2011 is coming to a close, and as we look back at the many blessings this year has brought, we are grateful for all the support we have received. With your generous contributions, we achieved many ambitious goals.
Throughout the year, we partnered with California Pizza Kitchen, Pinkberry and Panda Express for “dine for a cause” fundraisers, which allowed us to have fun, eat, and raise money for our organization. We hosted our 3rd annual Fashion for a Passion, showcasing the talents of seven amazing designers, five musical performers and nine exhibiting artists. Our spectacular event was attended by over 300 guests and raised over $20,000 for orphanage aid, outreach programs and the ATG Artistic Scholarship Fund for Asian American students pursuing a degree in the arts. We not only exceeded our goal, we made a record, doubling the amount raised from 2010!
Our documentary, Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam, continues to receive accolades and screen at events across the world, from Florida to Australia. We have plans to go even wider with distribution in the coming year to help the film find its audience and bring more awareness to this unique group of people.
And as always, we participated in local and national community festivals, including the GDAACC May Festival, World Festival and we even had our first team of rowers at the DFW Dragon Boat, Kite and Lantern Festival. Our ATG Rowers did pretty well the first time round, and our hope is to practice and become even stronger and better next year!
In addition to promoting education, cultural awareness and Asian American artists, one of our organization’s most important missions is outreach. This year, we provided scholarship to 5 young adoptees to attend culture camps at Catalyst Culture Camp and Vietnamese Heritage Camp, two Artistic Scholarships to deserving and talented young Asian American students and continued aid to orphanages in Vietnam that serve hundreds of children, sending needed food, milk, toys and educational assistance.
We are so blessed to have a hard working and Board and team of volunteers who devote their time unpaid to our organization. Even though we are a small group, we hope we can and are making a big difference. Thank you for your support to help us achieve these goals. Please continue to be an active participant in our mission to achieve “One Voice. Many Stories.” Wishing you and yours the happiest of holidays and all the best in 2012!
Cheers!
Tammy Nguyen Lee
President/Founder
