AHSC Enewsletter 2011

  E-newsletter: Issue 2 � Get a Sneak Peak of AHSC Performers  April 28, 2011
In This Issue
AHSC Artist Preview Show
Community Partner: SEACHAMPA
Sponsor Spotlight: Comcast
Vendor Highlight: The Head Panda
Volunteer Profile: Grace-Sonia Melanio
THIS SATURDAY!

The 7th Annual Asian Heritage Street 
Celebration Artist Preview Show  

AHSC A rtist Preview Show

SATURDAY APRIL 30, 2011 
6:00pm-9:00pm
Live Music, Drinks and
Hor d'oeuvres
111 Minna 
San Francisco
Hosted by viveSF and RAMA
For tickets: 
http://7thannualahscartistpreviewshow.eventbee.com/  
 
 EVENT FEATURES


Free Admission to Asian Art Museum Courtesy of Target  

 

Throughout the day during the Asian Heritage Street Celebration, admission to the Asian Art Museum is free courtesy of Target. Admission to the special exhibit "Bali: Art, Ritual, Performance" is $5. 

 

 

 

CAAM Presents AHSC Cinema Showcase

 

CAAM 

 

The AHSC Cinema Showcase, presented by Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), celebrates local Asian American media and media makers. From emerging talent to celebrated media pioneers, this exciting collection of short films and music videos reveal the vibrant Asian American media arts scene here in the Bay Area. Many of these films were hits at the SF International Asian American Film Festival. From comedies to sci fi to social justice documentaries, there will be something for everyone!  

 

Date: May 21, 2011

Time: 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Location: Asian Art Museum, Samsung Hall

 

SCHEDULE:

 

1 - 2 p.m.

A SERIES OF SERIESED EVENTS by Secret Sidewalk, Dir. Aireen Almario, 9 mins

DROP YOU by Golda & the Guns, Dir. Wernher Von Goff, 3 mins  

Virtues of Corn Beef Hash, Dir. Dir. Kerwin Berk, 22 mins  

Wahid's Mobile Bookstore, Dir. Anjoo Khosla, 10 mins  

Hip Star, Dir. Jason Nou, 4 mins  

EVERYTHING IS FINE by Digital Crafts Night, Dir. H.P. Mendoza, 4 mins    

 

2 - 3 p.m.  

Be My Baby, Dir. Kevin Wong, 17 mins  

Boys and Girls, Dir. Chris Tipton-King, 4 mins  

The Oak Park Story, Co-Dir. Valerie Soe & Russell Jeung, 22 mins  

Kuna Ni Nanang (My Mother Said), Dir. Jessica Sison, 5 mins  

The Bus Pass, Dir. Narissa Lee, 3 mins  

SURROGATE VALENTINE by Goh Nakamura, Dir. Rich Wong, 3 mins    

 

3 - 3:30 p.m.  

PIA, Dir. Tanuj Chopra, 18 mins  

A SERIES OF SERIESED EVENTS by Secret Sidewalk, Dir. Aireen Almario, 9 mins

DROP YOU by Golda & the Guns, Dir. Wernher Von Goff, 3 mins    

 

 

 

Kung Fu Panda

 

kung fu panda

DreamWorks' Kung Fu Panda will have a booth in the AHSC Children's Area. Po will also be marching in the Faces of Asia Cultural Procession. Come share a bao with Po!

 

 

Healthy Living Pavilion  

Get free health screenings at the fair at our healthy living pavilion. Booths will be featuring:

  • Hepatitis B screenings
  • Glucose tests
  • Lupus awareness 
  • Disaster preparedness
  • Health education
  • Doctors on hand to answer all your health related questions

 

 

Balut Eating Contest

 

 Balut Contest 2011 

 

For the 2nd year in a row, Mama Sitas and the Filipino American Arts Exposition are sponsoring the Balut Eating Contest at the Asian Heritage Street Celebration! Contestants will be split up to compete in men and women heats. Winners of each heat will receive $50! The two winners of each heat will battle for an additional $50 prize!   To enter the competition email your name, age, ethnicity, and contact information to intern@awfoundation.com. In the subject, write Balut Contest. 

Newman Lasik Center    
If you'd like to advertise in our Enewsletter, contact Charlene Cervantes at
ccervantes@awfoundation.com or
(415) 373-4006  
OPEN CALL FOR PARTICIPATION:

Have a booth


Last year's event attracted more than 80,000 people and this year we plan to return to the Civic Center / Little Saigon area!  We will be in front of the Asian Art Museum, a dynamic area in an evolving neighborhood. The festival is centrally located and convenient via both MUNI and BART - and the freeway.

