Monday, August 16, 2004: Volume #2, Issue #41
The VERB Weekly Email Digest
Edited by Sophy Pich, VERB Project Associate

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In This Week's Issue

1. Announcements
• Vietnamese Parents' Day celebration
• NAVASA National Conference 2004
• Teleconference on Voting
2. Promising Practices
• Five Tips for Keeping a Small Charity Out of Legal Hot Water
3. News
• SHIP captain who saved Vietnamese refugees honored in Orange ...
• VIETNAM vet plans return to help kids
• NICK Coleman: A moving story about charity
• GROUPS pay tribute to Montagnards
• RAISED on American Streets, Cambodian Youths Face Deportation
• IMMIGRANTS still changing the face of Green Bay
• HMONG and Laotian voter campaign begins
• MASSIVE Hmong Resettlement Underway in US
• COURAGE learned at an early age
• A Temple Rises
• DIVERSITY provides extra spice to picnic
4. Funding Opportunities
• Johnson & Johnson
• Vanguard Public Foundation
• AAUW Educational Foundation
• Gannette Foundation
• Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health
5. Resources
• Bridgestar

I. Announcements

Lieu Quan Buddhist Cultural Center Celebrating Vietnamese Parents' Day

Lieu Quan Buddhist Cultural Center will hold the very first Vietnamese Parents' Day celebration at the Santa Clara Convention Center on Sunday August 22, 2004 at 3pm to honor the Vietnamese parents for their devotion to their children. The event is supported and sponsored by Kim Son Meditation Center and International Children Assistance Network (ICAN).

Titled "Doa Hong cho Ngay Vu Lan", the celebration will be blessed by the appearance of the renowned Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Tinh Tu, Abbott of Kim Son Meditation Center, who will share his thoughts on cultivating strong family foundation and preserving traditional cultural values in the new environment. In addition, the celebration features a Rose Offering ceremony (Le cai hoa hong) dedicated to parents, and offers a chance for children and youth to express their thoughts and feelings toward their parents. The program includes recognition of individuals whose relationship with and dedication to their parents exemplify the Vietnamese tradition of filial piety. The event also offers poetry reading and musical performances by writer Tran Dieu Hang, popular performers Ky Anh, Quang Tuan, Thanh Tuyen, and contributions from community members such as Thong Le and Be Thao and the New Land band.

The goal of the celebration is to preserve Vietnamese tradition and cultural values while helping to strengthen family foundation and foster communications between parents and children. "Filial piety is the highest virtue revered in the Vietnamese tradition. We have spiritually rich and emotionally gratifying traditions honoring our parents for thousands of years. We should celebrate our Vietnamese Parents' Day so that our children can learn more about their Vietnamese culture and be proud of their Vietnamese roots. This event will also help to bridge the intergenerational gap in our families. We hope everyone will join us in this important endeavor," says Rev. Thich Phap Chon, Chairman and President of Lieu Quan Buddhist Cultural Center.

While the ceremony is based on Vu Lan, a Buddhist tradition of paying homage to and praying for one's parents and ancestors (during the 7th month of the lunar calendar year), this celebration is a community-wide cultural event for all Vietnamese families in the Bay area. "We want to support Lieu Quan in reaching out to everyone in the community with the message on compassion, understanding and mindful living. These are important tools to bring happiness to us, stability to our families, and peace to our communities," states Zen Master Thich Tinh Tu.

The celebration will be held on Sunday August 22, 2004 at 3pm at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Ticket price is $30; children & students: $15. To order tickets, please call: 408-509-8788. For more information, please contact Quyen Vuong at (408) 396-6002 or visit Lieu Quan's website at www.lieuquan.org.

***

WHAT: NAVASA National Conference 2004

THEME: Building a Community of Leaders

WHEN: September 30-October 2, 2004

WHERE: DoubleTree Hotel Allen Center in Houston, TX

CONTACT: For further information, please contact Thanh Tran or

MESSAGE:

Dear Friends, Supporters, and Members of NAVASA:

This is a friendly reminder for you to submit NAVASA conference registration form as soon as possible. The final deadline to register is Friday August 27, 2004. After this date, NAVASA will not accept any application.

For your convenience, you may register online or complete the form and send form to NAVASA via fax or airmail.

If you have not done so, please book your hotel accommodation. Call the hotel early to reserve your room. When call, mention NAVASA conference to get the discounted rate.

Please visit our website for the complete information on registration, programs, and accommodations.

NAVASA looks forward to seeing you in Houston!

***

We are hosting a teleconference call to hear from experts about how to best use telephoning to turnout voters on election day. We are pleased that GOTV phone expert John Jameson, President of Winning Connections, will join us for the call. He'll make a brief presentation on what we know from focus groups and polling from previous campaigns about what works and what doesn't work with phoning to boost turnout. He'll then be available to answer your specific questions. Winning Connections clients range from the Sierra Club and Planned Parenthood to Senator Blanche Lincoln and the DCCC (where they did the phones in the June South Dakota congressional special election.) For more on Winning Connections see www.winningconnections.com

Time 1:00 PM EDT, 12:00 Central, 10:00 Pacific
August 16th, 2004

Dial-in Number: 1-661-705-2000 (Santa Clarita, CA)
Participant Access Code: 78956

Bouapha Toommaly
Organizing Director
Asian Pacific Islander American National Voice/IATP Action
1012 14th St. NW # 1100
Washington, DC 20005

ph:
(612) 879-7500 Main
(202) 628-7160 Direct

fax: (202) 628-7165

Email:
bouapha@nationalvoice.org
bouapha@ruralco.org

Webs:
www.nationalvoice.org

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II. Promising Practices

Five Tips for Keeping a Small Charity Out of Legal Hot Water

By Rebecca Gardyn

From The Chronicles of Philanthropy

Hoping to raise money, a human-services charity in Massachusetts sponsored a canoe race several years ago on the Charles River. During the festivities, some of the participants drank alcohol, and their craft collided with another, causing a man in the other canoe to fall into the water and nearly drown. The charity assumed that the waterfront restaurant that played host to the event would have the proper liability coverage -- but the venue did not, and so the charity was held liable. Although the charity narrowly avoided a lawsuit, it lost money because the accident forced the cancellation of the fund-raising event, says Jeffrey Hurwit, a lawyer in Newton, Mass., who specializes in counseling philanthropic organizations and who advised the human-services group, which he prefers not to name.

Although this mishap occurred nearly 10 years ago, he says, it stands out in his mind as a prime example of the headaches that can result when a charity fails to protect itself from risks and keep its legal affairs in order. "If they would've just stopped to think about this event's potential liability risks, and bought some insurance to cover those possibilities, this could've easily been avoided," he says.

Doing charitable work does not provide immunity to nonprofit organizations that fail to obey the law. It is easy for smaller charities in particular to end up in legal trouble due to ignorance of their own needs and a failure to educate their staff members and volunteers about some legal and ethical basics.

"Nonprofit budgets often do not accommodate hiring experienced accounting, legal, or tax professionals to guide them through the legal and regulatory minefields," says Jeffrey Power, a lawyer in Grand Rapids, Mich. "These nonprofits rely instead on advice from inexpert volunteers and the staff of other nonprofits. Furthermore, small and midsized nonprofits staff may be overburdened and unspecialized. Predictably, things slip through the cracks."

Read on: http://philanthropy.com/jobs/2004/08/19/20040819-50109.htm

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III. News

Ship Captain Who Saved Vietnamese Refugees Honored in Orange ...
San Jose Mercury News
August 9, 2004

***

Vietnam Vet Plans Return to Help Kids
Tarentum Valley News Dispatch
August 9, 2004

***

Nick Coleman: a Moving Story About Charity
Minneapolis Star Tribune
August 11, 2004

***

Groups Pay Tribute to Montagnards
Charlotte Observer
August 11, 2004

***

Raised on American Streets, Cambodian Youths Face Deportation
Pacific News Service
August 11, 2004

***

Immigrants Still Changing the Face of Green Bay
Green Bay Press Gazette
August 12, 2004

***

Hmong and Laotian Voter Campaign Begins
Minneapolis Star Tribune
August 12, 2004

***

Massive Hmong Resettlement Underway in Us
Voice of America
August 13, 2004

***

Courage Learned at an Early Age
Pioneer Press
August 15, 2004

***

A Temple Rises
Fort Worth Star Telegram
August 15, 2004

***

Diversity Provides Extra Spice to Picnic
Appleton Post Crescent
August 15, 2004

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IV. Grants

1. (California)
   Vanguard Public Foundation

   Applications for the Vanguard Public Foundation's 2005 Social Justice Sabbatical Awards are now available.

   The $12,000 awards are given to social justice activists and community leaders in Northern California and the California Central Valley who have demonstrated a significant commitment to social change and who now feel the need to take a two- to three-month break for respite, reflection, and self-care. At least one award will be given to a woman of color.

   Telephone or e-mail the Vanguard Public Foundation to receive the program brochure and application.

   Contact: Vanguard Public Foundation
   Tel: (415) 487-2111
   E-mail: grants@vanguardsf.org

2. (National)
   The American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation

   The American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation annually provides support to graduate women through a range of funding programs. AAUW Educational Foundation programs support aspiring scholars in the United States and around the globe, teachers and activists in local communities, women at critical stages of their careers, and those pursuing professions where women are underrepresented.

   Applications are now available for the following programs:

   American Fellowships: Supports women doctoral candidates completing dissertations and scholars seeking funds for postdoctoral research leave or for preparing completed research for publication. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. One-year postdoctoral research leave fellowships, dissertation fellowships, and summer/short-term research publication grants are offered.

   Career Development Grants: Supports women who hold a bachelor's degree and who are preparing to advance their careers, change careers, or re-enter the work force. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

   Community Action Grants: Provides seed money to individual women, AAUW branches, and AAUW state organizations, as well as local community-based nonprofit organizations for innovative programs or non-degree research projects that promote education and equity for women and girls. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

   International Fellowships: Awarded for full-time graduate or postgraduate study or research to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Supplemental grants support community-based projects in the fellow's home country.

   Selected Professions Fellowships: Awarded to women who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who intend to pursue a full-time course of study (during the fellowship year) in designated degree programs where women's participation has traditionally been low.

   University Scholar-in-Residence Award: Colleges and universities in the United States may apply for funding to support a woman scholar to undertake and disseminate research on gender and equity for women and girls.

   See the AAUW Web site for complete guidelines, application procedures, and deadlines for each funding program.

   Deadline: Various

3. (DC-metro)
   Gannett Foundation

   Grant applications for grassroots educational programs funded by the Gannett Foundation are now being accepted.

   The funding is focused on educational programs in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, such as afterschool tutorial programs, or provide services for special populations, such as homeless children, the poor, and/or ill and the elderly. Funding is also available for projects that address at-risk youth, indigent healthcare, and families in crisis.

   Nonprofits that serve the areas of Alexandria, Falls Church and Arlington and the counties of Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun, Virginia; Montgomery and Prince George's counties, Maryland; and the District of Columbia, are eligible to apply.

   Grants range from $4,000 to $6,000.

   The Gannett Foundation is a corporate foundation sponsored by Gannett Co., Inc., which serves local organizations in communities in which Gannett has a local daily newspaper or television station.

   Deadline: POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN January 15th, May 15th, or August 15th.

4. (California)
   Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health

   Nov. 11 is the deadline for letters of inquiry for children's health grants offered by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health.

   The foundation focuses its giving on efforts by community organizations that promote the health and well being of children in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties in California.

   Under the "Promote Emotional and Behavioral Health in Preteens" grantmaking program, the foundation's focus is on fostering resiliency and promoting the healthy development of children ages nine to 13, thereby reducing the likelihood of high-risk behaviors.

   In the "Protect Children from Injury" category, the foundation awards grants to efforts that prevent neglect, child abuse, and other forms of intentional injury from occurring to children up to five years of age.

   Deadline: November 11, 2004 (Letters of Inquiry)

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V. Resources

Bridgestar, a nonprofit organization building a peer network of senior nonprofit leaders to support and strengthen the sector, announced today a comprehensive "Guide to Navigating the Hiring Process" is now available online. The 19-page guide, written by Bridgestar's experts with input from the organization's membership, is designed to help nonprofits recruit the senior executives who are most qualified for positions as well as most likely to fit the organizations' missions and cultures...

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If you wish to contribute to the VERB Weekly e-Digest, please send all materials to sophy@searac.org