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Asian American Coalition of Chicago annual banquet on Jan. 23rd
AACChicago HONORS HARINDER SINGH AND ASHIKA KALRA The Asian American Coalition of Chicago honored Indian Americans Harinder Paul Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Management and Information Technology Solutions, Inc. (MITS) and Ashika Kalra, Senior, Saint Charles East High School, Saint Charles, Illinois at their 27th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration, Saturday, January 23, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont Illinois. This year's gala event themed "Bridging Generations and Cultures For progress" was hosted by the Filipino American community of Chicago, with Ms. Aurora Abella-Austriaco serving as event chairperson. The Hon. Richard A. “Dick” Devine, Former State’s Attorney of Cook County, Illinois (1996-2008) received the Coalition's GRAND ASIAN SANDRA OTAKA MEMORIAL AWARD. This award is periodically presented to someone of non-Asian descent, who has made significant contributions to the Asian Pacific American community.
“Shan Punjab Di Bhangra Group” presented by the Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago performed Punjabi folk dance Bhangra during the entertainment segment. Other dance performances included the Chinese, Filipino, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese dance presentations coordinated by director Marc Rita. “The purpose of this celebration is to showcase the culture, the contributions, and the harmony among Asian Americans of Chicago,” said Rajinder Singh Mago one of the directors of Asian American Coalition of Chicago. An event held on this grand of a scale only once a year, Lunar New Year is traditionally the single largest organized annual event in Chicago’s Asian American community which takes turns to host the event. Indian Americans are the next hosts. “The Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago and Sikh American Heritage Organization officials have consistently and proactively been involved in Asian American Coalition of Chicago for the last two decades, and work as part of the planning committee no matter who is hosting it,” said Sunny Kular PCS board of governors.
The Asian American Coalition of Chicago Executive Committee was also introduced, which included two Indian Americans Mr. Prem Lalvani and Mr. Rajinder Singh Mago. According to the latest (year 2000) Census, the Asian Pacific American population in Illinois numbers approximately 3.4% of the statewide population. The opening ceremonies in the Grand Ball Room was preceded by a POLITICAL FORUM where an Asian American panel asked the political candidates probing questions. The forum was packed due to the primary elections on Feb 2.
Other P.C.S. programs include: “Rangla Punjab 2010,” scheduled for April 10, at Lane Tech High School Auditorium in Chicago and “Punjabi Sports Festival 2010,” planned for the summer of 2010. Scholarships for Punjabi youth will be awarded at the “Graduation Night 2010” in June, 2010., and 8th Annual PCS Chicago International Bhangra and Gidha Competition in late fall 2010.
The Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago is a not-for-profit community organization devoted to promoting education, good citizenship, Punjabi culture, language, performing arts, healthy life style, and sports in the metropolitan Chicago area. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AACChicago announces NRI Harinder Paul Singh Awardee of Community Service 2010 CHICAGO, IL - - The Asian American Coalition of Chicago proudly announces the following list of celebrity presenters, awardees, performing artists and expected dignitaries for its 27th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration, ? Bridging Generations and Cultures for Progress,? to be held Saturday, January 23, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency O?Hare, 9300 West Bryn Mawr Avenue, Rosemont, Illinois. Over 1,000 people are expected to attend the black-tie optional gala.
The Coalition is proud to have journalist Euna Lee of CurrentTV as its keynote speaker. Lee will speak about her experiences as an Asian American journalist. Lee was detained in North Korea with fellow CurrentTV journalist Laura Ling. The two were arrested in March 2009 for entering the country illegally. They were later pardoned in August after President Bill Clinton secured their release on a diplomatic visit to North Korea. An event held on this grand of a scale only once a year, Lunar New Year is traditionally the single largest organized annual event in Chicago?s Asian American community. Every year a different Asian community takes turn playing host of the Lunar New Year gala. This year it is the Filipino American Community, which has thrice before (in 1986, 1994, and 2002) held the gavel for the community's most important event of the year. "We are honored to host the Annual Lunar New Year Celebration once again,? said Aurora Abella-Austriaco, 2010 Chair of the Asian American Coalition of Chicago. ?The Filipino American community is very proud of the accomplishment and progress that the Filipino community and the Asian community as a whole have made in the last decade. As we enter into a new decade, we want to ensure that the hard work done by all those before us are built upon as we move forward into the future.? The 2010 Lunar New Year Gala welcomes The Year of the Tiger, Lunar Year 4708. A Political Forum begins the evening at 4:30 p.m., followed by a 5:30 p.m. Cocktail Reception, Opening Ceremonies are at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner, entertainment, and awards ceremonies, until approximately 10 p.m. CELEBRITY PRESENTERS The Asian American Coalition of Chicago announces that the following popular TV broadcast personalities are scheduled to appear as Celebrity Presenters at its 27th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration, on Saturday, January 23, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency O?Hare in Rosemont: * Jan Jeffcoat, Morning Anchor/Reporter, FOX Chicago TV News; * Nancy Loo, Morning and Noon Anchor/Reporter, FOX Chicago TV News; * Nesita Kwan, HealthWatch Reporter and Anchor, NBC 5 Chicago TV News; * Joanie Lum, Broadcast Journalist; * Mai Martinez, Weekend Anchor/Reporter, CBS 2 Chicago News; and * Judy Wang, Weekend Morning Anchor/Reporter, CLTV News and WGN-TV News AWARDEES The Asian American Coalition of Chicago announces that the following individuals have been named 2010 awardee recipients: PAN ASIAN AMERICAN PING TOM MEMORIAL AWARD, 2010 HONOREE The Hon. Tammy Duckworth, Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, United States Department of Veterans Affairs; Former Director, Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs GRAND ASIAN SANDRA OTAKA MEMORIAL AWARD, 2010 HONOREE The Hon. Richard A. ?Dick? Devine, Former State?s Attorney of Cook County, Illinois (1996-2008); Currently Partner, Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson LLP COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDEES, 2010 HONOREES 1. Ali Jiwani, Entrepreneur; Owner, Twin Peaks Inc. and CSP+ COMPUTERS; Community Leader, Social Service and Interfaith Areas , Bangladeshi American Community Awardee; 2. Shiao-Lin D. Hui, M.S., R.N., A.P.N., Registered Nurse and Volunteer Advanced Nurse Practitioner, DuPage Community Clinic and Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (Chinese Community Center) Clinic, (Chicago, Illinois); Chinese American Community Awardee; 3. Michael P. Chu, Partner, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lion; President, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Law Foundation; Past President, NAPABA, Filipino American Community Awardee; 4. Harinder Paul Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Management and Information Technology Solutions, Inc. (MITS); Chairman, Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago 2008-2009, Indian American Community Awardee; 5. Arie Quick, Member, Board of Directors, Indonesian American Community of Illinois (IACI), Treasurer, Indonesian Performing Arts of Chicago (iPAC), Secretary, Indonesian Abroad in Reach (iAIR), Indonesian American Community Awardee; 6. Tadashi ?Tad? Tanaka, Longtime Member, Board of Directors, Japanese American Citizens League,Chicago Chapter (since 2001); Chairman, JACL Building Committee; Member, Board of Directors, Andersonville Chamber of Commerce, Japanese American Community Awardee;
8. Hamidi Harun, Owner, HZ Global; President, The Malaysian Club of Chicago, Malaysian American Community Awardee; 9. The Hon. Pamela Leeming, Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois; 2008 Chair, Asian American Coalition of Chicago, Founder, Pakistani American Bar Association; Secretary, Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Chicago Area; Pakistani American Community Awardee;
YOUTH WHO EXCELS AWARDEES, 2010 HONOREES 1. Azmina Panjwani, Junior, Niles West High School, Skokie, Illinois, Bangladeshi American Community Awardee; 2. Jia Long Yu, Student, Walter Payton College Prep, Chicago, Illinois, Chinese American Community Youth Awardee;
4.Ashika Kalra, Senior, Saint Charles East High School, Saint Charles, Illinois, Indian American Community Youth Awardee; 5.Ayu Putu Niastarika, 2009 Graduate, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Illinois, Indonesian American Community Awardee;
9. Thomas Trung-Hau Tran, Senior, Lake View High School, Chicago, Illinois, Vietnamese American Community Awardee EXPECTED DIGNITARIES (as of presstime)
POLITICAL FORUM At the Political Forum at 4 p.m., participating Candidates will be given a 1-minute opening speech each, and will participate in a Question & Answer session. The public will have the chance to submit questions through a moderator. There are four candidates of Asian American descent running for local, state and congressional offices in the Feb. 2, 2010 Primary Election. These candidates are running in the following races: Illinois Attorney General, Illinois Comptroller, the 6th Congressional District and the 17th State Representative District. SHOW The Asian American Coalition of Chicago announces that Actor/Director/Producer Marc Rita is currently serving as Director of the 27th Annual Asian American Coalition of Chicago Lunar New Year Celebration Show. The following is the list of performing artists scheduled* to appear in the 2010 Show: Traditional Chinese Lion Dance Dance of the Flying Fairies Chicago Angklung & Rondalla Ensemble Sight Unseen Eye of the Tiger Kulintang and Agong Sa Ugoy Ng Duyan Bhangra Light of Nature JASC Tsukasa Taiko Pungmulnori Malaysian Kompang Teut-Teung Dance (Drum Dance) Traditional Dragon Dance The Asian American Coalition of Chicago, which sponsors both the annual Lunar New Year Celebrationand the weeklong Asian American Festival at Chicago?s Richard J. Daley Plaza, celebrates approximately 16 different cultures. Over the years, the Coalition has included representatives of the Bangladeshi, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Malaysian, Nepalese, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Thai and Vietnamese communities. According to the latest Census, the Asian Pacific American population in Illinois numbers approximately 428,213, or 3.4% of the statewide population. Numerous dignitaries traditionally attend the festivities, including the Asian consular corps, elected and appointed governmental officials, political candidates, top business and corporate leaders, decision-makers at Chicago's major media press outlets, and everyone who considers himself or herself a mover and shaker in and around, or for, the Asian Pacific American national movement. Please contact Ticket Chair Mae Espina at maeespina@mac.com or (847) 414-9557 to reserve a table.
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