Deadline for applications is April 30!


For more info: 

http://www.asianfairsf.com/booths/booth-applications/

 

or contact Carrolyn Kubota at (415) 373-4003 or ckubota@awfoundation.com

 

 

Volunteer for AHSC

 

Come volunteer, have fun and meet new friends!  

  

Volunteers are needed for:

Event Monitors

Information Booth

Stagehands

Barricade Monitors

T-Shirt Sales

Raffle Ticket Sales

Garbage/Recycling Monitors

General Setup and Tear-down

Sponsor Concierges


Commemorative t-shirts, snacks, refreshments, and lunch provided. For more info visit: http://www.asianfairsf.com/fair-info/volunteer    


Walk in Faces of Asia Cultural Procession 


Cultural Procession

 

Dress in traditional Asian cultural attire and walk in the annual Faces of Asia Cultural Procession - a dazzling showcase of the diversity of the Asian community.  

This year, the procession will begin behind the Fulton Street Stage, proceed north on Larkin Street and end in front of the Ellis Street Stage at 11am to kickoff the street celebration. This year the procession is being spearheaded by Au Co Vietnamese Cultural Center. To participate contact Hang To:  

hangleto@yahoo.com.


 

School Awards

 

As part of the Asian Heritage Street Celebration (AHSC), organized by the AsianWeek Foundation and sponsored by Target, local administrators, teachers, counselors, deans, and staff from Bay Area schools will be honored for their commitment to the future generation of Asian Pacific Americans. The public is invited to submit nominations.  Awardees will be presented with glass plaques and $250 Target gift cards in Samsung Hall in the Asian Art Museum during the 7th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration. To obtain an application form, email: apang@asianweeek.com.   

 

 

School Raffle Fundraiser 

ahsc raffle tic 2011

  

The Asian Heritage Street Celebration (AHSC) invites all Bay Area schools to participate in our "Make Some Money for Your School" Raffle Program! Last year, 18 schools participated and raised over $9,000! This is a FREE program to participate in and is organized annually by the AsianWeek Foundation with the goal of helping local schools raise funds. Tickets are sold for $3, and $2 goes directly back to each school. The extra $1 will go into a bonus for the top selling school in each division (elementary, middle, and high), who will be awarded an additional $500 cash prize, and each school that sells at least 20 raffle tickets will receive a $100 bonus. There will be multiple prize drawings throughout the 7th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration. Winners need not be present to win. To sign up your school for this fund raising opportunity, contact: Angela Pang, apang@asianweek.com  

or (415) 373-4002. For a list of raffle prizes, visit: http://www.asianfairsf.com/raffle/

  

 

The program is managed by the AsianWeek Foundation and accounting services are provided by Louie and Wong LLP. This year

Sterling Bank and Trust is sponsoring the program.

 

STAY CONNECTED WITH US
 

Join us on 

Facebook 


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Follow us on

twitter.com/asianfairsf.com 


Twitter.com/Awfoundation

Check us out on

youtube.com/asianfairsf 


Youtube.com/awfoundation

 
7th ANNUAL AHSC POSTERS AND FLIERS NOW IN!

7th Annusl AHSC Poster

If you would like to help distribute posters and fliers or would like some to display and share with your friends and family, please contact Angela Pang: (415) 373-4002 or apang@asianweek.com
 

E-Newsletter Team

 

Editors: Megan Kung, Angela Pang, Leanna Yip
Contributors
: Lloyd Alaban, Charlene Cervantes, Annie Chan, Carrolyn Kubota, Tiffany Louie, Linda Ong, Natalie Schrik.
Masthead: Concept and Illustration by Minh Tran and Virgilio Leynes, Design by  Al Perez.

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Come to the AHSC Artist Preview Show this Saturday!
By Megan Kung
 
The Like Me's will be performing at 111 Minna at the AHSC Artists Preview Show on April 30th.

The Like Me's are just one of the hot acts that will be performing at the AHSC Artist Preview Show on April 30th at 111 Minna in San Francisco.

 

Come to the Asian Heritage Street Celebration Artist Preview Show for a few glasses of wine, some nibbles of hors d'oeuvres and a healthy dose of young Asian American culture.

 

Four live music acts, all comprising Asian American females, will be giving the audience a taste of what's to come at the AHSC, but in a classier, more intimate setting at 111 Minna at 6 p.m. on April 30.

