CAPA was one of the sponsors of "Love Can Cross the Ocean" fundraiser for the recent China Earthquake. The fundraiser took place on May 31st, 2008 at Seaholm High School in Birmingham, Michigan. A grand total of about $25,000 was raised in total that evening that was attended by over 800 people to help the victims and reconstruction efforts in the Sichuan Province of China, the worst affected area of the 7.9 magnitude earthquake. The earthquake claimed the lives of more than 60,000 people; More than 300,000 were injured and 20,000 people are still unaccounted for.

CAPA, Chinese Association of Greater Detroit, and 40 other organizations collaborated to organize an event which included music recitals, choir singing, and tasteful dances that truly reflected the sentiments of love and sympathy by young and adult performers. CAPA's contribution to the fundraiser included corporate sponsorships and silent auction which helped raise $9,200.

Special thanks were awarded to CAPA volunteers and performers: Willie DeChavez, Katherine Lee, Scott Low, Ann Hong, Mi Dong, Mumtaz Haque, Cheng Murray-Khoo, Laura Hung, Amy Risvold, Peter Schreck, Prasanna Vengadam, and Lisa Chin.

Once again, CAPA's Splendor of the East showcased a truly multi-cultural program to the public which presented the unique cultural heritage of the countries in the CAPA family. With the theme of "Asian Festivals - Cultural Fusions," the show also served as a cultural ambassador here in the U.S. The 2008 Splendor of the East event successfully showcased the different cultures of Asia through a variety of scintillating dances from India, Korea, China, Okinawa, Polynesian Islands, Thailand, Hawaii, Philippines, and our own Detroit. The theme of eastern traditions blending with the west modernity and younger Asians experimenting with their ancient art forms so aptly captured the stories of Asian Americans today!

CAPA thanks the sponsors of Splendor of the East: AT&T, Toyota, Comerica, DTE Energy, Global Strategic Connections, LLC, Chrysler, Ford, and GM as well as many CAPA friends who provided their support. Click here for pictures of the event.

CAPA is collaborating with several other APA organizations in Michigan to bring you a conference dedicated to an APA agenda. The APA Leadership Summit focuses on building bridges within the APIA community and society at large to bring about a positive social change. Collaborating organizations to date include Advisory Council on Asian Pacific American Affairs (ACAPAA), American Citizens for Justice (ACJ), Asian Professionals Organization (APO), Asian Victims Relief Fund (AVRF), Michigan Asian Pacific American Bar Association (MAPABA), APIA Vote Michigan, Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce (APACC), FILAMCCO, Asian Indian Women Association (AIWA), Hmong Association, Asian Chinese Association, and India League of America.

Reclaiming Youth International is looking for 5-8 children from the Pan-Asian community who would be interested in participating in a special event to take place at Wayne State University in September 2008. This will be a group, including several others from other communities in Metropolitan Detroit, who will join in singing some songs with Joe Reilly, who is a storyteller and songwriter. The songs are part of his album, "Children of the Earth", and involve the children singing with him to imitate sounds of the animals and earth that Joe sings.

Roots and Wings Seminars: A World-Class Conference will take place on the evening on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 from 7:45 to 8:15 pm. We would like the young singers to be at WSU about 5-5:30 pm to practice and get ready. We will serve box meals to the children prior to their singing. They will appear on stage of the Community Arts Auditorium and will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult. For further information, contact Adrienne Brant James at 313-285-9384 or email abjames@re claiming.com.