Baby Boost Information Fair

On Friday, October 1^st, CISC/International Family Center hosted a Baby Boost Information Fair, sponsored by Solid Ground’s Food Security for Children Program. It was an opportunity for participants to learn about health and nutrition resources and connect with local social service programs. We had 40 families sign-in, with around 35 children and 60 adults. Free childcare was provided during the fair. This gave the parents an opportunity to take their time perusing the information tables, talk to each agency representative and meet other parents. In addition to the information tables, there were safety products, refreshments, giveaways and a raffle drawing for participants.

Shop at Safeway, Raise Money for CISC

CISC has joined a program called eScrip that allows people to support schools through their shopping. In our case, donations from the program will support our Step Ahead Bilingual Preschool program. The Preschool serves 4- year old immigrant children who are English learners speaking Chinese dialects or Asian languages at home, and prepares them for school learning in a bicultural environment. 


This is how it works: 
1. go to www.escrip.com and click on "Sign Up"
2. Search for CISC Step Ahead Preschool or enter our Group ID: 500025005
3. Complete the sign up process
4. Whenever you use your Safeway card or shop with other participating merchants, the company will donate a percentage of what you purchased to our Bilingual Preschool. 

It's free, easy, and your information is completely private. Visit www.escrip.com for more information.

Community Health Fair

On September 18th, CISC's International Family Center-Seattle, together with International Community Health Services, hosted a Community Health Fair. We had 17 different participating agencies from around King County involved, including Back and Neck Pain Center, Northwest  Kidney Center, Rainier Occupational Medical Center, Washington Osteoporosis Coalition, SHIBA, Swedish Breast Care Center, Swedish Hospital,UW School of Dentistry, Within Reach, UW Expanded Food & Nutrition Educational Program, and more. These agencies offered free medical screenings, educational information sessions, and outreach navigation to help patients find accessible health care in the future. In total, 157 participants took part in the event.

Communities Connect

Senator Maria Cantwell announced Thursday a $4.2 million grant to improve technology access to underserved communities in Washington.  As part of the Communities Connect Network, CISC has been working with our partners to improve and upgrade our technology services and training to immigrants and their families.

No word yet on specific dollar amounts, but we're excited to be able to continue work to develop and enhance CISC's International Community Technology Center.  Stay tuned for more information as we get it!

Cathay Bank

Monday, CISC received a check in the amount of $15,000 from the Cathay Bank Foundation to support programs that reach across the generations.

Programs with multi-generational impact such as our preschool and youth programs that enhance academic achievement and bicultural identity, bilingual parent education and family counseling, and elder services and caregiver support.

Pictured here with Executive Director Alaric Bien are Cathay Bank employees Thomas Ng and Kenyon Mayeda.  Thank you Cathay!

Drivers Needed!

Do you have any friends who speak Chinese or Cantonese and are interested in being a volunteer driver to give seniors (especially our Chinese seniors who are limited in English) a ride to their medical appointments?  You will receive mileage and parking reimbursement and supplemental insurance from Senior Service.

Please contact Theresa Lam at theresal@cisc-seattle.org or 206-624-5633 x 4137, and thanks for your help!

Certified

Congratulations to Sunshine Garden Lead Worker Andes Kong, who just received her AIRS Certificate! This is a professional credential for human services employees who are trained to help connect clients to the services they need. She joins CISC staff members Stephen Lam, Boliver Choi, Meiyu Cheung, and Cathy Lee in holding the certificate.

Getting to Know the Naturalization Process

Becoming a U.S. citizen is a goal for many of the people who come to CISC, but the process can be intimidating at first. A couple of weeks ago we had some assistance from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Four officers worked with us on our USCIS Naturalization Info Session on August 25th, and explained everything from the naturalization requirements to the interview to an audience of about 170. They also discussed the rights and responsibilities of a U.S. citizen and demonstrated a mock interview. The audience appreciated the chance to get an inside view of the whole process, and will hopefully face their own naturalization challenges with an extra boost of confidence.

Baby Boost Information Fair

Are you a parent of a baby or expecting one? CISC's International Family Center is holding a free Baby Boost Information Fair on Friday, October 1st. At the fair you'll be able to connect with important social services (including housing, employment services, and health care), learn more about health and nutrition for you and your children, try some delicious and healthy snacks, and get free stuff!

When: Friday, October 1, 10:30am-12:30pm (please be on time)
Where: International Family Center, 611 S Lane St, Seattle
Contact: Mabel Kwong (Chinese/English), 206.624.5633 x 4151
Quang Do (Vietnamese/English), 206.624.5633 x 4152

Annual Senior Resource Fair

CISC's 2010 Annual Senior Resource Fair will be held on Thursday, October 14th at the North Bellevue Community Center. There will be many organizations attending that specialize in assisting and providing resources for seniors, and this is a great chance to agencies and seniors to meet and greet. Lots of give-aways and workshops throughout the day! For more information, please contact Cathy Lee from our Community I&A Outreach Program: 206.624.5633 x 4123.