 

The lineup includes alternative pop band, The Like Me's, hip-hop artist Joyo Velarde, singer and songwriter Cynthia Lin and the dancers of the Funkanometry SF Dance Company's De La Femme. In the lounge area will be DJ K-Spy spinning music.

 

Steve Liu, CEO of viveSF and an organizer of the event, hosts this and other entertainment events because "we might not be able to express Asian American identity with words, but we can express it through performance art."

 

Working in partnership with viveSF is arts and entertainment organization RAMA, who selected the lineup.

 

"It is somewhat of a coincidence that all the performers are female, but our mission and values made us lean that way in the first place," says Ryan Takemiya, RAMA's founder and executive director. "Every show we put on is inherently pan-ethnic and places special focus on women, LGBTQ artists and other neglected groups."

 

Tickets are $15, and a portion of proceeds will go to Japan Tsunami Relief. You can purchase tickets or choose to donate more at http://www.eventbee.com/view/7thannualahscartistpreviewshow

 

 

Southeast Asian Heritage & Performing Arts Turns Education into Empowerment

By Tiffany Louie
 
seachampa cooking class
 

To turn heritage education into community empowerment, Sandra Sengdara Siharath founded South East Asian Cultural Heritage & Musical Performing Arts (SEACHAMPA), a voluntary community cooperative of Southeast Asian American artists. With the collaboration of volunteers and supporters, SEACHAMPA serves as a space where Southeast Asians can share, learn and take pride in their roots through language, cooking, dance, music and many other culture-enriching courses.

 

At the Asian Heritage Street Celebration this year, SEACHAMPA will be selling crafts, art, and anime to raise funds for the community center, performing Southeast Asian music jam sessions and sharing information with the community about their many class offerings, including Thai music, Burmese and Khmer dancing and cooking classes.   

 

SEACHAMPA's primary mission is to promote the wealth of Southeast Asian culture and community as a solution to educational underachievement and other perennial social problems faced by many Asian American youth.  "I have always wanted to create a space where youth and individuals can respectfully share, learn and be proud of their Southeast Asian heritage.  I am opening my doors for individuals that share the passion to teach dance and music and to share our history as a Southeast Asian refuge," says Siharath.  

 

By learning about their rich heritage, Southeast Asian American youth will be able to understand their roots and perhaps discover themselves in a new light. This provides the opportunity for them to believe that they are deserving of all their constitutional rights, especially the right to equal access to education, resources and opportunities that will directly benefit their communities.

 

For more information, please visit seachampa.org

 

-Linda Ong contributed to this article.


Sponsor Spotlight: Comcast

Comcast
 

Comcast has been a local company since we were founded over 45 years ago. Since then, our 100,000+ employees have been dreaming big - creating products that have changed the way people communicate, are informed and entertained. We also power dreams in our communities. We do this by providing access to innovative technology, volunteering our time, giving financial support and partnering with great organizations.  

 

We partner with local organizations to strengthen the neighborhoods we serve. We tap the full rangeof the company's resources-including our employees, foundation and corporate giving programs, our signature community investment initiatives, and on-air capabilities-to strengthen and promote Comcast's deep connections with our local communities, and to distinguish Comcast from our competitors in an increasingly competitive marketplace.  

 

We can sum up our approach to community investment in one simple phrase: we power dreams in the communities we serve. We have three community investment priorities - promoting community service,expanding digital literacy, and building tomorrow's leaders.
Comcast partners with a wide range of established community organizations, leveraging their local expertise to deliver maximum impact to our local communities. Working with these national partners supports our goal of building trust and strong relationships in the neighborhoods, towns and cities that we serve nationwide. 

 

Our national partners include City Year, United Way, The Partnership for a Drug-FreeAmerica, Big Brothers Big Sisters and One Economy. In 2006, we welcomed the National Urban League and the National Council of La Raza.

 

While our employees engage in different types of community service as volunteers throughout the year, one of Comcast's signature community service programs is Comcast Cares Day. Comcast Cares Day is the culmination of our year-round volunteer activities. It is one of the largest single day volunteer efforts in the country in which employees, their families, and friends, volunteer in their local communities and provide makeovers to organizations and schools in need. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Comcast Cares Day. We anticipate over 3,500 employee and family volunteers in California and over 62,000 volunteers nationwide on Saturday, April 30th. For more information on Comcast in the community, visit: www.comcast.com/community.


The Head Panda Returns!

By Lloyd Alaban 

Head Panda Founders

The Head Panda co-founders Jon (left) and Wesley Wong.

