The Second Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Austin Chinese-American Network (ACAN)

Austin, Texas, August 18, 2017: The board of directors of the Austin Chinese-American Network held its second meeting on August 5, 2017.  The meeting was hosted by the ACAN president, Mr. Peter Chao, and was attended by all board members.  The board members reviewed a report by the ACAN secretary-general, Ms. Jean Shaw, on the current state of the organization and a report by the ACAN treasurer, Ms. Wendy Wei, on the organization budget and financial state.  Other functional committee chairs also presented plans for ACAN’s next phase.  

Based on Ms. Shaw’s report, the board pleasantly noted that ACAN has achieved huge progresses in merely five months since its establishment.  ACAN’s achievements include,

• Received IRS approval as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization;
• Accepted almost 200 paid membership accounts that cover more than 400 individual members;
• Established more than ten WeChat social groups focusing on various areas of member interests;
• Sponsored and organized more than 30 various events and classes for ACAN members and the Chinese community at large, serving almost 5000 total attendances.

Ms. Wei reported that the ACAN expenses are in line with budget and the overall cash flow is well balanced.  This is due to the fact that all organizational works and activities are run by volunteers, including board members, with no pay.  The board is very thankful to all supporting ACAN members and community friends.  The board members proudly agreed that these achievements are strong testimonies of ACAN’s mission for community unity, service and education.

Other functional committee chairs followed to present their next phase plans, respectively.  Ms. CJ Zhao, the chair of the ACAN membership committee presented plans to solicit business supports in the form of business memberships and business sponsorships.  Mr. Chao commented that business support will provide ACAN with much stronger financial foundation.  It will allow ACAN to develop more services to meet the needs of the Austin Chinese-American community and to sponsor more high-quality educational events to promote the cultural awareness and community solidarity. Ms. Gwen Zhao, the chair of the ACAN arts committee presented a plan for a Chinese New Year gala.  She explained that there is a huge pool of performing art talents in the Austin Chinese-American community.  ACAN should be able to organize a gala with high quality programs during the traditional Chinese New Year.  It will provide a venue for the Chinese community to celebrate their most important holiday of a year.  It can also offer a great opportunity for ACAN to introduce the Chinese culture to fellow citizens.   The board agreed with the arts committee’s proposal and suggested that ACAN should contact other local Chinese-American organizations and explore opportunities for a joint Chinese New Year celebration.  Mr. Wei Liu, the chair of the ACAN entertainment and community service committee presented plans for a series of volunteering services and a plan for a Fall BBQ picnic party.  Ms. Angela Qian, the chair of the ACAN education committee, also presented a plan for a series of seminars for high school Chinese-American students addressing college application, college living, career path planning and leadership development.  Most of these seminars, explained Ms. Qian, will be held in the form of panel discussions with Chinese-American college students who are willing to share personal experiences and insights.  Both presentations were warmly received by the board.  During the meeting, Mr. Chao and Mr. Darda Chang, the ACAN vice president, led an in-depth discussion on a plan to improve the ACAN website and to develop additional communication channels by utilizing advanced social networking technologies.     

Again, the board pledged that ACAN will devote itself to serving local Chinese-American community, to promoting Chinese-American unity and solidarity, and to protecting rights and interests of the Chinese-Americans.  ACAN strives to raise awareness of Chinese culture, to promote Chinese-American interest in public affairs, to encourage participations in community services, and to develop community leaders.  ACAN sincerely invites local community members who share our vision to join our organization and support our cause.  Utilizing the ACAN platform, we will work together to chart a brighter future for our fellow Chinese-Americans.  For more information or to get involved, please visit http://www.austinchineseamericannetwork.org/