RECA Newsletter

President:
Nancy Wang
576-0533

Vice President:
Mary Lowe
528-8712 x132

Treasurer:
Hsiu-Chuan Armstrong

Recording
Secretary,
Newsletter:
Judy Cheung
528-0912

Corresponding
Secretary:
David Chung
340-6045

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
Cheryl Brown
Shirley Brummell
Irene Fong
Jean Gee
Frances Lok

NEWSLETTER

May 2009

Contents
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
RECA LANGUAGE SCHOOL REPORT
CHILDREN'S CHINESE CULTURE CAMP
LION DANCE LESSONS
TAI CHI LESSONS
CULTURAL DANCE
BALLROOM DANCING
LETTER FROM RENA WANG, RECA TEEN
BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION
CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION FEATURES
NORMAN LAI - 2008 Member of the Year
LETTER FROM TOYOO NITAKI
RECA AT SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
THANK YOU TO OUR 2009 SPONSORS

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
By Nancy Wang

Dear RECA Members and Friends,

What a wonderful event we had for our Chinese New Year Celebration and Fund Raiser! Thank you, thank you to all who helped put it on, making it the biggest and best yet. It is truly heart warming to work with so many people all working together for a common cause. We made enough income to continue our community participation, school and cultural events for this coming year. For photos and articles about our wonderful event, look on pages 4-7. We also want to thank our new sponsors for their support and the City of Santa Rosa which gave us a large grant to buy our new "baby" dragon, 4 new lions, a box of "dragon leg" pants, and a carton of performance tee shirts. We felt very fresh and well costumed with all of our new apparel. Thank you, City of Santa Rosa.

Coming up this summer is our Children's Chinese Culture Camp with one week of fun and learning for kids 5-8 years old, and another week for kids 9-12 years old. This is always a big adventure for our campers with arts and crafts, cooking Chinese food for lunch, outside activities and all that goes into an enjoyable camp experience. For more information, look on page 2.

If you are wondering what happened to our spring event, the Joint Asian Pot Luck Dinner, RECA decided to combine it with our end of summer Annual Picnic on September 13, at Finley Park. All of the Asian groups in Sonoma County who participate will be invited.

Our Center is always in need of clean-up, minor repairs and on-going maintenance. We have decided to have on-going clean-up instead of one work day. If you can volunteer an hour or two any Saturday that we have school, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. to help with all of the many chores, we would appreciate it so very much.

RECA continues to have performances and events. By the time this newsletter is in your hands, we will have performed in Sausalito at the Discovery Museum for the Asian Pacific Heritage Day. Additional performances include June 14 with the Pilipino Association of Fulton, June 23 performance for Medtronics Co., in Santa Rosa, August 15 performance for a wedding, and China Camp's Heritage Day. Don't forget August 8, our Multi-cultural Poetry Reading and Pot Luck Lunch.

RECA LANGUAGE SCHOOL REPORT
By Judy Hardin Cheung

Our Spring Semester began in January. We continue to have openings in all of our classes. This means that those who attend are able to have extra attention and more personalized service from the teachers. Our last day of school will be Saturday, June 6.

While Cathy Ringstad, the teacher of our beginning children's class, is on vacation in China, Ping Lee is substituting and doing a very good job. We hear that Ping has joined the U.S. Navy and will begin this summer. Congratulations!

The exhibit of students' work at the Chinese New Year Celebration was wonderful and well received. It showed the writing ability and curriculum being worked on in each of our three classes. Each class always amazes parents and friends with the achievements of our students.

CHILDREN'S CHINESE CULTURE CAMP
By Judy Hardin Cheung

The time for camp is fast approaching. Children from 5-8 are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 20-24. Children 9-12 are scheduled 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 27-31. We are a week later than usual to accommodate Cathy Ringstad's return from China. Each camper will be asked to pay a fee of $260.

Our teachers will be Cathy Ringstad and Nancy Wang for both sessions. We are hoping to have some active parents involved with our program to help out with our many peripheral tasks that help make our program a success. Click here to download the registration form.

Campers chop vegetables for chow mien, stuff wontons and pot stickers and roll dough for green onion pancakes. It’s surprising how good it tastes when you make it yourself.. Our menu can accommodate vegetarians and health oriented diets. Campers may bring their own lunch, but they rarely are willing to eat it when everyone else is eating, with great gusto, that which they just prepared.

LION DANCE LESSONS

Lion Dance and Lion Drum lessons will be part of the camp curriculum for both age groups. We also have beginners and performing lion dancers most 1^st and 3^rd Saturday's that we have language classes, at our Center. Our senior lion dancer, Yeramia Iman, has been the primary lion dance instructor, with some special days under the guidance of Henry Tang, our most notable lion drummer and adult lion dancer. If you are interested in lion dance lessons beginning in September, let us know so we can schedule a good program for all ages--boys and girls, men and women.

TAI CHI LESSONS

Our adult Tai Chi Lessons, led by David Chung, has moved from our Center to the Charles Shulz Museum complex. Currently participating adults are all connected to the museum. If you are interested in joining them, call David Chung, 538-4926.

CULTURAL DANCE

Our Cultural Dance classes have been rehearsing and performing on their regular schedule. Summer will offer a brief pause, but will not be completely without events. They performed at Discovery Museum on May 23, and will perform June 23 for Medtronics Co., and at China Camp's Heritage Day in late August if state park funding allows the event.

BALLROOM DANCING

A new opportunity! Mirin Lew would like to start a ballroom dancing class at our center if members are interested. Enrollment will be limited due to space in our dance studio. Mirin has had many years of experience in ballroom and Latin dances and Argentine tango as well as social dances like nightclub 2-step and salsa. If you are interested, please email Mirin at emmel65-reca@yahoo.com or call 545-6173.

LETTER FROM RENA WANG, RECA TEEN
Page in Washington, D.C., February 16, 2009

(Rena has been dutifully writing a lengthy letter to Joe Wang (no relation) each week that she has been serving as page to Barbara Boxer. This letter is from Week 3 of her adventure. Each letter is as interesting as the next. To bad we do not have room to publish them all. Thank you, Rena, for sharing your experience. RECA is proud of you.)

Happy (belated) Valentine's and President's Day! It has been a ground-breaking week befitting a letter of ground-breaking length.

The paper-white crocuses on my windowsill sprouted up this week at a stunning rate and are now blooming three weeks earlier than expected; so it is with most of my experiences in our nation's Capitol: often unanticipated, always awe-inspiring.

Early this week, the House celebrated Congressman John Dingell's (D-MI) record-breaking tenure of 53 years and 3 months in the House. As I leaned over the railing on the House floor, I watched Speaker Pelosi beam as she narrated a lifetime that seemed to transcend the boundaries of recent history, excerpt below:

"I see that all the Pages are gathered in the back of the room to hear the story of one of their colleagues, a former page, who has reached the heights in the Congress of the United States. Thank you, Pages.

"He was a Page in 1941 when he was standing on the floor when President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan."
To be in President Roosevelt's presence for such a momentous occasion... as a Page, to boot... it is impossible to fathom. Then again, many analogize the magnitude of the experiences of this year's Pages to those of Congressman Dingell's during his Page term; we are occupied "living the history" for the time being.

Last Thursday, my work boss asked if I wanted to attend the Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration in the Rotunda. I was so pleased to be given the opportunity; in only one small intersection of space and time can one celebrate the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln inside the Capitol Rotunda with the likes of President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, Senator Reid, Senator McConnell, and Presidential Historian Doris Goodwin Kearns. It was an unforgettable occasion befitting a man of such integrity of character and strength of resolution; President Lincoln's legacy will transcend time itself.

I witnessed the House passage of the $787 billion Stimulus Package the day after the Lincoln Celebration; historic occasions, it seems, tend to occur in rapid succession here in DC. That morning, I paused when I passed by the well (the area around the three-tiered Speaker's dais), gazing at the foot-high text of the bill. Suddenly, a Congressman says to me: "Can you believe that every page of that bill is worth more than a billion dollars?" I am beginning to.

