On Sept. 3, the new district governor of Rotary District 5030 Jesse Tam and his wife, Lilly Tam, spoke at Seattle 4 Rotary in downtown Seattle at the Red Lion Inn. Seattle 4 Rotary’s president is Nancy O. Slater. It is the largest Rotary in the world with over 700 members.♦
Comings and goings
Jolene Jang, a fun specialist, has been elected as the chapter president of National Speakers Association (NSA) for 2008-2009. Founded in 1984, NSA Northwest is a community of speakers on a wide range of topics. Their professional members have qualified to this status by presenting professionally for five years and earning over a certain amount from speaking.
Comings & Goings
Jared Jonson was hired by APIA Vote — WA 08 in June as the new coalition’s field organizer. The coalition was formed in late 2007 between Seattle Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), Raising Our Asian Representation (ROAR) and the National APIA Vote to ensure active APIA participation in the 2008 elections and a strong voice for our communities.
Comings & Goings
The Asian American Justice Center (AAJC) announced that Meredith Higashi, a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law, will join its staff as the NAPABA Law Foundation Partners and In-House Counsel Community Law Fellow.
Some of our own!
Esteemed former NW Asian Weekly editor Carol Vu earned third place in the Minorities category for her article, “Asian anxious in wake of massacre” from the Society of Professional Journalists. Her article dealt with the aftermath of Virginia Tech.
Some of our own: Assunta Ng
Northwest Asian Weekly and Seattle Chinese Post publisher Assunta Ng was honored on Sept. 19 by the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. She won the Safeco Minority Best Business Practice Award. Other winners in this category were Claudia Kauffman of Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, Percell Johnson of Cassel Inc. and Mike Sotello of Approach Management Services.
Scholastic achievement
The National Merit Scholarship Corp. has announced the names of about 16,000 students nationwide who were among the top scorers on the 2007 Preliminary SAT. As semifinalists, students are eligible for certain scholarships.
A night to remember
In celebration of 30 years of service to the community, the Denise Louie Education Center held its annual Jazz Night Dinner and Auction on Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Showbox SoDo in downtown Seattle, raising just over $110,000 to support its early learning programs and family support services for the coming year. They would like to thank everyone who attended and those that have supported them over the last 30 years! ♦
ACRS’ night to remember
The Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) had a benefit dinner and auction at the Seattle Sheraton entitled “Faces of Community, Masks of Tradition,” on Saturday, Sept. 13. Hosted by Lori Matsukawa, the event also featured Garfield’s Jazz Combo, a three-course dinner, a dance from Long Life Association and several silent auctions. Attendees were able to pick from lavish vacation packages, to a pig roast for 40, to a Washington sailing cruise, to a sweet dessert auction.
Award for fashion designer
Seattle hosted the Imagine! Design Expo at the International Academy of Design & Technology campus in Tukwila, Sept. 8. Designer Luly Yang was recognized for her contributions. Yang is widely known for her exquisite couture and bridal collections, as well as her downtown studio boutique located at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel.