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My Turnby Maileen Hamto |
 |
From The Asian Reporter, V17, #15 (April 10, 2007), page 6 & 10.
Nurturing our communities
My pet project of documenting the success stories of business and civic leaders of color has revealed some interesting insights into the workings of those who derive much satisfaction from what they do. I’ve had the privilege of getting to know many local leaders who devote much of their time not only to growing their businesses and advancing their careers, but also to strengthening their communities.
Mina Schoenheit, a clinical faculty member at Oregon Health & Science University, commented at a public forum that many immigrants understand that an important part of being an American is an impulse to give back to the communities that nurtured one’s success. No matter how acculturated many of us become — and regardless of the distance between the first settlers and later generations — at our core, Asian-American communities preserve collectivist values.
Attain individual glory, but never forget to give back. Ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan, hindi makararating sa paroroonan is a Tagalog saying that loosely translates to: "One who does not know how to look back will not reach one’s destination."
The values of philanthropy and civic leadership continue to expand in the United States, due in part to the rise of social entrepreneur ventures and nonprofit groups that target a community need. Of the more than 23,400 nonprofits in Oregon, some 12,665 are public benefit corporations, working in the areas of social services, health care, education, the arts, and others to improve the quality of life in their communities.
Among communities of color — particularly recent immigrants — philanthropy is often difficult to measure because much of the giving is conducted outside of institutions. A personal case in point: although my family has been in the United States for more than 15 years, we continue to provide personal support for extended family and community back home. We send balikbayan boxes containing gifts and non-perishable food items, as well as remittances. For example, instead of donating money to a charitable giving foundation, we choose to wire money to my lola (grandmother) so she can disburse funds to many pamangkin (nieces and nephews) and pinsan (cousins).
We live in America now — shouldn’t we focus our energies on establishing roots here? Why nurture the impulse to look and give back? Isn’t it smarter to donate to charities, then take the credit for tax-deductible gifts?
Part of the reason Asians continue to have strong ties to families back home is because many of us are recent immigrants. For the most part, we still have families who need any help we can give. In 2005, about 8.7 million U.S. residents were born in Asia. Asian-born residents comprise one-fourth of the nation’s total foreign-born population. Between 2004 and 2005, the Asian population in the U.S. Increased by 421,000. Some 56 percent — or 239,000 — was due to immigration (U.S. Census Bureau).
Of course, our leadership recognizes that giving back to our local communities also is important. Many prominent business leaders of color also are prominent in civic life. AR publisher Jaime Lim and wife Dory Osilla-Lim are committed to the growth of the Filipino-American community and are staunch advocates for diverse Asian-American issues. Serial entrepreneur Junki Yoshida is recognized for supporting an endless list of community and charitable organizations. Sho Dozono, CEO of Azumano Travel, has leveraged his extensive network to bring a large delegation to New York post 9/11. This year, he assembled a group of Oregonians to participate in the Flight of Friendship to help boost tourism and business to New Orleans, post Hurricane Katrina.
Lillian Tsai, a self-made entrepreneur who runs business groups for Asians, devotes countless hours serving on nonprofit boards and mentoring up-and- coming Asian-American women professionals. Ronault L.S. Catalani (known to many as "Polo") could’ve done anything with his law degree, but he chose to focus on empowering elder aunties and uncles to take charge of their communities’ destinies in their adopted homeland. Kilong Ung, president of the Cambodian-American Community of Oregon, works full-time as a software engineer while expertly managing his civic responsibilities as a Rotarian. More recently, he was knighted as a Royal Rosarian, an official greeter and ambassador of goodwill for the City of Portland.
My own (short) professional history is a far cry from the brass collected by Oregon’s Asian leadership. In my previous life, I worked as (1) an editor of trade publications for petroleum engineers; (2) public relations professional for an MBA program in Texas; and (3) corporate communications coordinator for a software firm in Portland. I have an MBA degree from the University of Portland, and my day job involves working for a nonprofit that administers the Oregon Health Plan to provide health care for low-income Oregonians.
I work there because I believe in the values and mission of the organization: to remove barriers to care and ensure quality services to everyone — regardless of income and social circumstance. Every day I go to work, I know I am making a difference in the lives of families who would not otherwise have access to health care.
I work there because I’m inspired by the example set by great role models in our diverse Asian communities. Beyond creating wealth and impacting balance sheets and bottom lines, our leaders are motivated by the need to serve and give back — to make a difference in our growing communities.
I invite you to read about success stories and accomplishments of leaders of color at <www.oregonminoritybusiness.com>.