Thursday, September 13, 2012

Our vote, our voice

Fall Community Service kicked off last Saturday with a voter registration drive through the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC). Fifteen of us met at the CASL headquarters for an orientation led by Theresa and Xiao Xiao of CBCAC, followed by 2 hours registering a total of 20 individuals all around Chinatown. Shout out to Cathy Tang, who registered 4 people on her own!

Henry, the event organizer, reflects:  
Approaching strangers on the street and engaging their interest was something completely outside of my comfort zone but was a great learning experience. I learned a lot from the orientation itself as well about the importance of voting and registering to vote, especially for the Asian community in Chicago. I think even volunteers who didn't manage to register anybody had lots to gain from the experience.

 The shirt says it all.

 Packed room for an incredibly motivational orientation

 You know you're in Chinatown when..

 
..men start posing with peace signs haha

 
Who says bright green t-shirts can't look this good?

Super pumped and ready to register voters in this gorgeous weather!

Interested in being a part of this campaign to get Chinatown and Bridgeport voices heard? Join us for our next round of voter registrations on Saturday, Oct. 6! Stay tuned for more info :)

Monday, September 10, 2012

Bull & Bear Happy Hour

What better way to ease post Labor Day weekend blues than with a CASL-AB happy hour? On Thursday, Sept. 6, thirty of us met up at Bull & Bear, an upscale sports bar located in the heart of River North. Always fun to catch up with old friends, make new ones, and plan for future social events - props to Lei for the ski trip suggestion! 
Our Social Chair, Lian (left), with our wonderful waitress and a new member, Lei (right)

Taken some time before we overflowed into the next booth and back bar area
From left: Ryan, Shenny, Gabriel (Membership Co-Chair), John, Cathy, Kathleen, Ingrid
Members of TAP-Chicago and Ascene Chicago coming out to support us :) Love these bold patterns!
So nice meeting our newest Community Service committee member, Ingrid (right), and her roommate Kathleen!
James (center), Fundraising Chair and longtime volunteer of CASL's Cup of Tea program, mingling with Paul, Chloe, and Ingrid
Hanging out with the bubbly Shenny (right) of AACN and TAP-Chicago!
Can't resist the delicious smell of sliders
From left: Henry (Community Service Co-Chair), Chloe (committee member), Ron (Membership Co-Chair)
John, a volunteer attorney at CASL's pro-bono legal clinic, and Cathy, a volunteer for CASL's Family Learning and Resource Center (FALREC)