~ Past Events (2003) ~

Chinese American Museum - Grand Opening (Service)
Friday, December 19, 2003

The Chinese community in downtown LA got a huge boost on Friday, December 19th with the opening of the Chinese American Museum and CASA was there in full force to assist in the festivities. It was a gala event (the only one where we had a dress code) that included some of Los Angeles' prominent Asian personalities. CASA members were instrumental for the successful opening night as we helped set up the event (setting up the stage and seating, decorating the banquet hall, and setting up the check-in area.) When the doors were opened, CASA members manned the member check-in booth, served as gallery sitters for the various exhibits, and coordinated the VIP activities.

The museum showcased, among other exhibits, the historical significance of Chinatown and retrospectives from Steve Wong and Tyrus Wong. A few of us even got to meet Mr. Tyrus Wong.

Overall, this was one of our best events of the year. Thanks to Jenny Wong for setting up the event, Peter Fang for establishing and maintaining the relationship with the Chinese American Museum Organization, and all of the CASA members who showed up to lend a hand. We really made a positive impact at the opening and our efforts were appreciated by the museum.

Pre-Thanksgiving Party (Social)
Sunday, November 23, 2003

It's not often that CASA gets together on a Sunday. But when we did get together on November 23rd, it turned out to be one heck of a hootenany. First there was lunch at the Mon-Land Hot Pot in San Gabriel. This was a perfect choice on a blustery autumn day as eleven CASA members went to town on a great meal. A couple of new members stopped by to check us out. And, by itself, lunch would have been a great social event.

However, our social Vice-President, Samantha, didn't stop there. Next was an afternoon Karaoking. At first, the guys were a little hesistant. But once Dave sang the Beatles, all bets were off! The sister act of Peggy Lau and Jenny Lo had the makings of the next Osmond Family. At one point, Catherine wailed out 4 straight songs! Talk about having a set of pipes! And, at $10 per person for the entire afternoon, CASA took advantage by staying for 3 hours. When evening came, a few of us finished out the trifecta by going out for Korena Tofu.

Los Angeles Regional Foodbank (Service)
Saturday, November 15, 2003

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, CASA members gathered to help the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank sort and clean tons of donated food and drinks for distribution to local area food banks. Bottles, cans, boxes, and bags of all shapes and sizes made their way through the gauntlet of volunteers. Several hours of wiping, lifting, and packing, while dodging clouds of pancake mix, oozing bottles of syrup, and jars of pickled pigs feet, yielded many pallets of goods for the needy and hungry of Los Angeles.

Special thanks to Jenny for setting up this event.

Softball and Picnic at the Park (Social)
Saturday, October 18, 2003
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CASA hosted a "double header" social on Saturday, October 18th. 14 or so CASA members showed up at 9:00 AM for a friendly game of softball. At first, there was talk of a techies v.s. accountants face off, but that would have left Greg stranded in the middle since he was neither. Also, Frank, having been both an accountant and a techie, could therefore not be trusted to remain loyal to one side. And so we actually had 3 teams (with 2 teams always on the field playing defense). The game was super competitive (left field was such a water hazard that Andy almost drowned in it!) and wasn't decided until the bottom very last inning when team three (consisting of Frank, George, Khoa, and Ken) came from behind to beat team two (Van, Cliff, Greg, and Jones).

Highlights of the game?

1)Jenny Wong's no-look catch (we think she got a little scared of the ball and closed her eyes) in the bottom of the last inning.

2)Jones' home run that was hit so far, it hit a car in the parking lot.

3)"Ball-Hog" Anthony who caught an infield pop-up even though Van clearly called for it.

4)Frank striking out Cliff. (remember: this was slow-pitch softball) Cliff would get revenge later with a base-clearing homerun.

After a hard-fought 4 inning game, CASA held a picnic to celebrate the indian summer. Suspiciously, Ray showed up just in time for the food.

And, in keeping with a time-honored CASA tradition, a few of us even went out for boba tea and shaved ice at a place called Guppy Tea House, where the "small" serving of shaved ice was enough for 2 and the large was so large, it was twice the size of Van's head (don't believe me? check out the pictures) and took 3 grown men to finish it. As an added bonus, there was even a Hoa sighting!

Since the social was held in Cerritos, our southern members were all grateful to not have to leave their homes at the crack of dawn. A couple of us even made it from San Diego county!

Thanks to Frank for doing the COSTCO run and being the grill-master, Michael, for being the photographer, and Michelle, who kept score of the game and was the game's cheering section. I think we have a open Board seat for you Michell.

