Thursday, April 23, 2009

2010 Census

Also today, CISC hosted a press conference in conjunction with the Organization of Chinese Americans - Greater Seattle Chapter, and the US Census Bureau.

The purpose was to help kick off the 2010 census and make sure our community members know the importance of being counted.

Speakers from a variety of community groups were in attendance, all highlighting the need for an accurate count.

CISC applauds the work the Census Bureau is doing and is a proud partner in our 2010 Census count efforts!


Check out the video here!

Partners in Preparedness




Today, CISC, in conjunction with the Seattle Office of Emergency Management, received a Partners in Preparedness Award from the International Association of Emergency Managers.

This award recognized some of the groundbreaking work CISC has been doing in terms of nonprofit preparedness.


Working with Public Health, United Way, the Statewide Disaster Preparedness Task Force, and King County, CISC has taken a lead in preparing nonprofit organizations, and our community members in the event of a disaster.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Troop 52844

Saturday, Brownie Troop 52844 came to CISC to distribute rice to low income families.

They used the money generated from their cookie sales to buy hundreds of pounds of rice, which they bagged and handed out with hand made cards for the recipients.



The girls also entertained those waiting in line with songs and cute smiles. Thank you Troop 52844!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

CPR Training

As part of National Disaster Preparedness Month, CISC once again held CPR recertification classes for all staff.

In addition to CPR, staff receive updated first aid training and we evaluate our Agency Emergency Plan at this time each year.

Later this month, we'll be holding an evacuation drill with consultation from the Seattle Fire Department. You can never be too prepared!
Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

South

As a member of the steering committee for South Seattle Community College's AANAPISI grant (10 points if you can guess that that stands for!), we are happy to share this first video highlighting some of the great supports and services available to students at South.


SSCC was one of only 6 schools nationwide to receive the designation of "Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution". With this comes 2 years of funding to develop mechanisms to support student retention and success.

The AANAPISI grant team is currently developing programs, activities, curriculum and other resources to promote student success. While the grant focuses on developing strategies that are culturally relevant to Asian American and Pacific Islander students, these resources will be available to all students and will promote the success and retention of South students overall.

Congratulations to our friends at South, and keep up the great work!!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Facebook

We're on Facebook! Join the group at http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=34853903657

Invite your friends! Keep up to date and add your own thoughts and stories about CISC!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Family Caregiver Program on KOMO

Starting today, you might see ads on KOMO TV for CISC's Family Caregiver Support Program. In partnership with Senior Services, these ads will publicize the services offered by CISC to people caring for their elderly or disabled relatives at home.

Did you know that folks come from as far away as Bellingham for these services? Though there are other providers in Whatcom County (and Skagit County too), none of them offer the specialized services required by our clientele.

Culturally competent services in a language you can understand. That's CISC!

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

2010 Census Briefing

This afternoon CISC and the Organization of Chinese Americans - Greater Seattle chapter teamed up to brief the community on the 2010 census.

We're now less than one year away from the big count and CISC is working actively with other partners to educate our community on the importance of being counted.

Did you know that for every person counted by the census, as much as $800 comes from the federal government to the local community each year?

And the individual information collected stays confidential for 74 years. It doesn't get shared with immigration, housing authorities, welfare agencies or police.

For more information, click here. And stay tuned for more updates as we get closer!

Saturday, April 04, 2009

GivingWorks

Did you know that you can support CISC through eBay? In addition to donating items for our Friendship Dinner and Auction (June 6!) you can sell items on eBay and donate all or part of the proceeds to CISC!

Just click on the GivingWorks icon and choose Chinese Information and Service Center as the beneficiary.

Listings sold through GivingWorks attract 20% more bids, sell 50% more often, and close with 40% higher prices. And best of all, eBay fees associated with sold items are credited back to you at the same percentage as that donated!

Just another way to help immigrants make the transition to a new life while keeping later generations in touch with their rich heritage!

Friday, April 03, 2009

Thought ‧ Inspiration ‧ Mastery

During the spring break, staff from CISC's International Technology Community Center took a group of energetic youth to visit the University of Washington and Bellevue Community College. For most of them, this was the first time to set foot on the campus of an institution of higher learning.

After our guide explained the meaning of the inscription "Thought Inspiration Mastery" on the statues outside Suzzallo Library, we couldn't help but hold our breaths as we stepped into our first university library. Hmm... maybe it's time to do some serious planning about our future!

Although ice cream tempura may have been the highlight of the tours, we learned a great deal about preparing for college and college life. We were thrilled to learn about various support programs for bilingual students and meet with representatives from local colleges and universities.

In the highly competitive job markets of today, having a college degree is not a luxury, but a necessity. Our kids are taking the first step to preparing for their future success.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Economic Stimulus

Here's an easy way to make a quick $75:

The Speech Research Laboratory of Dr. Patricia Kuhl, Co-Director of the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, is studying Social Information in Language Control. They are looking for adult bilingual Chinese/English speaking males for a brain imaging study at the UW to explore how monolingual and bilingual adults process speech.

If you are a healthy, right-handed bilingual make 18-40 years of age, with no metallic implants in your body (?!), they are looking for you!

The study involves one visit lasting about 1 hour 45 minutes. Eligible subjects will receive $75 for participating. Parking will be reimbursed.

If interested, contact the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at 206-616-6221 or yapeng2@u.washington.edu.