On another note: I made a new sign for Catlin (the floor manager of the House, former Speaker Tip O'Neill's grand-daughter) to hang near her "throne" in the Cloakroom. I thought the old sign was becoming too antiquated; somehow it was cause for celebration when she approved of my replacement. Somewhere within the grooves of the border is her name... somewhere in the future she might find it (but for now, it remains a Cloakroom mystery; watching them look for it amuses me endlessly).

All three of the major House Cafeterias readied itself for Valentine's Day this week. The dessert rack overflowed with a surprising assortment of candies, cakes, and (much to my excitement) mounds of chocolate-covered strawberries. Needless to say, the lunchtime atmosphere was just a bit sweeter.

My class and I went to the Folger Theatre this weekend to see Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale." The modern revision this play went was intriguing; it was a top-quality performance.

Throughout this week, I acquainted myself with the "Senate Side" of the Capitol complex in much greater detail. The Senate continues to be a fascinating place to visit, but every visit only makes me prouder to be a House Page.

Furthermore, I spent time in Chinatown, the White House area, and the National Zoological Park with friends at differing points throughout the week; pictures are attached.

Academically, I am flourishing. This past week, my English Composition/Journalism ("Journalism" for short) class commended me for a profile I did of a fellow classmate; it was (like most occurrences here) both pleasant and unpredicted. I also submitted my Journalism Program creation proposal to my instructor; I will keep you updated about that.

How is California? Budget still in limbo, I take it... I miss you wholeheartedly and really hope you will keep me informed...
Rena

P.S. Sorry for the small delay in this weekly update; apparently, a grand week called for a grand stomachache.

Rena Wang (L) at the Washington zoo. She seems to find time for fun despite her full schedule of work and study.

BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION
By Ann Schleeter

Have you ever wondered what it takes to put on the Redwood Empire Chinese Association annual Chinese New Year Celebration? Do you think that all you have to do is to buy your ticket, sit down, and enjoy the festivities? It takes a lot of hard work to put on their annual fundraiser.

I decided to see how a fundraiser is done and to also participate in this year's celebration. I am a new member and I wanted to learn more about our organization. I came to my first planning meeting back in December 2008. The initial planning for the event started back in September. I found that the members and the board members are all committed to putting on a spectacular fundraiser for our organization. Everyone gave great ideas and updates on their part of the celebration. It is
amazing the amount of planning that goes into putting on our biggest event of the year!

Planning: The purpose of the planning meetings is to discuss all the details of the celebration. To put on a huge event takes a lot of planning which is done months in advance before the day of the celebration. Committees are formed to make sure each detail of the event is taken care of. Since RECA has been doing the event for so many years, we have a list of the details. The planning meetings go over who will do the tickets, who will be in charge of the doors, who will design the program and posters, who is in charge of the prizes, the security, ushers, the hall arrangements, the official photographer, the supplies, the entertainment, the truck, the menu, the food preparation, servers, kitchen duty, and important guests. During the planning meeting, updates are given to everyone so that everyone knows the status of each detail. Members are working on their part of the celebration after the meeting. Every month after that, updates are given at each meeting and any adjustments or change is decided at that time. As we move closer to the celebration date, you will see the event come together.

Day of the Celebration: Around 1:30 pm about 15-20 volunteers from pre-teen to adults arrive at the RECA center to help move the dragons, lions, etc. into the truck. This was a real team effort where everyone there moved a 250 foot dragon, a smaller dragon and 6 lions into the truck to go to the Santa Rosa Vets building. Once there, the team unloaded them all.

L-Back: Ann Schleeter is ready to answer questions about the raffles or silent auction. In front, Sonoma County District Attorney Stephen Passalaqua and Santa Rosa Mayor Susan Gorin enjoy the social hour before dinner.

Set up: Set up of the hall starts at 2 pm until 4:30 pm. Our team of volunteers hung the event banner across the hall. Next the tables were lined with red colored plastic liners, placemats, Year of the Ox decorations colored by children were put on the tables with oranges, programs, and candies to give a festive look to the event. The wine/beer table and the kids table were set up with the kids’ artwork on the walls. Then the raffle table and the silent auction tables were set up with items for the night's fundraisers. For those participating in the entertainment or helping with raffles, auctions, or other duties, they got out of jeans and dressed into costumes or evening wear for show time!