If you've ever sat in on a Giants game, you probably already know that Giants infielder Pablo Sandoval isn't the only "Panda" roaming the city. That's because populating San Francisco are hundreds of panda head hats, complete with plush noses, colored pom-poms, and matching earflaps. You can thank Jon and Wesley Wong of San Francisco-based upstart The Head Panda for the fluffy headgear invasion.

 

The idea for such a plush fashion statement came to Wesley last year while vacationing in Beijing, China. As Wesley stood in the winter cold at Tiananmen Square, he noticed several people wearing what appeared to be hats shaped like pandas.

 

"I thought we could bring it to the States and make it work here," said Wesley. He contacted his business-savvy friend Jon, and soon they co-founded The Head Panda. The pair's products have been fixtures at Giants games and street fairs throughout the Bay Area.

 

Jon and Wesley are returning to the ASHC for their second go at the nation's largest Asian street festival. This year Jon and Wesley have brought along a whole new pack of animals with them to the ASHC. In addition to their signature panda heads, The Head Panda will also have tiger, lion, and fox hats, with plenty of variations to satisfy everyone headed to Little Saigon.

 

For more information on The Head Panda, please visit The Head Panda's website at www.theheadpanda.com.

 


Volunteer Profile: Grace-Sonia Melanio

By Natalie Schrik


Grace-Sonia Melanio

Grace-Sonia Melanio and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, 

former San Francisco mayor, at the 2006 Asian Heritage Street Celebration.

 

 

Name: Grace-Sonia Melanio 

Occupation: Health Policy Specialist, Community Health Partnership
Affiliations: AHSC planning committee, 
1st ACT Silicon Valley's Multicultural Arts Leadership Initiative, 
genARTS Silicon Valley
Ethnicity: Filipino
Number of Years With AHSC: 7 years
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Ox    

I began volunteering for the AHSC because: My best friend, Christine Padilla, manages the entertainment, and she recruited me the first year. I thought it would be fun and it was! I've been volunteering ever since!

 

One thing I am looking most forward to at the celebration is:

checking out the community and entertainment stages! AHSC showcases many talented, incredible performers... that happen to be Asian Pacific American! 

  

My favorite Asian cultural tradition is:  honoring and respecting elders.  I believe that is such a beautiful virtue of our culture.  I also really have a soft spot for Japanese Taiko drumming and Chinese lion dances.  If I know there are going to be Taiko drummers or lion dancers at an event, I'm so there!

 

Favorite Asian food: too much to choose from!  Can't I choose the whole continent?!?  Lately I've been spending my calories on vegetarian Filipino cuisine...yum!  Sarap!

 

Favorite Asian Pacific American Celebrity: The Filipino comic Rex Navarette.  He did a set a few years ago at AHSC and had everyone laughing so hard they were crying.  He really helped pave the way for Asian Americans in comedy.

 

I am embarrassed to admit that I: did an impromptu sketch video with filmmaker Jason Nou extolling the virtues of the AHSC volunteer shirt that ended up on Facebook.  I'm such a bad actress, and my performance was really cheezy.  But it was lots of fun!

 

My Superhero power would be: the power to summon a singing/dancing flash mob at will!

 

If I could vacation with anyone anywhere, it would be: Well, if it was anyone, I would go back in time to hang out with Bruce Lee.  I imagine us scuba diving off the coast of Boracay in the Philippines and hanging out on the beach.

 


ASIAN HERITAGE STREET CELEBRATION SPONSORS

 

 

CO-PRESENTING SPONSORS 


CPMC

 Subaru  

CELEBRATION SPONSORS  

 

  Brown & Toland Physicians  Target Logo     Safeway 

  

Virgin  Kaiser Permanente 

 

 

HERITAGE SPONSORS

 
GileadCOVAComcastNoMTBRecology  
    
Sterling Bank and Trust  NCCRCAWF Logo   Grants for the Arts    Onyx


MEDIA SPONSORS


SF Bay GuardiantitanCBS 5/CW 44 MYX-TV

     981kiss    106KMEL   star1013   WILD949

SFMTA

 

    

ETHNIC AND COMMUNITY MEDIA PARTNERS

 

 Sing Tao Daily  Korea Times Philippine News   Hyphen Magazine

 KTSF 26 World JournalUSAsian Wire   World Channel Goldlink Radio
 
Channel APA   SFChinatown  Bay Area Metro 92.3FMPhillippine FiestaAsianWeek

Western Edition    Song Moi Magazine