Play and Learn in Redmond

The Spring/Summer Redmond Recreation Guide just came out and CISC will continue to offer Play and Learn groups at Grasslawn Park. OK, so they got the name wrong, but at least it's in the catalog.

Although this group is sponsored by the City of Redmond, anyone can join in the fun. If you haven't been to the newly renovated Grasslawn Park, you need to go and check it out! Especially the new water feature, which will be lots of fun for the little ones when the sun comes out again.

Thursday mornings 10:00-12:00 in the pavilion! Click here for details-->

Fake HUD Website

A fake HUD website was recently discovered: bailout.hud-gov.us. It tries to dupe people into giving out personal information (phishing) and because it appears to be an official US government website some people may fall prey to this scam.

Interestingly, when you go to the real HUD website, there is no mention of this scam, even when you try to search for it. But it has been reported by the Oregon Attorney General's Office, the Ohio Housing and Finance Agency, and others.

According to Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods, this matter is under investigation by the Inspector General's Office.

Don't go here!

Diversity in the Schools

Did you know that Tukwila has THE most diverse school district in the nation? According to this article in the NY Times, they do.

In King County, Seattle comes in at #4 - after Tukwila, Highline, and Renton. Check out how your own district stacks up.

Immigrants are settling in less traditional places like - Oregon, Nebraska, and Arkansas. Nevada is now the most diverse state in the US! Who woulda thought?

You can see immigration trends decade by decade for individual countries on this cool interactive map!

And join the conversation on how we teach our children by clicking here. Or better yet, post a comment on this blog!

Open House

Last week we held our first open house since moving into the new building two years ago. Can you believe it's already been two years?

We used this opportunity to highlight some of the programs we offer, from our bilingual pre-K, to our computer technology center, to our elderly case management program, which celebrated the 108th birthday of one of our clients last year. Yes, that's right, 108!

Here are some photos from the event.

Crossroads Play and Learn

We've been practicing with our new Flipcam and came up with this video from our Wednesday morning Play and Learn group at Crossroads.



Let us know what you think! And if you think you can do better (which we're sure you probably can), let us know and we'll set you loose with a camera too!

Bellevue Connections

The Spring issue of Bellevue Parks & Community Services' Connections just came out. Now's the time to sign up for fun and enriching activities!

A number of CISC's programs are listed, including Information & Assistance Services for Seniors, Mandarin Book Club, tai chi, and more.

Check it out by clicking here and don't forget to register online at www.myparksandrecreation.com

As always, you can see all the activities for our Eastside seniors
on our main web site.

Get Stimulated!

Just found out that a significant chunk of money will be coming down through HUD to local jurisdictions for Community Development Block Grants! These funds are to be used

"to create suitable living environments, provide decent affordable housing and create economic opportunities, primarily for persons of low and moderate income."

Jurisdictions and the amounts they are receiving are:

• Seattle $3,263,057
• King County $1,218,852
  
• Kent $211,808
• Bellevue $191,689
  
• Renton $123,689

Let's hope these dollars are put to good use and truly help those in most need during these dark economic times!

For those of you actuarial types out there, and those who just love graphs, check this out!

Unity Day 2009

Once again, CISC participated in the Minority Executive Directors Coalition's Unity Day in Olympia.

Over 50 members from the Asian Pacific Islander, African American, Latino and Native American communities descended on the capitol to educate our legislators on issues of concern to our communities of color.

With the $8 billion budget shortfall, it's going to be a difficult session, to say the least. But we need to ensure that cuts in funding and services do not disproportionately affect our constituents and our communities.

It's democracy at work!

Power of the Web

As we continue to explore the use of Web 2.0 and how to better market our organization in the community, we recently discovered just how global and closely linked we all are.

An announcement for one of our workshops at the International Family Center-Kent was picked up by SINA.com 新浪, an online media company based in Shanghai, China! See the announcement by clicking here.

We are experimenting with Facebook and checking out all the new opportunities it presents for us to interact with our donors and supporters. It's a little bewildering, so if you have any suggestions, let's hear them.

If you'd like to join our CISC Facebook community, sign up, become a friend, and join our group! It's fun and it's friendly. Do it today!

Census 2010

In a down economy, one bright spot is that the Census is hiring. Monday, we held an informational workshop and had over 50 people attend!

Applicants are returning over the next several weeks for testing and are looking forward to positions that, while temporary, pay quite well.

Another session will be held at the International Family Center - Kent in March. For more information, contact Gilbert Kwok at gilbertk@cisc-seattle.org

"Thank you so much for the superb job you did... the workshop totally surpassed my expectations!"

- Lily Woo, Census Recruiter

Year of the Ox

In what been described by attendees as "barely controlled pandemonium", CISC once again celebrated the Lunar New Year with a lively and raucous luncheon for over 350 seniors, volunteers, and community members.



