The OCA National Center staff, from left, Iimay Ho, program manager of student leadership development; Mary Kong, program assistant; Lan Nguyen, program manager of advocacy and member engagement; Victoria J. Rumsey, associate director of development; Pei-Un Yee, associate director of chapter development & member engagement; Kelly Xu Tian, administrator; and George C. Wu, executive director. (OCA photo by Rui Barros)
Washington, D.C. (December 4, 2010) – The staff of the Organization of Chinese Americans – National Center in Washington, D.C. are sending out annual holiday greetings and discussing the progress of the OCA chapters and collectively over the past year.
It has been a busy year for OCA and its chapters. At the beginning of the year, OCA worked with national and local organizations to outreach and educate the APA community on the importance of being counted for the 2010 Census. The 16th annual JACL/OCA Leadership Conference was a resounding success and introduced OCA chapter leaders to the political process.
In May, OCA embarked on a successful Children’s Book Tour which consisted of 13 readings across the country to celebrate APA Heritage Month. In June, OCA kicked off the 32nd annual National Convention in Houston, which focused on “Diverse Communities-United Commitment.” This year’s convention featured numerous inspirational APA speakers and Houston welcomed almost 1,000 attendees.
In the Fall, OCA celebrated the 19th annual National APA Corporate Achievement Awards and provided professional development programs such as Bamboo and Mentoring Asian American Professionals.
OCA continued to bring program and opportunities to APA youth through its annual scholarship program, APIA U: Leadership 101, and OCA Summer Internship program. OCA awarded $2,000 scholarships to 32 low-income high school students out of hundreds of applicants. APIA U was brought to 11 universities around the country, reaching over 300 APA college students, and 26 interns come to Washington, DC for a ten-week program.
Throughout the year, OCA has pushed for confirmation of qualified APA judicial nominations, reached out to fishermen affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill, and worked on key policy issues like immigration and health inequities. OCA continues to advocate for comprehensive immigration reform, including protection of family immigration, birthright citizenship and passing the DREAM Act.
“As 2010 comes to a close, we would like to thank you for all your hard work and wonderful support for OCA’s programs and activities,” the OCA staff noted in its newsletter. “It has been a pleasure to work with you as we continue to embrace the hopes and aspirations of all Asian Pacific Americans.”