Date & Time: Thursday, October 14th, 10:00am to 4:00pm
Location: North Bellevue Community Center
4063 148th Ave NE, Bellevue WA, 98007

Community Health Fair

On September 18th, CISC's International Family Center-Seattle, together with International Community Health Services, will be hosting a health fair. Activities will include acupuncture, blood pressure checks, blood sugar tests, medical insurance information, and mammogram screenings (pre-registration required).

For more information please contact Cheryl Lee (Chinese or English) at 206.624.5633 x 4150 or Quang Do (Vietnamese or English) at 206.624.5633 x 4152.

Date & Time: Saturday, 9/18, 10:00am-3:00pm
Location: CISC International Family Center-Seattle
611 S Lane St, Seattle WA 98104

Summer Field Trips

Following up on their recent Light Rail trips, the Sunshine Garden seniors have been busy this summer exploring different neighborhoods by public transportation. They've taken advantage of some wonderful historic bus tours to visit Snohomish for the town's annual Kla Ha Ya Days festival in July, and Snoqualmie in August for the railway museum and Snoqualmie Falls. They've also been to the Museum of Flight and Woodland Park Zoo.

These trips have been a great way for the seniors to keep up on all the transportation options that are out there, and enjoy some highlights of the neighborhoods and towns they wouldn't normally visit. 

Having Trouble with House Payments?

Come learn about your options before foreclosure.  Wednesday, September 25 at CISC.

Contact Alan Lai alanl@cisc-seattle.org for more information.



More tips on real estate concerns at the International Examiner.

Just took State Rep Zack Hudgins (11th district) on a tour of CISC, introducing him to our programs, and sharing thoughts on immigrant integration.

Did you know that Rep Hudgins was responsible for each of the light rail stations having a different icon? This idea was based on his travels around the world and experience trying to find his way through systems with signs in languages he doesn't read or speak.

What a great idea! Only, some of the icons don't seem to make much sense. Like the magic carpet for the airport station? This had something to do with the graphic artists' sense of whimsy, we're told...

104 and Still Learning

Hearing about the success of Sunshine Garden's field trips to SeaTac Airport via light rail, one of our more elderly clients decided that she too wanted to learn how to get to the airport by public transit.


104 year old Mrs. Lau requested that CISC staff lead another field trip to the airport to see how easy it was to get there by light rail.

Even though she has no immediate travel plans, she wanted to learn how to go - just in case.

Kudos to Mrs. Lau and all the other seniors of Sunshine Garden who never give up on improving their physical and emotional health, independence, fellowship, and lifelong learning!

Lavender Sorbet

Once again, Sunshine Garden seniors were treated to another culinary delight by volunteer cooking instructor, Christine Ho.  This month's treat was Lavender Sorbet.

Non-fat, no dairy, and easy to make!  Only 5 ingredients, and one of them is water!

This summertime treat is sure to be a hit with all our friends and neighbors. If you'd like the recipe, contact Andes Kong at andesk@cisc-seattle.org

Better yet, sign up for next month's cooking demonstration (must be 60+).

Website Redesign

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The CISC website is old and tired. Things are hard to find, and other things just aren't even there.

Thanks to the generous support of volunteers from the Executive Development Institute, we are in the process of a major overhaul. But we need your input!

Tell us what you'd like to see on the new site, what you don't like about the current site, and how we can improve. We can't guarantee that all your suggestions will be incorporated into the new site, but we do promise to take each and every comment seriously.

We want to make the website work for YOU!

Emergency Communications

CISC is partnering with the NW Center for Public Health Practice to research effective emergency communications with limited English proficiency populations.

Funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will help us learn how best to communicate with our populations in the event of natural disasters, terrorist attack, personal emergencies, or any of a plethora of emergency scenarios.

We're proud to be a part of this timely and important research that will benefit our community and others for years to come!

An abstract of the project  is located on the CDC website.

Knitting Club

New knitting club for seniors at the Peter Kirk Community Center in Kirkland Tuesdays, and the North Bellevue Community Center on Wednesdays! Participants will not only learn to knit or improve their existing knitting skills, but all completed pieces will be donated to area shelters for the holidays.

Great way to meet new friends who speak your language, learn new skills, and give back to the community! For more info, contact Cathy Lee at 206-624-5633 x 4123 or cathyl@cisc-seattle.org

New Site!

Meeting community needs is what CISC is all about. And at the request of friends in the Greenwood neighborhood of North Seattle, we are happy to announce a new partnership with the Greenwood Senior Center starting July 20!
CISC will be providing language specific activities and workshops to Chinese seniors who have a hard time traveling to and participating in Sunshine Garden Senior Day Care Center in Chinatown. Information and assistance will also be available every Tuesday for seniors needing help with anything from applying for a Metro pass, to finding appropriate health insurance, to signing up for volunteer opportunities.

The center is located at 525 N 85th St in Seattle and is open 8:30-4:30 Monday-Friday. For more information, contact Cathy Lee at 206-624-5633 x 4123 or cathyl@cisc-seattle.org