President:
Nancy Wang
576-0533

Vice President:
Mary Lowe
528-8712 x132

Treasurer:
Hsiu-Chuan Armstrong

Recording
Secretary:
Judy Cheung
528-0912

Corresponding
Secretary:
Mark Heydon
575-9541

Newsletter,
Scholarship:
Mirin Lew
545-6173

Social Director:
Mary Lowe

Membership:
Judy Cheung

Ways and Means:
We need someone!
535-0985

Building Committee:
Joe Wang
576-0533

Youth Group:
Mark & Azy Heydon
575-9541

Board Members:
Kevin Ablett
Sandy Bartholome
Shirley Brummell
Irene Fong
Jean Gee
Norman Lai
Winston Lee
Frances Lok
Shubert Yee
Kay Yee

NEWSLETTER

Greetings to all our RECA members and friends!

Our grand RECA Chinese New Year Celebration and Fundraiser is coming up on Saturday, February 24, 2007, beginning at 5:00 p.m. at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building. I hope I see you all there. This year we have a new menu including roast pig to celebrate the Year of the Pig. We also expect to have a greeting and proclamation from the Mayor of Santa Rosa, plus traditional and innovative entertainment demonstrating the talents of our members of all ages with their renditions of song, dance and martial arts from many regions of China. Come and see some of our international champion tai chi and wu shu teen competitors and instructors perform for you. Don’t forget our raffles and silent auctions. We have lots of wonderful prizes to raffle and sell. There is also the kid’s arts and craft table, a hands-on Chinese painting exhibition table and many other fun things to do and people to see.

We have had so many people working on this gala event that I cannot thank each one individually for all of the hard work they are doing, so I want to take this time to thank you all as a group. When so many of our members work together, that is when our events and organization are successful.

I also want to thank Dongfen Gao, our RECA webmaster for consistently updating our website in such a timely manner. Please see the newsletter article about our Web site for more information.

This year’s traditional Chinese New Year observance will be celebrated as a potluck lunch at the RECA Center on Saturday, February 17th, from noon to 2:00 p.m. Phi Phi Dang will lead the ceremonies.

Each year, RECA has been gathering at our Center for a small, traditional celebration of the new year. This is not our glorious fundraiser extravaganza, but a chance to celebrate the new year with quiet ceremony and rituals traditional to Chinese families who still enjoy observing important holidays with families and friends.



RECA LANGUAGE SCHOOL
By Judy Cheung

Winter is a time for hustle and bustle during our language classes. In addition to language lessons, we have a variety of activities during recess and after classes. 

For the end of our last class before our two week winter break, our classes enjoyed cake for a Christmas party.

Once New Years was over, it was back to the old grindstone in class. However, classes now include getting ready for our fabulous Chinese New Year’s Celebration and Fundraiser. For our teen lion dancers practice takes place most weeks during the end of language classes. Cultural dancers practice after classes from 11:30-12:00 and sometimes until 1:00. Our senior lion dancer, Bryce Heydon, is teaching the Beginning Mandarin Class how to perform the basic moves with our “baby” lion. Our performance lion heads weigh about 15 pounds. Our “baby” lion head is much more suitable in size and weight for our youngest performers. On sunny days, lion dancing is not enough. When finished with the lion, our youngest performers line up outside--the best simulation of the sound effects of a large stage in a large auditorium--and practiced their act for our CNY entertainment.

Inside the classes of continuing kids, teens and adults are preparing their exhibits and displays for CNY. All classes are working on pig decorations for the tables. And, for those who are fluent in English and Chinese, but want some fun with music, Dr. Robert Yee is teaching drums in addition to other instruments. Come and have some lessons. Be in our proposed Drum Corps. Our activities never end.

Sporting reindeer headbands for our school Christmas Party, the Beginning Mandarin Class is joined by parents and younger brothers and sisters who have to wait until they are old enough to join the full range of fun activities of the class. In the front is Sonia Freed, our new youth teacher’s assistant. Welcome Sonia and Family.

Our older kids enjoyed the cake and candy canes while gathering around the piano to give us an impromptu concert of Christmas carols and other songs. We have many talented young people in our ranks. We are always pleased when they share their artistic abilities with us.

Kid’s Lion practice: Bryce Heydon gives the basics for lion dancing to our Beginning Mandarin Class. Judy Cheung plays the drums, proud parents watch their kids learning culture that complements their language lessons.

Kids line up to practice their act outside. Come and see them, and all of our other magnificent performers at our Chinese New Year Celebration and Fundraiser on February 24th.

Dr. Robert Yee offers drum lessons to people of all ages. Practice with pads first, drums later. We can’t make too much noise while language classes are in session.

RECA JOINT POTLUCK APRIL 21

Mark your calendar for our joint potluck/social Saturday, April 21 at 6 p.m. with FAARP (Filipino American Association of Rohnert Park) and JACL (Japanese American Citizens League). It will be at a different location this year: the Rohnert Park Community Center at 5409 Snyder Lane, at the corner of Snyder Lane and Rohnert Park Expressway. From Hwy. 101, drive East on RP Expressway, turn right on Snyder, turn right at the first driveway. The Community Center is the first building on the right. Our host, The Filipino Association, promises a festive evening including dancing from 9-10 p.m.! Please bring an entrée to share for 8-10 people. This popular event always packs in people because of the variety of food and entertainment from each organization. For more information, contact Mary Lowe at 528-8712 x132.

RECA SCHOLARSHIPS

Scholarship applications are now available for RECA’s scholarship program. This year, three $500 scholarships will be awarded to graduating high school seniors. The scholarships are open to any member of RECA, or to Sonoma county students of Asian descent. Program details and applications are available from local high school advising offices and at RECA’s Web site at www.recacenter.org. You can download the application form here, too. 

Applications must be submitted by March 31st. For more information, contact Mirin Lew at 545-6173.

  


FREE CITIZENSHIP CLASS & SERVICES

Catholic Charities is offering a free citizenship course beginning February 13 – May 24. The 15-week class meets twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Catholic Charities’ offices at 987 Airway Court in Santa Rosa. The course is designed for people who have applied or are planning to apply for U.S. citizenship. Class content will include lessons on U.S. history & civics, practice for the interview with the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), and helping students improve their English. To reserve a class space, call Catholic Charities Immigration Services at 578-6000.

Catholic Charities was also awarded a state grant to help individuals apply to become U.S. citizens, so their services will be free until mid-April. However, individuals are still required to pay the current $400 application fee to USCIS. If you would like to volunteer and learn how to help fill out citizenship applications at evening sessions at the office, or to tutor a student outside of class, call Mary Lowe at 528-8712 x132.

NEW YEAR SILENT AUCTION ITEMS
By Winston Lee

With RECA’s February 24th New Year party coming up, here’s a preview of some silent auction items for you go-getter bidders:

• Private limo for 10 to River Rock Casino + dinner + 2-hour wine tour in Alexander Valley
• 2 nights at Atlantis Casino Resort in Reno, Nevada
• 1 night at Holiday Inn Express and dining at El Coronel Restaurant
• 1 night at the Quality Inn and dining at Lily Kai Chinese Restaurant
• 1 night at the Dry Creek Inn in Healdsburg and dining at Sake O or a Gary Chu restaurant
• Pair of Warriors tickets and 49er tickets donated by David Poulsen
• Pink freshwater pearl pendant with 14 karat chain by Mark Shimizu Design in Coddingtown
• Raku vase donated by Donna Yock and Tom Fitzgerald
• Black lacquer table donated by Joe and Nancy Wang
• Gift basket from Special Effects for Hair Salon paired with a blanket wrap from Osmosis Enzyme Bath & Massage along with a manicure from Jennifer Fang
  Fine wines by Beringer and Domaine St. George wineries. 

We will also have “shoebox” raffles in which you can choose the prize you want to win. They include: 2 tickets to Disneyland; 2 tickets to Six Flags Marine World, gift baskets from Trader Joe’s and Asia Gourmet; gift certificates to G&G Foods, Don Taylor’s Omelette Express Restaurant, East West Café, Jo Jo Sushi Bar; Go Go Wok, other restaurants, and many more items. 

Doors open at 5 p.m. Raffle drawings will take place in between cultural performances. The silent auction winners will be announced toward the end of the program. Why not treat yourself to something nice while also supporting your favorite charity!

RECA wants to thank our CNY sponsors in advance. Wal-Mart, Northwest Insurance, Sonoma County Office of Education and River Rock Casino have all donated substantial sponsorships to RECA. These funds will assist us in our ongoing cultural programs throughout the year. Thank you, thank you.

RECA WEBSITE

Recently, our RECA website at www.recacenter.org has been revised, enhanced and updated. If you haven’t looked at it recently, take a look now. New photos, new articles, new activities and new opportunities make this website exciting. 

If you have pictures of RECA events and would like them posted, send them to Judy Cheung, jhcheung@comcast.net and she will send them on to our webmaster with your photo credit. We are looking for photos of RECA activities and events that are not yet represented. Judy will act as a funnel to choose the best submitted when more than one is available and to be sure the background as well as the foreground shows everyone in a complimentary manner. Please send submissions as attachments with a caption or explanation in the main body of the email. If possible, identify the people in the photo in your captions. On the subject line, please include RECA so I will be able to identify it quickly and send it on promptly.

We want to thank Dongfen Gao for her wonderful work in putting up our website, maintaining it and improving it in a fast and positive manner. She does it enjoyably, expediently and shows off all of us at our best. Our Web site is very effective in letting people know what is going on and in bringing us new members to participate in our many events. 

Thank you Dongfen Gao, and thank you to all who contribute.

YOUTH GROUP NEWS
By Azy Yeung Heydon

Our RECA Youth Group continues to be active in its volunteer work within our association as well as with other outside organizations. We have performed at cultural awareness events in many locations as an educational benefit to our community. Our youth performances have been helping our association to gain recognition of our community’s values, views, and activities as we raise the awareness of our Chinese-Asian heritage.

Thanks goes to some of our hardworking teens and RECA’s president, Nancy Wang, as well as many others such as Dr. Robert Yee, David Cheung, Judy Cheung, Thien Tran, Mazy Yeung-Law, Judy Eliot, and some parents for their help and support. The older youth group members, especially Bryce Heydon for teaching Lion Dance, and Meesha Heydon, Jasmine Elliot, Jessica Wan, have been working hard and helping prepare the younger ones for the next generation Lion Team and dancing troupe performances. We indeed acknowledge all of their hard work and volunteerism. 

Last year, we performed volunteer service for our local non-profit organization, the Redwood Gospel Mission. We helped in the dining hall and kitchen for their annual Thanksgiving dinner and wrapped Christmas gifts for the underprivileged families. 

Our numbers have fallen slightly from a couple of years ago when we used to have more girls than boys. We’d love to have your teenage sons or daughters (or both!) join us. Please encourage them to join our group where they can enjoy Chinese culture, good citizenship, and companionship of youth similar to themselves. 

Our meeting time and place has changed. We were meeting on the 1st Friday of the month at 6:00pm in our RECA center, but since winter is here, it has gotten harder for us to meet at the center. Since most of us are practicing kung fu at Li’s Kung Fu center until late, we have decided to meet there for pizza. 

In the summer, we are thinking of changing our youth group gathering to the 1st Saturday of the month, from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm. Please let us know if this presents any problems. By the way, we welcome parents’ participation and invite you to join us in the future. We’ll provide you with pizza and homemade Chinese food. 

Our next volunteer event will be on Feb. 24th for the Chinese New Year event at the Veteran’s Memorial Building. As you know, we have done this every year and it is a fun time for all.

Again, If you have any questions regarding the RECA youth group, please call Azy or Meesha at (707) 575-9541.

RECA CULTURAL PROGRAM
By Judy Cheung

Our youth and adults are busy performing during this pre-Chinese New Year season. Various groups are visiting high schools, senior care facilities, stores and wherever else we are invited. The calendar is filling up quickly, with engagements already confirmed from now through the end of May. In addition to our usual places to bring Chinese cultural enjoyment to the community, we are now also presenting the lion dance program for River Rock Casino on February 25, the day after our grand Chinese New Year Celebration and Fundraiser. 

Congratulations to our many stars who perform the cultural dance, lion dance, adult chorus, martial arts and calligraphy demonstrations to the community. It is good to see how much the Sonoma County community enjoys our cultural offerings.

Teens at Montgomery High School enjoy our lion dancers at their Asian Night event.

Elders at Paulin Creek Inn are thrilled with the martial arts sword performance of Jerry Lee.

RECA/FCA PRE-SCHOOL CLASS
By Judy Cheung

We have been waiting for a pre-school Mandarin teacher to find us. A few months ago, a family brought in their daughter, Sofia, to be an assistant in the children’s Mandarin class. It turned out that her Mom, Kitty Freed, is the teacher we were seeking. 

We started this year’s popular pre-school class on January 27. We had 8 enrolled, prepared for 10, and we had to print many more copies of our song sheets and vocabulary sheets for the overflowing crowd that showed up.

Each tot, from 2-4, must be accompanied by at least one parent. Many in our class showed up with two parents and an older brother or sister. The feedback after the class was rave reviews. The vocabulary included: hello, you, me, Mama, Papa, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. This was taught as much by a stuffed purple gorilla as it was by Kitty Freed. The main mode of teaching was to sing songs and have fun. 