VERB Celebrating Active Children at Harvest Moon Festival (Service)
Sunday, September 21, 2003
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On September 21, 2003, CASA participated in the Harvest Moon Festival at the Arcadia County Park. The event was put on by VERB, an organization that promotes
physical fitness with young people in the 'tweens' age group. We worked to futher
the cause by manning a booth that allowed people to dance to a video game called "Dance Revolution.' Players get awarded points if their coordinated steps matched what was displayed on the screen. CASA awarded various prized based upon points accumulated by the players.

This was an all-day event that was broken into 2 shifts. Most worked either the morning or the afternoon shift. However, kudos to Frank, Greg, and Catherine for volunteering their time for both shifts. Special thanks to honorary member Andy Pan for providing the dance floorpad and TV. Our popularity was evident by the fact that we were one of the only booths in the VERB area attracting kids well into the late afternoon.

As an added bonus, CASA members checked out the rest of the festival, which included a shopping bazaare, an all-day concert, and other fun-n-games.

A Night At the Hollywood Bowl (Social)
Saturday, September 6, 2003
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CASA made its annual trek out to Hollywood for the Hollywood Bowl Summer Concert finale on September 13th. In attendance were some long-time members (sammie), new members (Christine), and even a potential European member (Claudia). All in all, 16 CASA members were able to brave the Hollywood traffic and parking situation to see the Hollywood Bowl orchestra, the Chinese Acrobats, and some fireworks.

We had picnic before the show. We listened to the orchestra perform a set of chinese themed numbers, sat in awe as the acrobats performed stunts that would make the Ringling Brothers jaw drop. And, of course, who doesn't like fireworks. All in all, the night was fantastic.

Thanks to Frank who stepped in to be the coordinator of the event, and all the people who brought food and drinks. We will do it again next year!

Kid's Care Fair (Service)
Saturday, August 23, 2003
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The Kids Care Fair is like a fine wine. With each passing year, the event gets better and better. CASA has been actively involved with this annual event for 5 years running, and this year was the best of them all. On August 23, 2003, about 15 of our members showed up to help give over 150 underprivileged children eye examinations, dental and medical checkups, and to insure that this would be their most enjoyable doctors' visit with activities, free books, and gifts. We had our best turn out of kids in part to a more visible marketing campaign held the weekend before. That was when Frank, Jenny, Michael, and Cliff traversed the better part of Chinatown, the San Gabriel Valley, and parts of the Olvera area to get the word out on the fair.

Kids Care Fair was a partnership with CSC, the Chinatown Service Center, and CASA members played integral parts in pulling this event off with aplomb. For instance, Catherine made sure the patients got their paperwork in order, Peggy played optometrist, Andy and Wainie were crowd control, Jones, Marissa and Samantha assumed the roles of nurses, Greg and Philicia manned the tattoo parlor (the tattoos were temporary), Al greeted the patients with books, and Frank made sure that the children were all hygienically prepared.

CASA was also able to enlist the help of outside businesses, securing books to give to the kids and food and drink (we had 11 cases of soy milk!) for all participants. Everyone helped in making this event a huge success.

Tofu Festival (Service)
Saturday, July 19, 2003
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Dragon Boat Races (Social)
Sunday, July 13, 2003
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Everybody Reads (Social)
Saturday, June 28, 2003
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Simply Help (Social)
Sunday, June 22, 2003

On Sunday, June 22, 2003, over 20 CASA volunteers worked side-by-side with volunteers from SimplyHelp in a warehouse to pack donated clothing and other used goods for shipment. Through donations from friends and volunteers, SimplyHelp ships unwanted or used goods in 20-foot containers to developing countries and distribute the donations to poor families. According to Tina Bow, Founder of SimplyHelp, Even a torn and beat-up teddy bear can brighten a child’s life. If you have a closet that’s full of old clothing and used goods but not sure what to do with them, bring them to one of Simply Help donation locations (www.simplyhelp.org).

Miniature Golf (Social)
Saturday, May 31, 2003
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It was a typical warm sunny So Cal summer day at Casa's SpeedZone Social event. The turn-out was small but the day was about quality not quantity as our group made the most of the great weather and decided to hit the green instead for some miniature golf, less fast paced than the grand prix track perhaps, but no less competitive. Once again a great time was had by all. Hope to see you all there next year!

San-Tai-San Basketball Tournament (Service)
Saturday, May 10, 2003