Category: News

Orphanage/Underprivileged Children Aid Report: The Philippines

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by Jennifer Devany | Co-Director of Community Outreach |After searching long and hard, the wait is finally over. On Sunday, July 15, ATG’s Philippines Aid Advisor Stephen Tan, ATG’s Vice President Renea Virata, and Co-Director of Community Outreach Jennifer Devany met and discussed making the very first disbursement to an orphanage in the Philippines. With the assistance of Jennifer’s family in the Philippines, ATG will be providing assistance to Lady Fatima Orphanage located in Iriga City in Buhi Camarines Sur, approximately 20 kilometers away, where Jennifer was raised.

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Announcing Our 2015 Heritage/Culture Camp Winners!

Heritage Camp

Following our support of orphanages in Asia, ATG also provides scholarships here at home to ten young Asian American adoptees each year to attend culture camps such as Catalyst Foundation’s Heritage Camps for Adoptive Families and Vietnamese Heritage Camp. Last year, we raised $1,000, allowing ten youths to spend a few days in the summer connecting with their heritage, bonding with new friends and participating in enriching activities for this year’s Heritage and Culture Camps. Announcing our 2015 Winners! Read more

Vietnamese Orphanage/Underprivileged Children Aid Report

With your generous support, ATG is proudly able to send aid for basic needs in the form of food, clothing, medicine, recreational toys, and cultural celebrations to nourish their body, mind and spirit of these children in need. With the help of the local “Education Promotion Association (Hội Khuyến Học) and the local school districts, we now identify underprivileged children who demonstrate academic merit, rewarding them with books, rice, school supplies and bicycles to invest in their education so they can have a future. #beCAUSE

Many thanks to ATG’s Advisor Aileen Nguyen and our hard working volunteers on the ground who visited five orphanages/organizations and helped give words of encouragement and distributed study awards (clothes, shoes, backpacks), food, hot meals, mattresses and rice to 335 orphans and children with disabilities.

We provided aid to the following orphanages/organizations:
  • Ưu Đàm (Huế) –  60 children
  • Street Children Program of Da Nang (SCP-DN) Houses #2 and #3 – 63 children
  • Quan Chau orphanage (Da Nang) – 120 children
  • Huong Duong (Tam Ky) Center for the Blind and with Down’s Syndrome – 22 children
  • Thanh Tam Center for Disabled Children (Da Nang) – 70 children

The children will go back to school within the next week.  We have selected and will start to distribute more aid according to our program “Giúp Em Đến Trường” (Helping You to School) for underprivileged children (orphans, children who have lost one parents, those with disabled parents and those from extremely poor families).  We will distribute rice, clothes, school books and/or bicycles to those who do not have one and live far from school. If you would like to help and support this important cause, please donate today.

Check out some of the highlights from our last disbursement trip below and see the rest on our FB page.

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Announcing the 2015 Fashion for a Passion Designer Line-Up

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Against The Grain Productions is proud to announce the presenting designer line-up for its 7th Annual Fashion for a Passion charity event presented by Audi Dallas, taking place Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7 for Parties in Dallas’ Design District. Handpicked by the ATG board, these designers represent an exciting mix of backgrounds, Asian American origins and design aesthetics.

“We are excited to host our 7th annual event at a fabulous new venue, 7 for Parties on Nov. 7th along with seven amazing designers. We really feel the energy of that lucky number and are preparing for an exciting show that will delight our audience,” said Against The Grain President and Co-Founder Tammy Nguyen Lee. “We have a number of returning Asian American designers showing their new lines as well as a few new designers, plus a few surprises up our sleeve – all coming together to bene fit the causes we support.” Read more

ATG Presents 4th Annual Groundbreakers Speak at NAAAP National Convention

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June 17, 2015 (DALLAS) – Back by popular demand, non-profit Against The Grain Productions will host their 4th Annual Groundbreakers Speak: A Conversation with Movers and Shakers – a diverse panel of remarkable Asian American industry leaders brought together to share their inspiring personal stories and paths to success. For the first time ever, this year’s event, which promotes leadership and mentorship, will be co-hosted with the National Association of Asian American professionals of DFW (NAAAP-DFW) at the NAAAP National Convention to be held in Dallas (another first) under the theme “Resilience: Power of the Asian Leader.”

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Going Against The Grain: Jack Yang

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Jack Yang is an actor, writer, producer and director. He has been seen on various televisions shows, movies and video games over the past 17 years. Jack started early-on as a model and commercial actor while doing extra work on television shows. He studied Directing and Photography at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and then transferred over to Theatre and Film Studies at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and South Coast Repertory Theater. He has guest-starred on Law and Order: SVU, CSI Miami, Scrubs and Grey’s Anatomy. He has written many movie scripts, directed small budget projects and is currently working on his own personal project that has taken over a decade of research and preparation. He plays the leading man in indie film, A Leading Man, which has been doing well in festivals from Taipei to Philadelphia. He just wrapped up ADR for the new Jesse Eisenberg/Kristen Stewart film, American Ultra, which opens on August 21st.  (Look for him in a fun part at the end!)

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Going Against The Grain: Larry g(EE)

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We are excited to include Dallas-based soul singer-songwriter Larry G(ee) on our 4th Annual Groundbreakers Speak panel August 8th! His  career has taken him from LA to New York and back here to Dallas for audiences to enjoy locally. Most recently, he released his highly anticipated single “Days Like This” with a video release party on March 5 at Three Links in Deep Ellum. Chosen to be one of Red Bull Sound Select’s emerging artists, a Chevy Music Showcase artist for North Texas and the “Best Funk/R&B Act” at the 2013 Dallas Observer Music Awards, Larry released his four-track album “Weekends,” backed by his 10-member band of bass, percussion and horn.

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Going Against The Grain: Grace Wu

NBC Universal Executives

 

Grace Wu serves as Executive Vice President, Casting, NBC Entertainment since 2009. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of California at Berkeley, Wu began her career in entertainment casting as an assistant on the feature film “In & Out,” starring Kevin Kline.  She transitioned into television when she joined Liberman/Hirschfeld Casting, where she worked on casting for the critically acclaimed “Seinfeld,” “MadTV” and “The Larry Sanders Show.” While at NBC, Wu supervised the casting of such network series as “Freaks & Geeks,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthood” and “The Black List.”  She is responsible for overseeing the day-today casting on current scripted series as well as pilot productions.

Full name: 

Grace Wu

Hometown: 

Los Angeles, CA

Current City: 

Los Angeles, CA 

Ethnicity: 

Taiwanese-American

What does it mean to you to “Go Against The Grain?”

Lately, it means to speak up when I feel the most scared.

What made you decide to pursue a career in this industry?

I like being around creative people, getting into their heads and helping execute their vision.

What have been some of the challenges you faced/lessons you learned as an Asian American in this field?  

I can’t think of any challenges, but as the daughter of immigrants, it’s in my DNA to work hard and not whine or complain.

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment, and why?

My biggest accomplishment is picking the right guy to marry because I’ve created the family I always wanted.

What’s up next?

Finding time to shop Zappos.

Quote to live by:

You get what you get and you don’t get upset.

Sign (Eastern Animal Sign & Western Zodiac):

I’m a Rooster/Scorpio

Passionate about:

Keeping my iPhone and iPad charged at 100%.My kids think I’m crazy, but it must be!

Favorite food:

Sushi and fried egg sandwiches

Can’t live without:

Thinking about my next great meal.

I Go Against The Grain #beCAUSE:

It doesn’t seem as much fun to be regular and conventional.

February Sales of Operation Babylift to Support Adoptee DC Wolfe

The Against The Grain family’s first members were not only its founders but also the adoptees featured in the award-winning documentary film Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam, directed and produced by our president and co-founder Tammy Nguyen Lee. The poignant film, a 5 year passion project that was completed and released in 2009, follows the personal journeys of the orphans who were were airlifted from war-torn Vietnam to the United States. It was this film that inspired the founding of Against The Grain and our support of poverty-stricken orphanages in Asia.

DC Wolfe
Executive Producers and ATG Co-Founders Tammy Nguyen Lee and George Lee (center) with several of the interviewed adoptees of Operation Babylift. DC Wolfe is pictured far left.

DC Wolfe, an actor and writer, is one of the adoptees who is featured in the film. Although very private by nature, he openly shared his intimate and painful story to help others better understand the unique situation that adoptees face.  He has supported Operation Babylift by attending numerous screenings and even speaking at Asian American Leadership and Educational Conference (AAALEC) panel at Southern Methodist University to discuss the film and his personal story.

The ATG family was saddened to learn that DC is currently battling cancer. In an effort to return the love and support that he has shown for many years in sharing his powerful journey and raising awareness about adoption, Tammy and the ATG Board would like to donate 100% of all proceeds from sales of Operation Babylift DVDs during the entire month of February to help offset DC’s medical costs.

If you would like to show your support, please click here to purchase your own copy of Operation Babylift. As you reflect on the message of love throughout the month of February, we encourage you to share the love and spread the message of hope that is embodied in the film by also considering copies of Operation Babylift for family and friends. We thank you so much for your continued support of our mission and hope that through our programming and community outreach efforts, you are not only enlightened and educated about Asian American culture, arts and issues but also inspired to do your part, in any measure, to make life better for others. #beCAUSE.

Read more Against The Grain posts featuring DC Wolfe and Operation Babylift: