The Asian American Coalition of Chicago (AAC) announced that the following popular celebrity broadcast personalities are scheduled to appear on-stage at the Coalition's 20th Anniversary Annual Lunar New Year Celebration, on Saturday, March 1, 2003 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, 9300 West Bryn Mawr Avenue in Rosemont: Judy Hsu, Morning Anchor/Reporter, ABC 7 WLS-TV News; Nesita Kwan, Morning Anchor/Reporter, NBC 5; Kyung Lah, Reporter/Fill-in Weekend Anchor, CBS 2 Chicago (Pending Final Scheduling); Nancy Loo, Morning Anchor, FOX Chicago TV; Anupy Singla, Reporter, Bloomberg News (Airs on WGN-TV News in Chicago markets); Judy Wang, Morning Anchor/Reporter, CLTV News; and Linda Yu, Anchor/Reporter, ABC 7 WLS-TV News. The Coalition previously announced that Linda Yu will host the presentation of the prestigious Ping Tom Memorial Pan Asian American Award at ceremonies that evening, to prominent developer and civic leader Raymond M. Chin, the 2003 awardee recipient. He is president and owner of R.M. Chin & Associates, Inc. Linda Yu appeared at the First Asian American Coalition of Chicago Celebration in 1984, and has played a role in nearly every Coalition annual production since then. This will be her third time presenting the Coalition's Pan Asian American Award. This will be Nesita Kwan's sixth time co-hosting the Coalition's Lunar New Year Celebration; the fourth time for Kyung Lah; and the second time each for Judy Hsu, Nancy Loo, Anupy Singla and Judy Wang. The Coalition renamed its Pan Asian Award in 1996 after the late legendary civic leader Ping Tom. Ping Tom was also one of the 13 original founders of the Asian American Coalition of Chicago. The Coalition's awards guidelines provide that this award, "honors one person who has performed notable community service for the Asian American community." The Coalition previously announced that Illinois State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka has been named the 2003 recipient of the Coalition's prestigious Grand Asian Award. This Award is periodically presented to someone of non-Asian descent, who has made significant contributions to the Asian Pacific American community.
COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENTS NAMED The Coalition also announced that the following people have been named the 2003 Community Service Award Recipients: Grace B. Hou, Social Service Administrator; Executive Director, Chinese Mutual Aid Association; Chinese American Community Awardee; Cleofe T. Mendiola, Registered Nurse; Operating Room Nurse at Loretto Hospital, Chicago; Filipino American Community Awardee; Pethinaidu Veluchamy, Business Entrepreneur; Chairman, Balasi Temple, Aurora, Illinois; Indian American Community Awardee; Imat R. Amidjaya, Clinical Psychologist; Indonesian American Community Awardee; Ruth Kumata, Retired Librarian, Chicago Public Library System; Past Board Member, Japanese American Service Committee and Japanese American Citizens League; Japanese American Community Awardee; Dr. Ki Casey (Ki-Chang) Shim, Medical Doctor; Full Attending Physician at St. Joseph Hospital and Swedish Covenant Hospital; Korean American Community Awardee; * Farhat S. Khan, Educator/Administrator; Pakistani American Community Awardee; Suchitra Boonreong, Registered Nurse; Thai American Community Awardee; Nguyen Hong Linh; President, Vietnamese Catholic Community of Joliet Diocese; Vietnamese American Community Awardee. The awards will be given at the 20th Anniversary Celebration. Over 1000 people are expected to attend the gala festivities. Programming is wide and varied to suit the tastes of many. Seminars are from 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.; a silent auction opens at 4 p.m.; cocktail reception, social hour, political forum/open microphone and exhibits are open from 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.; opening ceremonies are at 6:30 p.m.; with dinner, fashion show, awards ceremony, entertainment and a fabulous Asian cultural program scheduled until 10 p.m. Dancing until 2 a.m. follows. An event held on this grand of a scale only once a year, Lunar New Year is traditionally the single largest organized annual event in Chicago's Asian American community. According to the latest Census, the Asian Pacific American population in Illinois numbers approximately 428,213, or 3.4% of the statewide population. Every year a different Asian community takes turn playing host of Lunar New Year. This year it is the Indian American community, which has twice before held the gavel (in 1987 and 1995) for the community's most important event of the year. This year's hosts are: Alliance of Midwest India Associations (AMIA); Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS); Sikh American Heritage Organization (SAHO) and Alliance of Sindhi Associations of Americas Inc. (ASAA). This year's gala welcomes The Year of the Ram 4701. "We are proud to mark our 20th anniversary with a Gala that celebrates, "Many Voices, One Vision," said Prem T. Lalvani, 2003 chairman of the Asian American Coalition of Chicago. Numerous dignitaries traditionally attend the festivities, including the Asian consular corps, elected and appointed governmental officials, political candidates, top business and corporate leaders, decision-makers at Chicago's major media press outlets, and everyone who considers him or herself a mover and shaker in and around, or for, the Asian Pacific American national movement. TICKETS Tickets are $600.00 per table of ten, and are being distributed through community outlets as well as directly from the Coalition. They are first funded, first seated. For latest ticket availability, please contact M. Bhaskaran at (630) 961-5681 or by e-mail at aacctickets@hotmail.com (ENERI Communications, LLC).