LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

•NYCLR
•Fellowship/Scholarships
•Job/Internships
•Student Organizations

COMMUNITY

•Federal Links
•Funders
•Grant Resources
•National Organizations
•Technical Assistance
•Policy

NEWS/EVENTS

•Press Releases
•Opportunity Announcements
•Past & Present Programs

STATISTICS & DEMOGRAPHICS

•FAQ's
•Vietnamese American
•Asian American & Pacific Islander (2000 Census)

HEALTH

•FAQ's
•Health Links
•Hepatitis B Awareness

Letter from the Chair

Thank you for visiting the National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies. I assume that you have arrived at this website for a good reason. Perhaps you are a Vietnamese refugee or immigrant trying to find out more about cultural or social resources in your hometown. NAVASA, with 35 affiliates across the United States , can certainly help you locate what you need. On the other hand, you may be a U.S. citizen or a student of Vietnamese ancestry who wants to find out more about the Vietnamese experience in America and reconnect with your cultural heritage. You may be a researcher or scholar who needs facts for a paper or public policy initiative, or a staff person in a non-profit or government agency seeking partnership for a program or idea. Whatever your reason for visiting us, welcome!

As you can see, NAVASA is a “Big Tent” where everyone is welcome. Our mission and focus is on empowering and strengthening Vietnamese American communities and the agencies that serve them. As Chairperson of NAVASA's Board of Directors it is my duty and pleasure to ensure that all people and organizations that share our mission find NAVASA to be a comfortable home for their ideas, commitments, energy, passion, and for the fulfillment of their needs. You can depend on NAVASA—and we know that we can depend on you.

As the first woman to serve as NAVASA's Chair, you will understand that my approach to service and my overall philosophical frame of reference is within the context of family. I am a mother and a wife, and a sister and an aunt, as well as a businessperson and Chair of this organization. Naturally, I see everyone in these “relative” terms and always as a member in good standing of our larger Family of Man.

The thing about families is that they can be counted on to take care of one another. As the “Head” of our NAVASA family now, it is very important for me to plan for the future of “my” very large family. One of my plans is to begin an annual NAVASA Endowment Campaign that raises funds to advocate for the less fortunate members of our family, to ensure that young Vietnamese Americans have opportunities for leadership in our society, and to secure the well-being of NAVASA itself. I am counting on you to help me carry this plan forward.

There are a dozen ways —no, a hundred ways, really! —that you can help NAVASA fulfill its mission of empowering and strengthening the most vulnerable members of our Vietnamese American family. First, I ask you quite frankly to consider a contribution to our Endowment Campaign. I, and our Executive Director Huy Bui, can help you decide what size gift is appropriate for your circumstances, and how NAVASA can best recognize your generosity. Call me or Huy at any time. I can be reached at 612-721-0122.

Secondly—and finally—we at NAVASA invite you to become more actively and personally involved in our affairs. Please, let us know what work NAVASA can do that you believe best benefits our communities. Our strategic and public policy agenda depends on having “big feet” and “big ears.” That means that we must walk through every neighborhood and community listening as hard as we can. We want to hear from you. And we promise to listen.

Kind regards,
Vee Phan Nelson