Kevin Ablett supervised while Jennifer Fang and Zhixing Liu worked quickly in the kitchen to unload the catering truck, then to be sure the food was the right temperature, served at the right time to the proper warming tray at the serving tables, then washed all of the food and serving trays, utensils, racks, etc. and repacked it all into an RECA truck.

Celebration Night: The celebration went from 5:00 pm until 9:30 pm when everyone had a part in the festivities, whether it is helping at the raffle and silent auction table, serving dinner for the guests in the kitchen, collecting tickets, or helping out at the wine/beer sales, youth group drink stands, or kids’ tables. It was a really a fun and busy night.

In the serving room, more than a dozen people had to be organized, instructed and provide their service in a manner consistent with health and safety regulations.

Clean Up: Clean up ran from 9:30 pm until 10:30 pm. All the table liners had to be wrapped up and put into the trash cans. Next was putting all the chairs back on the rack or piled up on the side wall. Then came the sweeping of the complete hall and making sure everything was left cleaner than we got it. All the dragons were loaded back to the truck and put away at the RECA storage closets.

Under the supervision of Azy Heydon (C) and her husband Mark, RECA Youth Group members sell water and soda. They are also crucial in our set up and clean up. They come early, work all evening, many performing during the program, then stay late. Some even returned to RECA to unload the trucks to pack our costumes and equipment back into the storage sheds.

Next Year: It was great to help out and see the whole event unfold before your eyes. A lot of time, a lot of planning, and a lot of great volunteers participated in this fundraiser. If this sounds like fun to you, you will have an opportunity to participate in next year’s celebration scheduled for February 27, 2010. To get started, come to the first planning meeting this September. I encourage everyone to come and see what goes on behind the scene at the RECA Chinese New Year Celebration!

Clo the Cow, from Clover Dairies who donates our ice cream, is also one of our special guests. Adults talk to the mayor, city council members, Sonoma County District Attorney. Children get to talk to Clo the Cow. Of coarse kids can talk to the civil dignitaries and, as you can see, adults enjoy talking to our special business dignitarie.

The silent auction, seen here, door prizes and the shoe box raffle also take a lot of preparation. Thanks to Mary Lowe, we were very successful in both of these activities.

Nancy Wang, RECA President, helped officiate and was instrumental in the many, many contacts that need to be made throughout our community to put this wonderful event together. Thank you, Nancy!

Entertainment Rehearsals: (editor's note) The dancers, chorus and lion team plan and rehearse all year to bring your CNY entertainment. A big round of applause should go to them every week as they meet and prepare for this marvelous night.

CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION FEATURES

Our evening began with a social hour where everyone got to meet and chat with new friends and old. This was Nicky's first New Year Celebration. Mama Cathy shows him off as friend, Ying, admires.

Henry Kaku, from JACL (Japanese American Citizen's League) offered origami demonstrations and lessons. Behind him, on the wall, are displays from RECA's language school classes.

Remember when these two girls were babies? Families with Children from Asia works closely with RECA to offer cultural contacts and support to adopted children and their families. FCA had a photo display on the origami table, near the school posters. All three pictured have been students in RECA Language Classes.

Oliver Chin (forground) and Camille Picott (3rd behind the table) came with their children's books to sell. Camille Picott also came to RECA's cultural camp to read to the campers during story time. Both authors did well with book sales and gave a commission to RECA.

Lots of happy people enjoyed wine from Windsor Vineyards and beer from Lagunitas Brewery.

Eldon Henry and his Security Team kept our event orderly and safe. He did his job well by being available and accessible for everyone to talk to.

The main feature of the evening was just to be there with family and friends.

Henry Tang lead our "Papa Dragon" for the opening of our program. 27 members and guests followed as dragon legs to let our magnificent dragon dance.

Tots, beginners and parents joined together to sing some New Year songs.

