Asian Community Growing

From the Tallahassee Democrat:

If you see a colorful dragon snaking through the downtown Chain of Parks trailed by an equally eye-catching parade of people, don’t be alarmed.

You might just want to find a parking space and join the throng for the opening ceremony of Experience Asia 2007, the third annual celebration of Tallahassee’s fast-growing and multi-faceted Asian community. It’s hosted by the Asian Coalition of Tallahassee, which was formed in 2005, the same year the festival made its debut.

“The reason we organized the Asian Coalition of Tallahassee was to raise awareness in the community about the various Asian segments of the (local) population,” said ACT chairman Clyde Diao, who also serves as president of the Big Bend Filipino-American Association.

Coalition members wanted to give something back to the community that had welcomed them so warmly as residents.

Tallahassee’s friendly folks and pretty neighborhoods have made it mighty attractive to Asians, many of which come to attend FAMU or FSU and end up staying to work and live. Diao came to the city in 1983 to earn a master’s degree and subsequent Ph.D. in economics from FSU. He stuck around to put down roots, start a family and even entice sisters who lived in other states to move to Tallahassee.

“When I first came here, there were very few Asian people and very few Asian restaurants,” Diao said. “But now the Asian community is growing.”

To read more, click here.

Food, Fun, Fire and Art

KCCI and the Master Craftsman Studio invite you to attend a Fine Arts Festival on Oct. 13, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Master Craftsman Studio on Gaines Street. Enjoy food and live music while viewing the work of regional artists in blacksmithing, raku fired pottery and iron-casting. You can also make your own cast iron art, create your own raku finished pottery and purchase custom-made jewelry.  Plus, enjoy a community iron pour at dusk.

There’s no cost to attend. For more info click here or visit www.craft.fsu.edu. 

Directions: If you are heading west on Gaines Street, the Master Craftsman studio will be on your left just after the intersection at Woodward.  

Join Us!

A kickoff celebration reception of the Florida Capital Region chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council will be held this Thursday, Sept. 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Dorothy Oven Park, 3205 N. Thomasville Road.

Entertainment, hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be provided.

Kristin Dozier, one of our most active Greenovation members, is a founding member of this new chapter of the USGBC, which promotes green construction and sustainable development. It’s important for Greenovation to form as many partnerships and connections as possible with organizations that have goals similar to ours. Here’s an opportunity to informally meet other folks with similar goals and to show Greenovation’s support for their efforts.

Anyone with a mind for “green” is welcome to attend! If you have questions, e-mail, contact Kristin at kristin@maddogweb.com.

Hope to see you there!

Check it out

Check out Center for a Better South, a pragmatic, nonpartisan think tank dedicated to developing progressive ideas, policies and information for thinking leaders who want to make a difference in the American South. Part of their focus is on going green. The Center also has an interesting blog you might want to visit as well.

Update on Progress

Check out the minutes from our most recent full-team meeting: KCCI Full-Team Meeting – Sept. 14, 2007

All of our initiative teams are still in need of motivated and passionate volunteers. This is your community, and YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

We need people with all kinds of expertise, experience and connections - communications professionals, urban planners, CPA’s and everything in between. The opportunities for you to put your creative energy into a worthy cause are endless. After reading our meeting notes and reviewing the initiative pages, please let us know how you’d like to help by e-mailing kccitallahassee@gmail.com.