bhutanese Association, Department of Commerce, Youth Leadership Council, Commission on Health Relations, and the Ladder 27 Fire Department were all in attendance, giving the community a well-rounded visual of support and a true sense of community. While CAGP hosts an event on MLK Day regularly, TOP Teens truly made this even a remarkable one by engaging participants in an “I Have a Dream” community building exercise. We invite you to visit http://www.southphillyreview.com/news/cover-story/LocalshonorMLKsLife-241515831.html for a splendidly written piece by Bill Chenevert of the South Philly Review.

CAGP WINTER 2014

14

Former TOP Teen Talks Life After High-School & TOP’s Impact

2

local community college until Sarun encouraged me to apply to universities and help me with my college essays. Soon after, I received an acceptance letter in the mail to attend a satellite campus of Penn State for 2 years, then to complete my last 2 years at the University Park campus. I was very proud and glad that I was encouraged to apply.

At beginning of my freshman year of college, I began to have trouble adjusting to the new environment and having conflicts with my roommate. The conflicts started to affect my ability to focus on my academics and I started to feel depressed. As a TOP alumni, I was still able to turn to Sarun and receive advice from him and his cohort. Thanks to Sarun and everyone’s positive influences, I now strive in my Junior year as a psychology neuroscience major, which is I hope will lead to finishing my undergraduate degree and entering graduate school for a Master's in Occupational Therapy.

1

Like many others, I’ve endured hardships and obstacles growing up in the inner city: my parents were divorce, I moved around a lot, there was peer pressure everywhere, and just your everyday issues. But, unlike many others, I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to join the various programs offered at CAGP. They helped me to alleviate stress, explore opportunities, meet new people and learn new cultures. I began the Summer Career Exploration Program in the summer of 2010, where I interned at a mental health facility, working with Psychologists as a receptionist. I enjoyed working and getting a glimpse of the “real world”.

During my senior year, I joined TOP - Teens Organizing Proactivity - where I made many new friends. I never felt alone because everyone was welcoming and treated one another like family. We shared issues in our lives and ideas that we had; it felt great to finally be heard. Top gave me a chance to get involved in activities such as organizing events, community service banquets and college tours. Many people were amazed at how much we had done for our community in such a little amount of time. I am now a proud student at the Pennsylvania State University, but it wasn’t easy getting here. I look back at it and Sarun, our Youth Program Director, played a huge part in many of my decisions. I wasn’t planning on attending a university; I didn’t think I was good enough. I was going to attend a

Nicole Elliot is a former TOP Teen and a

current student at the

Pennsylvania State University.

CAGP WINTER 2014

15

Thank you to our following donors during Winter 2014:

$10+ Donors Sarah Ran

Rong Baroeun Kiman Ting

Linda Caruso-Haviland Mary Nhim

$50+ Donors

Ms. Mom Yima Mr. Mini Sambath

Mrs. Susan Ear

$100+ Donors Mr. & Mrs. Chivy Puth Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Peou Mr. & Mrs. Serey Mao

Mr. Glenndon Humfrey Mr. & Mrs. Hort Ou

Chan Vong Ms. Lorn Eng Pol

Mrs. Natalie Emam Mr. & Mrs. Umi H. Howard

$200+ Donors

Judge Ida Chen Angkor Pharmacy

(Mr. & Mrs. Sean & Julie Ngo) Mr. & Mrs. Sin & Nary Po

$300+ Donors

Boran Mao

$750+ Donors Mary Seng

Current Funders

Henrietta Wurtz Tower Memorial Allen Hilles Foundation PNC Bank Foundation

City of Philadelphia SCOP Funding Public Health Management Corporation

Seybert Foundation Nonprofit Finance Fund (Facility Renovations)

PECO Foundation City of Philadelphia Activities Fund

First Hospital Foundation Susan G. Komen Foundation

Public Health Management Corporation Methodist Hospital Foundation

Philadelphia Foundation Asian Mosaic Fund

Department of Human Services Philadelphia Youth Network

Barra Foundation Wells Fargo Foundation

The Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia presents…

Winter Newsletter 2014

Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia 5412 North 5th Street Philadelphia, PA 19120

Happy holidays and a wonderful new year!