David Poulson (L), Santa Rosa Planning Commission, and Santa Rosa Mayor Susan Goren (R) each paint one eye so our new "baby" dragon can see. Eight additional city, county and business officials painted the eyes of our 4 new lions. Thank you City of Santa Rosa for the grant to buy new equipment.

Our Intermediate Cultural Dancers performed a completely new fan dance with painted screen fans. They are taught and choreographed by Judy Elliott.

RECA Adult Chorus sang beautifully.

Six Golden Flowers from San Francisco were our special entertainment guests with their fabulous gu zhang ensamble. Our own Wanda Wang is a member, but was in St. Louis on College business so could not participate.

Sandy Shiao Xin Sullivan, currently our choreo-grapher for our teen girls, performed a Tibetan Sleeve Dance. Many of our '09 acts were based on Tibetan culture.

Rose and Hannah attended RECA summer camp then decided to take lessons at Li's Tai Chi under the guidance of RECA school graduate, Master Justin Eggart. CNY was their first big performance, along with other spectacular martial artists.

Our advanced cultural dancers made up of teens pose for their grand finale photo op. With new veil fans from China, new costumes they sewed themselves (finishing just minutes before the performance, and completely new choreography, they were a spectacular final act to our magnificent Chinese New Year Celebration and Fundraiser welcoming in the Year of the Ox.

NORMAN LAI - 2008 Member of the Year
By Mae Lai

Norman Lai, an active member of RECA, has passed. Norman was born in San Francisco in 1928 and passed in Santa Rosa on December 17, 2008, from an infection that did not respond to treatment.

Norman was a gentle, behind-the-scenes, active member of RECA. Some of his many, most valuable but frequently unnoticed

duties were to check the post office box, keep the water pump properly maintained, be the first person to call if our security system sent an alarm, be sure the field was mowed at least twice a year, provide a truck to haul RECA things, and be a good friend to many of the members.

Norman came to RECA during the 1990 Chinese New Year Celebration. He had just retired and moved to Santa Rosa. In 2008, he was named RECA member of the year. He knew he had received the honor, but did not live long enough to stand on stage and receive his award.

The Member of the Year plaque was given to Norman’s widow, Mae Lai, at Kyoto Restaurant. Judy Cheung, Shirley Brummell, Nancy Wang, Mae Lai and Frances Lok were there for her quiet celebration.

The Member of the Year plaque was given to Norman's widow, Mae Lai, at Kyoto Restaurant. Judy Cheung, Shirley Brummell, Nancy Wang, Mae Lai and Frances Lok were there for her quiet celebration.

LETTER FROM TOYOO NITAKI
(February, 2009)

(Toy is an original member of RECA and was very active. Many years ago he moved to Sacramento. We miss him and are glad he still keeps in touch.)

Thanks Joe, thought I lost your address but I see I do have it. Getting old with vision problems causes me to miss what is in front of me. I am impressed with RECA, the progress you and Nancy have accomplished and what I find so interesting is the kids I remember, how they have grown and are active in RECA. Great writing in the newsletter. In the JACL newsletter, many young people now adults contribute their articles to the Pacific Citizen and amazed at how life has changed.

Really enjoy receiving the newsletter. I give it to my Chinese friends here in Sacto so they will know about RECA. Will ask Mary to get me $20 with of raffle tickets as I have done annually. Help pay for the cost of mailing the newsletter to me.
Toy

RECA AT SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

Our RECA Adult Chorus was invited to sing at Sonoma State University's Holocaust and Genocide Memorial Dedication. They sang to commemorate the Rape of Nanjing during World War II. Many ethnic groups and nationalities were represented in an effort to remind the world that these atrocities happened and that they continue to happen. We need to join together to actively stop genocide and political suppression around the world.

THANK YOU TO OUR 2009 SPONSORS

RECA wants to thank our 2009 Sponsors for their kind donations that keep RECA able to continue our activities, perform for the community and be a public resource for people, businesses, schools and agencies who request our assistance.

Northwest Insurance Company
Sonoma County Office of Education

We hope all RECA members and friends will help support these establishments. We are honored that they help support our endeavors.

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