Coming up - Chinatown Pro Bono Legal Clinic reception with remarks by U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang

May 11th: Calligraphy Class for a Cause!

2014 Associate Board College Scholarship Contest

The Associate Board of Chinese American Service League (CASL-AB) is pleased to announce the 2014 CASL-AB Academic Scholarship. Please help us spread the word and encourage all who qualify to apply!

$2500 in scholarships will be awarded to winning contestants of the following essay prompt:

Compassion, leadership, drive, and originality are values that exemplify the CASL Associate Board. What are your goals in life, both educational and professional, and how does achieving these goals exemplify our values and further our community?

Designed to solicit thoughtful reflections on one’s future plans, this contest is a unique opportunity for Chicago’s Asian American youth to distinguish themselves in the area of personal growth, leadership, and community service.

AWARD:
Scholarships in the total amount of $2500 will be awarded to the top seven (7) essayists:
One (1) $1000 scholarship for Best Overall Essay
One (1) $1000 scholarship for Best WIA Essay (Note: limited to current youths of CASL’s WIA Program)
Five (5) $100 scholarships for contest finalists

ELIGIBILITY:
- College-Bound High School Sophomores, Juniors, or Seniors
- Of any age, applying to college within the next year
- Contestants must be past or current CASL clients, volunteers, interns, employees, or relatives with/associates of any such person.
- Submissions will NOT be judged on English grammar. (see “Evaluation” section for details)
- All eligible entries received will be judged by a qualified panel of judges chosen by the CASL Associate Board.
Winners will be notified by May 24, 2014, and will be announced online on or about May 31, 2014. Awards will be distributed in person on June 13, 2014 at the Chinese American Service League. If a winner is unable to accept the award on June 13, 2014, alternative arrangements will be made.

REQUIREMENT:
- 400-500 word essay
- Include name, address, email, and phone number

DEADLINE:
- All essays must be submitted on or before Sunday, April 20, 2014
- Send submissions to casl.ab.scholarship@gmail.com

EVALUATION:
Essays will be judged by the following criteria:
- Display of CASL’s values of compassion, leadership, drive, and originality
- Strength of perspective and soundness of argument

Contestants who speak English as an additional language (“ESL” or “English as Second Language”) are highly encouraged to submit an entry. CASL-AB recognizes that many of CASL’s and WIA’s constituents do not use English as their primary language. The contest aims to challenge personal reflection, and is not designed to award language proficiency.

For questions, email - casl.ab.scholarship@gmail.com

Introducing... 2014 Career Panel with WIA Youth

Big thank you to all the volunteers and students who joined us for our first CASL Associate Board Career Panel on March 8th.  The students really enjoyed learning more about the worlds of education, medicine, engineering, business and nonprofit!

2014 Associate Board Lunar New Year Gift Drive

A note from Winnie, CASL's Adult Day Service coordinator:
We want to thank the Associate Board for always thinking of our ADS clients. Our ADS clients loved the gifts. They said they received the warmest wishes from the young in the community. Some of them shared that their children were always busy and they may not be able to meet their children even during festivals. And they were surprised that they had the gifts from the Associate Board they were not familiar with. 
Please pass the words to your dedicated members.

Recaps of 2013 College Campus Tour

CASL Associate Board's second annual University Campus Tour was a huge success!  A group of 14 students from the Chinatown area were paired with 14 volunteer mentors, led by organizers from the Associate Board and WIA Youth/CASL staff members Andrew and Ashley. The students are predominantly first generation Asian Americans and many are the first in their family to apply for college.

Students and volunteers attended a Northwestern University information session and guided campus tour in the morning. After lunch at Loyola University, a Loyola student volunteer led a tour of the Loyola. The event ended with a round table discussion amongst students and mentors.  

We are grateful for another strong volunteer participation in this event: each volunteer dedicated 8+ hours on a Saturday. Most importantly, as mentors they provided rich and diverse perspectives on their college experiences and professional careers.  Many volunteers and students expressed an interest in a follow-up event, such as an application review and ACT tutoring.

A special thank you goes to AB member Joe Jerr for helping organize the event and Loyola students Ben Beltran and Kevin Bautista for their campus tour.

Thank you again from CASL and the Associate Board - this event was made possible only with the contribution of all the volunteers!

___________________________________________________________________________

Come celebrate the arrival of fall with the CASL Associate Board for a special menu at Three Aces, named one of the 38 best Chicago restaurants by Eater Chicago. We've reserved the private room and a delicious roast pig dinner. Join in on the feastand help us toast to the beginning of a new season.

When? 

Friday, Nov. 1 @ 7pm

Where?

Three Aces

1321 W. Taylor (between Throop & Ada) 

www.threeaceschicago.com

How to get there?

Take pink line : Polk or Blue line : Racine

Limited street parking available

 

Special Menu:

Whole Roast Pig and Seasonal Sides

 

Cost with gratuity (drinks not included):

$25 for CASL AB members

(please email KC Lau to obtain discount code)

$30 for non-members 

 

To register and purchase your tickets: 

http://tinyurl.com/CASL-AB-Events

 

Due to Three Aces pig roast reservation policies, please purchase your tickets no later than Friday, Oct. 25.

Limited seating, so sign-up now! 

 

Questions? Contact:

KC Lau at 312.315.7163 or kclau1977@gmail.com

Lian Cai at 708.466.0764 or liancai2007@gmail.com

With your help, we're making a difference!

A personal thank you from Yuling Wu at CASL for the wonderful school supplies donated at our Art Supply Drive at theWit. 

"The art supplies donated by you all have been well used in the past summer. The SAC children had a Fairy Tales Performance on 8/30/13.
The costumes, props, background setting were all created by using the art materials you all donated!
On behalf of the SAC children and staff, I thank you." - Yuling Wu, CASL School Age Center Coordinator

_______________________________________________________________________

Thanks for your support at Bone Marrow Drive for Nina!

A bone marrow transplant can save the life of a cancer patient but Asian Americans are very underrepresented in the donor registry.  

Last Saturday, CASL staff, AB volunteers and SaveNina registered 22 new donors for the BeTheMatch registry!  

Thanks for your support.

_______________________________________________________________________

Do You Want to Get More Involved? Help the Associate Board!

Do you want to be more connected with Chicago's Chinese American community?

Want to meet like-minded individuals and work together to create positive impact?

Interested in giving back to the community and want to find a worthwhile organization to support?

The Associate Board of CASL hosts monthly events that offer opportunities in networking and volunteering. We also have event committees that could use your help. Whether your interest is in networking, educating youths, helping new immigrants acclimate to the city, fundraising, marketing or event planning, we can find a spot for you to be involved. 

Please contact associateboard@caslservice.org.