RECA and Families With Children From Asia are always pleased to work together with families who have adopted children, many from China. There are special events, supportive programs and ongoing activities like our pre-school program. 

We also need a teacher for our children’s Vietnamese class. If you know of any candidates, please inform Nancy Wang at 576-0533.

Kitty Freed leads the pre-school class, including parents and older siblings, in singing songs and having fun while learning basic Chinese. The older participants learn, and then take the fun home to teach the little ones in between classes.

When pre-school class was over, some of the little ones were fascinated with the drum class going on outside. We have two pre-schoolers with amazing ability. We don't have to worry about who will provide music for the lions in the future.

DECEMBER SOCIAL
By Judy Cheung

As usual, our December Christmas Potluck Social was a grand success. About 125 people attended, filling the Rohnert Park 4-H Center to capacity. Young and old, friends and relatives, long-time and prospective members all joined together in an evening of holiday enjoyment and friendship. 

A visit from Santa was our first attraction. Little kids got to sit on his lap, then the teens and, finally, the shy adults. All who sat on Santa’s lap received a candy cane and Polaroid photograph to take home. 

The food for the potluck was superb. Chow mein, curry chicken, pizza, lumpia, cake--anything a person could want whether on a special diet to loose weight, gain weight, cut out this or that; there was a feast for everyone.

Our entertainment included fan dancers in their brand new pink chong sam costumes, Xin Jiang dancers with their custom made tambourines, Taiwanese aborigine dancers with bells on their ankles and wrists, and our fabulous new, Adult Chorus. During dinner and between acts, we were serenaded by the background holiday songs of Dr. Robert Yee. 

Finally, the gift giving began. If you brought a gift, you received a gift. If not, then you had many chances to receive something wonderful during our raffle. 

Teens take turns sitting on Santa's lap, much to the delight of the audience. Elf Savannah helped out Santa with the shyer children and adults.

Our food table overflowed with food of every description--pizza, lumpia, spaghetti, curry, salads and desserts.

The RECA Adult Chorus was as incredible as always. They arrange their songs themselves, thus giving a unique performance to traditional songs. Whether traditional Chinese or traditional Christmas songs, all were marvelous.

The RECA Xin Jiang dancers perform a dance from the far western borders of China, showing the influence of the Middle East more than the Far East.

The Aborigine dancers leap forth with jangling ankle and wrist bells, performing a dance from the mountains of Taiwan.

Our young fan dancers, dressed in new performance costumes, gave us a taste of an ancient Chinese court dance.

All kids who brought a gift received a gift. All kids received candy canes when they sat on Santa's lap. Each family received one raffle ticket as they entered. Lots of gifts were distributed by drawing names.

Dr. Robert Yee provided live background holiday music and even a solo of his rap rendition of "The Night Before Christmas."

Gifts were given to RECA teachers, and to all who brought a gift to exchange.

As with most dance troupes, our dancers have pre- or post-performance group photo ops. Here, they are joined by an avid fan who was dubbed for the evening "The Future President of RECA." She loved everything and everyone she saw.

RECA’S YOUNGEST MEMBERS
By Judy Cheung

One reason RECA is such a thriving organization is our range in ages. The oldest are not telling how old they are. The youngest have just arrived or are on their way.

On January 27, lots of RECA ladies met at the home of Nancy Wang to celebrate the impending arrival of Patti Sullivan’s new little girl who is due in February. Also in attendance was Keelyn Walker, Nancy’s five-week-old granddaughter.

In addition to fun and friendship, the ladies spent their time hand-decorating “one-sies” for the arriving baby to wear. We know it’s a girl, but she hadn’t been named yet. They also had a prize-winning contest to see who could identify the flavors of four commercial baby foods. The ingredient no one guessed that was in each sample was rice. No, the brown stuff wasn’t liver and onions; it was bananas, pears and rice.

Everyone was so busy decorating the little baby clothes and chatting that no one looked at the camera.

Three generations of RECA active members: Keelyn Walker, Nancy Wang and Jean Walker.

RENEW YOUR RECA MEMBERSHIP TODAY

It’s time to renew your membership dues for 2007. Your support allows us to cover the association’s expenses and continue to run our many activities. Please see the membership form on the back page of the newsletter.

Redwood Empire Chinese Association
P.O. Box 7854
Santa Rosa, CA 95407

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