Lunar New Year Parade & Festival – 111^th Golden Dragon Parade & Festival

Dates & Times:    

Saturday, February 20        Festival: 10am – 5pm & Parade: 1pm – 3pm

Sunday, February 21           Festival: 10am – 5pm

Location:               Festival - 401 Cesar Chavez Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 (Chinatown). NW Corner of Broadway & Cesar Chavez.                 Parade – the streets of Chinatown

LA 18 KSCI-TV is the Title Sponsor of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s 2010 Lunar New Year Festival in Chinatown.

This Pan-Asian event is a free two-day event, Saturday, February 20, 10am – 5pm and Sunday, February 21, 2010 10am – 5pm.

On February 20^th, the 111^th Golden Dragon Parade will take place on the streets in Downtown Chinatown from 1pm – 3pm.

With over 100,000 individuals lining the parade route every year, the Golden Dragon Parade is the premiere cultural event in Southern California’s Asian American community.  LA 18 will broadcast a Lunar New Year Special, hosted by popular LA 18 talent, providing parade and festival highlights.

The Golden Dragon Parade, scheduled on Saturday, February 20, features a magnificent procession of floats, marching bands, Asian American stars and entertainers, government officials, dignitaries, and cultural groups.  The two-day family-oriented Festival, February 20 and 21, offers an impressive array of food, entertainment, prizes, and games.

Local talent and cultural groups performing (scheduled to appear, subject to change):

Saturday | Cultural – San Gabriel Valley Chinese Cultural, Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko, Martial Movements, Hi-Za Yoo Korean Dance Institute

Saturday | Local Talent – Mike Isberto, Thomas’ Apartment, Sam “Geunjin” Kang (LA 18 Kababayan Superstar Finalists:  Jolly Rodriguez & Joe Sellner, Krystle Tugadi, Winner Joseph Encarnacion & Kababayan Superstar Judge Michelle Andria), Legaci, Local Mojo

Sunday | Cultural Groups – Halau Nu Pua Lehua, Northern Shaolim Kung Fu Association, UCLA Vietnamese Student Union, Kishin Daiko, LA Little Angels’ Children Chorale, Lan Ling Studio

Sunday | Local Talent – Clarissa Park, LHTP Modern & Traditional Dance Team, Eugene Huang, Vudoo Soul, One2Swing Jitterbugs Dance, Connie Lim & The Forrest Philosophy, Local Mojo, Alfa Garcia, Seriously, Jennifer Chung, Kiyoshi Graves.

For more information, please contact:

LA 18 KSCI-TV

(310) 478-1818

www.la18.tv

www.la18community.com

Ronald McDonald House Charities ASIA Scholarship Program 09-10

 Due Date March 12, 2010

The Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Asian Pacific American Students Increasing Achievement (ASIA) Scholarship Program will be awarding 21 - $2,000 RMHC/ASIA scholarships. In addition, a $500 honorarium will be awarded to the community based organization of the recipient’s choice.

Eligibility

Currently enrolled high school seniors who have at least one parent of Asian Pacific heritage and who are eligible to attend an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocation-al/technical school with a complete course of study. Applicants must be legal U.S. residents, be less than 21 years of age, have a minimum 2.7 GPA and reside within the geographic boundaries of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino or Ventura counties. Applicants may apply for more than one RMHC of Southern California scholarship program, but can only receive one scholarship award.

For a scholarship application to be:

Mailed - please call (310) 478-1818

Email - community@la18.tv

Download - www.westla-production.com/rmhc/rmhc.pdf

Application Requirements

Eligible students must submit a complete application and attach all of the required documentation or their application will not be reviewed.

Applications must be postmarked no later than March 12, 2010.

Scholarship Terms & Conditions

RMHC of Southern California will award 21 - $2,000 RMHC/ASIA scholarships. In addition, a $500 honorarium will be awarded to the community based organization of the recipients' choice based upon their community involvements as described in their personal statement. Recipients will be selected by an advisory board consisting of educators, and com-munity and civic leaders.

Scholarship recipients must enroll in and attend a two- or four-year accredited college or university or vocational/technical school in the academic year following their selection. Verification of enrollment is required. Scholarship funds will be paid via check directly to the accredited institution in which the student enrolls. Scholarship funds will not be paid directly, nor reimbursed, to an award recipient.

Supporting Documents

Transcript, Personal Statement, Letter of Recommendation REQUIRED

A certified high school transcript that contains the student’s class rank and test scores must be submitted with the attached application. Applicants must carry a minimum 2.7 GPA.

Applicants must submit a personal statement that provides information about their Asian Pacific background, career goals and desire to contribute to their community. Information about unique, personal or financial circumstances may be added. The statement should be double-spaced with no smaller than 12-point font, no more than two pages in length and include the applicant's name and address on the top, right hand side of both pages of the document.

A one-page letter of recommendation from one of the applicant’s teachers or a school official is required. The letter should detail the applicant’s background, achievements, leadership abilities and community involvement. Letters should contain personalized information about the applicant. Form letters will be given minimum consideration.

Please see all details, term and conditions in the scholarship application forms.

For a scholarship application to be:

Mailed - please call (310) 478-1818

Email - community@la18.tv

Download - www.westla-production.com/rmhc/rmhc.pdf

Good luck!

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year’s Celebration. It’s been quite busy in the LA 18 offices. We are prepping for the 2010 Lunar New Year Festival and 111^th Golden Dragon Parade in Chinatown next month.

LA 18 KSCI-TV is the Title Sponsor of the 2010 Lunar New Year Festival in Chinatown. This Pan-Asian event is a two-day event:

   - Saturday, February 20, 10am – 5pm

   - Sunday, February 21, 2010 10am – 5pm.

On February 20^th, the 111^th Golden Dragon Parade will take place on the streets in Downtown Chinatown from 1pm – 3pm.

150,000 people attend the two day event. This is an event of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and LA 18 is collaborating with CCC to help produce a bigger and better event next year.

Join us as we celebrate the Lunar New Year – the most anticipated Asian holiday of the year! Marked by colorful festivals, parades and large family gatherings, Lunar New Year is one of the most celebrated holidays among Asian Americans.

   - The 111^th Golden Dragon Parade—with over 110,000 individuals lining the parade route, this colorful celebration along North Broadway in Chinatown has become a premiere cultural event in the Southern California Asian-American community—featuring floats, marching bands, dignitaries, entertainers, cultural groups and many others!

   - The Festival features an impressive array of food and entertainment for the entire family to enjoy: booths, cultural performances, local Asian-American talent, food, arts & crafts and prize giveaways.

It should be an exciting Festival! Hope to see you there!

Last Thursday was the 10^th Anniversary APA Holiday Toy Drive & Reception and it was such a great event! Each attendee was asked to bring a new unwrapped toy worth at least $15 or minimum donation of $15. I haven’t received a final count on the toys, but I did peek into the toy distribution center and saw boxes and boxes of toys!

We had the toy drive & reception at the beautiful Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo. The floor to ceiling glass windows and modern architecture was the perfect venue for the event. I had afun time along with my friends. There were delicious gourmet food catered, delectable desserts that   satisfied my sweet tooth and an amazing mix of entertainment. There were also fabulous raffle prizes, including a wine & cheese basket, hotel gift certificates, Lawry’s dinner for two and many more!

The talented Helen Ota emceed the event and did a fabulous job. Lawry’s The Prime Rib catered their popular meatballs, creamed corn and creamed spinach. Panda Inn Restaurant brought an assortment of Chinese food and my favorite, white chocolate dipped fortune cookies (I’m eating one right now). Morris Architects was kind enough to provide freshly baked dessert items. There were also free flowing drinks from Hpnotiq, Singha Beer and Starbucks. Throughout the night the crowd enjoyed the sounds from local talent: Fujazz, Clarissa Park and David Choi. David was also generous enough to donate 50% of his CD sales to the Toy Drive! (If you haven't already, go youtube David Choi). At the end of the night, all attendees took home a goodie bag filled with Maggi Seasoning bottles and See’s Candies.

There are 12 beneficiary organizations that are this year’s toy recipients: Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), Asian Pacific Women’s Center (APWC), Asian Youth Center (AYC), Center for Pacific Asian Family (CPAF), Chinatown Service Center (CSC), Korean Health Education Information & Research (KHEIR), Koreatown Youth & Community Center (KYCC), Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC), Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA), South Asian Helpline & Referral Agency, Thai Health & Information Services, and Western Justice Center Foundation.

THANK YOU to the following co-sponsoring organizations & volunteers: Asian Business League (ABL), Asian Pacific American Bar Association (APABA), Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance (APAWLA), Asian Professional Exchange (APEX), Japanese American Bar Association (JABA), Korean American Bar Association (KABA), Organization of Chinese Americans Greater Los Angeles (OCAGLA), Philippine American Bar Association (PABA), South Asian Bar Association (SABA), Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association (SCCLA), and Taiwanese American Lawyers Association (TALA).

THANK YOU to the following Corporate Sponsors, listed below:

On a side note, before the December 3^rd event, there was a toy drive from November 16 – December 1 at participating Southern California HSBC bank locations. We’ve collected over 250 toys from the bank locations and congratulations to the HSBC Diamond Bar branch for collecting the most toys!

Thank you again to everyone who was involved and attended the 10^th Anniversary APA Holiday Toy Drive & Reception. We wouldn’t have collected so many toys and bring smiles to the children’s faces without your love and support. Thank you.

{ UPDATE } 

Notable Highlights:

-  Close to 2,000 toys were donated

-  Monetary donations from Asian Bar Association, APEX, HSBC & David Choi - $7,430

-  Gift cards donated to beneficiary organizations - $2,485

-  Over 400 attendees

-  In addition to the toys, each beneficiary organization will receive $100 Target Gift Cards

-  First year for toy drop-off in a retail setting at HSBC's 17 participating branches

   Volunteers organize over 2,000 toys collected        Volunteers help serve food donated by Lawry's & Panda Inn  David Choi - popular local talent performs a few songs | www.davidchoimusic.com 

Would you like a chance to win a free $300 gift card and 4 Knott's Berry Farm tickets??