Thursday, August 28, 2008

Seniors Vote!

Last week's primary election caused intense interest among our Chinese seniors who came together to exercise their right to vote. A workshop was held at CISC to educate them how to cast their ballots and make their voices heard.

Staff never instruct anyone to vote one way or another, but do walk through the ballot and explain any points of confusion and help clarify language when necessary, even though the ballots are printed in Chinese.

With the presidential election coming up in November, this was a good practice for all of us. So make sure you, your friends and family get engaged, register to vote, and cast your ballot on November 4!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Cooking with Christine

This month's menu for the Sunshine Garden cooking class featured Italian pasta and a Hawaiian dessert.

Our dedicated volunteer shared her techniques and tricks for delicious Western food that many of our seniors love, but don't know how to prepare.

Also on tap this month was a class in digital videography, led by a student from Bellevue Community College's Digital Media Arts program. Way to go seniors!

Monday, August 25, 2008

End of Summer Activities

Can you believe this weather we've been having?! It's November in August! But that didn't stop our Eastside seniors from celebrating the last days of summer with a picnic and cakewalk at the North Bellevue Community Center.

Bingo, blood pressure and hearing checks, crafts and a (cup)cake walk were the highlights of the day. The oldest cake walker was 95 years young!




And on the other side of the lake, the Kirkland Sound Steps seniors celebrated with a picnic at Woodland Park Zoo. Lots of wild animals and walking to top off another year of healthy exercise for Kirkland residents 50 and better. CISC seniors have been an integral part of this program designed to encourage physical activity and social interaction in the community.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Partner in Preparedness

CISC is been nominated for the Partner in Preparedness award of the International Association of Emergency Managers. We were cited for the work we have done in the community, particularly in the Chinatown/International District, with our agency, our staff, our partners and constituents around emergency preparedness.

We are proud to be on the forefront of emergency preparedness among nonprofits in King County, and will be participating on another panel held by Public Health Seattle-King County on September 9 sharing our experiences and any insights with other nonprofits who are still in the process of developing plans.While our own plans are always being updated and improved, we are glad to be of any assistance to others who may be just starting their process. Remember, preparedness is not a state, it's a state of mind!

By they way, have you seen the new comic book on pandemic flu? You can download it in 12 different languages by clicking here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the links.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Next Week is the Primary

For those of us who have been on vacation or engrossed in the Beijing Olympics, you may have missed the fact that the Washington State primary election has been moved up to August 19 this year. In fact, absentee ballots have already gone out and people are starting their voting by mail.
(Don't know why this picture isn't showing up,
but click on it and you can still see the original.)

In keeping with CISC's mission to empower all our community members to succeed in their new community, and to encourage civic engagement on all fronts, we want to make sure that everyone knows that there is voting assistance available for those who need it.

Information is available in Chinese on the King County Elections web site. CISC staff can also help with in person assistance for those who need it, although they cannot and do not recommend or endorse any particular position or candidate.

Remember, this year we are moving to the Top 2 Primary in which you need not declare a party affiliation in order to vote. Just get out there and cast your ballot!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Civic Engagement in the APIA Community

In this election year, CISC has been working with Raising our Asian Pacific American Representation (ROAR), OneAmerica, and the Minority Executive Directors Coalition (MEDC) to encourage all members of our community to educate themselves, register to vote, and make their voices heard.
We are happy to announce the opening of a special exhibit sponosored another community partner, the Wing Luke Asian Museum. Our Voice… Our Democracy: Civic Engagement in the Asian Pacific Islander American Community opens August 20 and runs through January 18, 2009.

This exhibition examines voting and civic engagement in the Asian Pacific Islander American community and promotes dialogue around the question, “What does it mean to be actively engaged in our democracy?”

Come check it out and see the museum’s new multi-million dollar space at 719 S King!

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Nutrition Workshops

The International Family Center - Seattle recently concluded a series of nutrition workshops covering healthy eating habits, making economical and healthy meals on a budget, learning about the food pyramid, and how to read nutrition facts on labels.


Some of the dishes participants made included cold noodles, crunchy frozen bananas, and healthy, kid-friendly snacks. All participants received a certificate of completion at the end of the course and went home ready to help their families live better and healthier lives.

Monday, August 04, 2008

Idealist.org

Internships at CISC. That's what Idealist.org is promoting (as well as 2,000 other positions at community based nonprofits).

CISC is a great place to volunteer, learn about community service, or explore career opportunities in the nonprofit sector. For a current listing of volunteer opportunities at CISC, check out our Volunteer page.

Idealist.org is a great place to explore misconceptions about working in the nonprofit world, and explore reasons for choosing a career outside corporate America. More information on their web site at www.idealist.org!

Summertime

Last week CISC had its annual agency picnic at Newcastle Beach Park in Bellevue. A tradition on the last Friday in July, we closed our doors early, assembled CISC staff and family and had an old fashioned picnic with food, games and lots of fun.

It was a beautiful day at the beach for swimming, sunning, and playing in the sand. Playing Telephone with folks who speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Spanish and English was a hoot! As was the Memory Game which didn't require any words at all.

Hula hoop contests, tug-of-war, and good old fashioned gunny sack races were a blast from the past, and likely the source of more than one sore muscle back in the office on Monday!