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UPDATES
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Announcing Catalyst 2024
CTIA Wireless Foundation announced the launch of Catalyst 2024, its competitive grants program accelerating social entrepreneurs using 5G and leading-edge wireless innovations to enhance our communities.

Catalyst is seeking ambitious early-stage social entrepreneurs who have developed mobile-first solutions and have lived experience with the issue their solution addresses.

Catalyst 2024 will award over $200K in unrestricted grant support to early-stage organizations solving pressing issues in American communities.

First round applications are due March 5, 2024 at 11:59 pm ET.

** LEARN MORE AND APPLY HERE ([link removed])
** ([link removed])
2024-2025 President's Circle Initiative
The 2024-2025 President's Circle Initiative application is now live! Submit your chapter's proposal and gain support to fund chapter projects related to community-building and advocacy at ** bit.ly/2024pciproposal ([link removed])
. To submit donor pledges, please visit ** bit.ly/2024pcipledge ([link removed])
.

** CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PCI ([link removed])
PRESS RELEASES
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OCA Celebrates Lunar New Year with Year of the Dragon Stamp

The Lunar New Year and the AAPI cultural heritage are honored by the Year of the Dragon Stamp, the fifth in the third series of stamps that resulted from a long-term advocacy campaign spearheaded by an OCA member.

** Read more here. ([link removed])

EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
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Next Edition of IMAGE Magazine

We are preparing our next edition of IMAGE Magazine to celebrate 50 years of OCA’s existence and impact, and we want your contributions! The theme is "Community: how do you define it, and how has OCA nurtured it over the decades?" Share your stories, poems, and artwork that reflect this theme with us. Please send your submissions by February 28th to Socheata, ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
. If you want an idea of what past contributions consisted of, check out past editions of IMAGE Magazine ** HERE ([link removed])
.

We are also looking for a talented designer to create the cover of our next edition. This is a great opportunity to showcase your creativity and skills, and we are offering a $200 honorarium as well as a free physical copy of the magazine. If you are interested, please contact Socheata at ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
.
** ([link removed])
Apply for the 2024 Spectrum Scholars Program
Spectrum Scholars is an educational program for eligible rising college juniors with financial need. The annual program awards college students $20,000 each, half during their junior year and half during their senior year. In addition, students are paired with a Charter mentor and have the opportunity for a paid internship with the company.

To be considered, applicants must:
* Be a rising college junior pursuing a Bachelor's degree
* Have a minimum GPA of 3.0
* Demonstrate financial need
* Identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and/or Native American
* Reside within 50 miles of a Charter corporate office in Stamford, CT, Charlotte, NC, St. Louis, MO, Denver, CO, Austin, TX or be willing to relocate
* Have authorization to work in the U.S. without restrictions or need for employer sponsorship

The deadline to apply is March 1, 2024.

** LEARN MORE AND APPLY HERE ([link removed])
** ([link removed])

Fuel the Next 50

After introducing potential donors to your work, they may find giving appreciated stock attractive. Stock giving means their contribution will go even further to support your chapter’s initiatives, all while saving on taxes. ** Learn how to give stock today! ([link removed])
** ([link removed])

Help us update our OCA Intern Alumni Directory
We are requesting all OCA National internship program alumni to fill out the OCA Intern Alumni Directory Form to help us update our internal database so we can stay in touch with our intern alumni from the last 30+ years. ** Fill out the form ([link removed])
.

CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
OCA - Las Vegas
OCA - Las Vegas Youth Leadership Committee Inspiring the Next Generation of AAPI Leaders

Started two years ago with just five members, the OCA Las Vegas ** Youth Leadership Committee ([link removed])
(YLC) has now grown to 16 high school and college-aged leaders from our local community who are passionate about advocacy and public service. This group began as an effort to empower young AAPIs and provide them with an opportunity to develop programming and take on leadership roles alongside the OCA Las Vegas board.

The YLC now leads the annual ** OCA Las Vegas Mentorship Program ([link removed])
, and recruitment for this year’s cohort is underway. Now in its 13th year, the 2024 program will focus on the theme “A Seat at the Table,” centering workshops and discussions around uplifting voices in our community and learning how to mobilize for change in their local communities through civic engagement and advocacy.
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OCA - Las Vegas in the News
After reporting about a string of home burglaries targeting elderly Asian individuals in Las Vegas, KLAS 8 News Now interviewed OCA Las Vegas board member Nicole Santero to talk about the importance of coming together for this community. Nicole provided insights on how we can ensure elderly AAPI individuals can protect themselves, help them learn about resources available to them both locally and nationally, and encourage them to report and reach out for help if they need it.

Watch the interview: ** Helping those overcome fear in Las Vegas valley Asian community after recent string of home invasions ([link removed])
OCA - Greater Phoenix

Last September we hosted our 3rd Annual Empowering Women Symposium. Everyone was still feeling the effects of the pandemic, but it is disproportionately more difficult on women and women of color. This meeting was dedicated to exploring the hardship of women during the “return to normalcy”.

Mental health is one of the two main focuses at the workshop. We at OCA Greater Phoenix seek to provide a safe space for our attendees to share the challenges they face during this difficult time. We invited two mental health experts, Dr. Ruth Lim and Dr. James Campbell. Dr. Ruth Lim, who is a long term OCA member, works in the field of Pediatrics and Integrative Medicine for adults and families. The attendees appreciate how knowledgeable she is, as well as her perspective throughout Pandemic as an Asian American woman. Dr. James Campbell has his private psychiatric practice and is very active in community engagement. He was twice elected president of the Arizona Psychiatric Society and the president of the Philippines Psychiatrists in America.

Entrepreneurship is our second focus at our Empowering Women Symposium. We want to provide our attendees the resources and information that they need to pursue and establish a business while navigating being women, especially women of color in business settings that can be usually dominated by white-male. Independence is key. Our accomplished panlist Grace Lau, who had over 35 years of investment experience and leads the wealth management division in phoenix, shared her invaluable experience and wisdom. Our other panelist Thanh Mai Le, the president for the Vietnamese-owned TNT AZ Radio, stressed that women empowerment lies in entrepreneurship. The program offers several recommendations for those who aspire to start a business themselves.

“The program was very helpful. Thanks to Dr. Lim, I now have the tools and methods to take care of my mental health .”, said May H., a resident at Scottsdale. She appreciated the work of the mental health panelists and would love to get more involved with the organization.

Barabara L. stated, “I had always wanted to start a business. The meeting gave me hope for the future.” Thanks to the entrepreneurship panel, Barbara felt more confidence in the work she was pursuing. OCA Greater Phoenix wished her the best of luck!
OCA - St. Louis
We, along with many other St. Louis and Kansas City area AANHPI organizations, met with federal agency leaders and elected officials to learn about current federal programming and resources for AANHPI people. We discussed ways to advance equity, justice, and opportunities for our AANHPI communities.
CHAPTER EVENTS

2/10 & 2/11 Year of the Dragon, Lunar New Year Celebration by OCA - Greater Cleveland

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon Lunar New Year on Saturday, February 10th & Sunday, February 11th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Asia Plaza in Cleveland's Asiatown neighborhood. Enjoy cultural performances, martial arts, lion dances, food trucks, vendors, resource tables, crafts, activities, photo stations, and more.
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March 2: Celebrating Year of the Dragon by OCA - San Mateo

OCA San Mateo invites organizations, businesses, and supporters to join in our Lunar New year networking dinner on March 2, 2024 Saturday 6-9pm in South San Francisco. See flyer and ** CLICK HERE ([link removed])
for registration information.
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February 17: Youth Artivism Showcase by OCA - Greater Houston


Join us on February 17, 2024 as we uplift youth creatives at OCA- Greater Houston’s Annual Youth Artivism Showcase 🖼️🌟

📅 Important Dates & Info:

Festival Date: Saturday Feb 17, 2024
Time: 12-5PM CST
Art Submission Deadline: Monday, February 12th at 5pm
Location: Leonel Castillo Community Center

** REGISTER HERE ([link removed])

** SUBMIT ART HERE ([link removed])

** GIVE TO OCA ([link removed])
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** Facebook ([link removed])
** OCA National Website ([link removed])
OCA National Center
Embracing the hopes and aspirations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

900 19th St. NW, 6th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20006

Copyright © 2024 OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates, All rights reserved.

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