This year's program featured musical entertainment, traditional Chinese dance, raffle prizes and lots and lots of food! Many of these seniors look forward to this event as it is the only time they have to celebrate the new year.

We are happy to continue on this tradition of Chinese culture and are even more glad we were able to share it with a Seattle school group who just happened by on a field trip!

Just $1!

Even better than everything for a buck is this book sale where you can fill an entire bag for just $1!

The Friends of Bellevue Library are having a sale on books in world languages at Crossroads Saturday. Arrive early for the best selection, and don't forget to bring your recycled bags!

What a deal!!

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Metro Planning

Last week, King County Metro held a community meeting at CISC to solicit input on proposed changes to bus routes in Southeast Seattle including Beacon Hill and the Rainier Valley.

This needs to be done in advance of the opening of the light rail later this year. Many attendees expressed their opinions and will let their friends and neighbors know that they can still give their input online until February 6.

Go to their website by clicking on this link and let them know what you think!

More Mandarin Storytimes

The Newport Way branch of the King County Library System will be adding story times in Mandarin.

They will be held at the KidsQuest Museum in Factoria Mall through mid-February, then at the library itself after that.

Come join the fun. Hear stories, sing songs and participate in activities. And, as always, it's free!

Click on the image to see more information, or click here for directions.

Happy New Year!

On Monday, we celebrated the Year of the Ox, 4707.

The year of the Ox is just what’s needed to clean up the mess and clutter left by the Rat. The Ox is not as he appears and should not be underestimated or considered slow or unaware. The Ox is the quintessential hardworking, cleaner-upper who will put everything back in order and turn chaos back into reason. Thank goodness!

There is no room for anyone looking for a free ride during an Ox year. Hard work pays off, not laziness. It’s a year to get papers in order and your life back on track, and to do whatever it takes to budget and plan for your financial future, lessening the stress and securing your position.

The kids in our after school program learned these lessons as well as other traditions and values while at the same time preparing themselves to succeed in the US.

Updated Info

We have just updated our organization information on GuideStar - THE place to go for information on nonprofit agencies. Their goal is to publish information that provides transparency, enabling donors to make better decisions, and encouraging charitable giving.

Especially now, in these uncertain economic times, you want to be sure your gifts are being well spent. And this is one tool you can use to help.

Please check it out. And remember, if you have any questions at all about our programs, our business practices, or anything else, we welcome your inquiry and will do our best to provide you with the information you need to make informed decisions. Just contact Alaric Bien, Executive Director, at alaricb@cisc-seattle.org or 206.624.5633 x 4101 - any time!

Community Safety Fair

In response to the many recent burglaries on Beacon Hill, the City of Seattle, CISC, Seattle Police Department, and Seattle Public Schools held a community safety fair at Cleavland High on Saturday.

Topics covered included calling 911, emergency preparedness and home security, and neighborhood nuisance concerns. CISC crime victim advocate, Alan Lai was there - as well as some CISC staff who live in the area and wanted to learn more.

Imagine Saving a Life

Did you know that every two minutes someone in Western Washington needs a blood transfusion? And for some people who need multiple transfusions, perfectly matched blood can help them avoid serious, even fatal complications.That's why it's so important for people in the Asian Pacific Islander community to give blood. Our blood is especially precious to people of our own heritage.

Kirby Wong, son of long time CISC supporter Ed Wong, needed 544 units of blood following heart surgery when he was just 44. Because the blood was mostly from people of European descent, his body developed complications which prevented him from receiving a life saving heart transplant.

Nine years later, Ed carries on his son's wishes to hold regular blood drives in the Seattle API community. YOU can save a life by giving blood on Saturday, February 28.

It takes less than an hour, it's easy to do, and nearly painless. Really! You may never know whose life you saved, but you will know you are saving lives.

Please call 206.721.3630 x 126 to set up an appointment right now. Or e-mail hwong@kinon.org - don't wait!

We Got Out the Vote!

This just in...

According to exit polling result just released by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and reported by APIA Vote, Asian Americans did get out and vote in the last election and made a showing of growing political clout.

In the survey, nearly 1/3 of Asian American voters were voting for the first time. Four out of 5 were foreign born citizens. One out of 3 had limited English proficiency. And Asian Americans interviewed shared common political interests across sub-ethnic lines.

Thanks for all our partners for their efforts to mobilize our community and make a difference! CISC continues to work on voter education and helping individuals become citizens so they can make their voices heard.

Multicultural Access Project

Today, CISC participated in a press conference with Seattle Mayor Nickels and other community based organizations working together to provide domestic violence services to immigrants whose native language is not English.

The Multilingual Access Project has a website providing information 9 languages: Chinese, Korean, Amharic, Russian, Khmer, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Somali and Spanish.

A new toll-free phone number was launched today with capacity in 14 different languages! 1-888-847-7205 is the number to call if you or someone you know is in need to specialized services. Or go to www.map-seattle.org for more important information.