2010 HIGHLIGHTS




We Celebrated the Beginning of the
Year of the Tiger


120 guests gathered on Sunday, February 21, 2010
5:00 Gathering 5:30 Dinner 7:00 Program

Grand Szechuan Restaurant
10602 France Avenue South in Bloomington

Chinese New Year Banquet Program

5:00 Social Hour
5:30 Welcome & Dinner
Walter Graff & Mary Warpeha, Co-Presidents USCPFA-MN
Emcees: Margaret Wong Linda Mealey-Lohmann

7:00 Program
Zhao Ben, Musician & Educator
“Living and Working in Beijing" Gregory Buteyn, Ernst & Young

Closing Song:
友谊地久天长 - Auld Lang Syne

A special thank you to our Table Sponsors
Gregory & Vivien Buteyn
Ernst & Young
Confucius Institute
(University of Minnesota)

MENU:
Appetizers: Szechuan Cucumbers, Bamboo Shoots in Chili Sauce, Szechuan Dan Dan mian, Dechuan Lotus Roots
Entres: Beef Chow Fun, Cumin Lamb, Chung King Chili Chicken, Chinese Shredded Pork with Rice Cake, Sweet & Sour Fish Fillet
Veggie Dishes: Szechuan Green Beans, Home Style Tofu, Shredded Potato with Green Peppers, Stir Fried Pea Tips
Dessert: Sesame Rice Balls


USCPFA-Minnesota Board Members present at this celebration beginning top left:
Christopher Hang, Dr. Yongwei Zhang, Ben Zhou, Wen Li, Linda Mealey-Lohmann, C. J. Liu, Mindy Ratner, Glynnis Hirschberger, Lower Left: Judith Swanholm, Margaret Wong, Walter Graff, Mary Warpeha, Jennie Hsiao


Emcees for the evening: Margaret Wong and Linda Mealey-Lohmann

_________________________________________________________

The 19th Washington Seminar on U.S.-China Relations: Strategic Dialogues
Shared Vision for the Next 30 Years

April 22 & 23, 2010 Thursday & Friday 9 am-8 pm
Sponsored by the US-China Peoples Friendship Association – www.uscpfa.org

United States and China through discussion with experts at the leading edge of U.S.-China relations

WHO SHOULD ATTEND the Seminar: All people who envision a better future in U.S.-China relations

through economic development, cultural interaction and social networking

Meetings will be held at this hotel. If lodging here, make your reservations soon.

Washington Plaza Hotel phone: 202-842-1300 or 1-800-992-2694

10 Thomas Circle NW (between Vermont Avenue and M St.)

Washington, D.C. 20005

HOTEL RESERVATIONS MUST BE MADE BY MARCH 22, 2010

Special Rate: $159+tax per night for Standard room for 1 or 2 people;

$20 for each additional person

Superior rooms start at $179+tax per room/per night for 1 or 2 persons;

$20 for each additional person

Indicate your association with US-China Peoples Friendship Association’s

Washington Seminar when reserving

Secure with major credit card—Rates valid 2 days before/after the seminar

SEMINAR REGISTRATION: Make check payable to USCPFA National

(Registration does not include hotel accommodations. See above.)

 USCPFA members, $175 until April 1; after that, $200

 Non-members, $200; $225 after April 1

Registration for those above includes: * Registration packet *Entrance to all seminar events

*Transportation to some sites *Lunch on Thursday and Friday *Presentation by China experts,

diplomats, and Chinese officials *Program subject to change

 Student registration: $20: For seminar speaker sessions at the hotel only

(does not include hotel accommodations, meals, trips, or special events)

Use the form below or follow these guidelines:

Send check or money order to Kitty Trescott, 1214 W. Schwartz, Carbondale IL 62901.

Please include name, address, phone, e-mail address and USCPFA chapter and/or region.

PLUS, to enter State Department, U.S. citizens include driver’s license number and state of issue.

Foreign nationals must include country of citizenship and passport number.

Questions may be directed to Kitty Trescott at 618-549-1555, or email: trescott@midwest.net

Seminar Registration Form

Send with seminar fees to Kitty Trescott, 1214 W. Schwartz, Carbondale IL 62901.

Name____________________________________ E-mail __________________________

Mailing address ______________________________ Phone ________________________

City _______________________State_________Zip________Chapter/Region__________

For U.S. State Department visit, provide this information now. BRING photo ID to event.

(U.S. citizen) Driver’s license # _________________________________State issued __

Non-U.S. citizen) Passport # ______________________Country of citizenship

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS 2010

WISHES FOR THE SKY

Public Event SUNDAY, APRIL 25 HARRIET ISLAND* SAINT PAUL

Volunteering is easy and fun. Help our community honor Earth Day and celebrate the arrival of spring. Wishes for the Sky is a free public art event that celebrates inner harmony and community peace. Be a part of this annual day of collective wishing! *RAIN or SHINE. In case of flood check website for alternate location.

	Make a wish Make public art and zero waste Help needed April 24-25 Variety of times and tasks Easy, online sign-up

	Be a VOLUNTEER for Earth Day Click link above for Volunteer Spot website Questions? wishes@graceminnesota.org and DONATIONS accepted at GiveMN.org

For more information visit: wishesforthesky.org

Wishes for the Sky is created by Marcus Young and Friends in partnership with Public Art Saint Paul, Eureka Recycling, Saint Paul Parks & Recreation, and Grace Minnesota; with generous support from Mississippi Market Natural Foods Co-op, Minnesota Kite Society, Pioneer Press, Chinese American Association of Minnesota, Families with Children from China, Sundays Energy, Apres Party & Tent Rentals, Big Ink Display Graphics, Dero Bike Racks, Capitol River Council, Namaste Caf, Flannery Construction, Roark Kramer Kosowski Design, Springboard for the Arts, and many others; with funding from Metropolitan Regional Arts Council from an appropriation by the Minnesota Legislature.



EMERGENCY RESPONSE DELEGATION FROM SHAANXI PROVINCE VISITS

Christopher Hang, Board Member and volunteer host for this delegation, reported that the group was very, very pleased with their experiences in Minnesota on January 29. Though they had less than 24 hours in the Twin Cities, they made good use of the time.

Their first visit was to the City of Minneapolis Emergency Preparedness Center with a presentation by Rocco Forte, Director. Mr. Forte gave a PowerPoint presentation on federal, state, county, city programs and their coordination. A video of the 35W bridge collapse and emergency response was included. Mr. Forte was invited to visit Xian later this year to participate in the Province's Emergency Preparedness conference. Arrangements for the Minneapolis visit were made by Jenny Chayabutr of the City of Minneapolis Intergovernmental Relations Department, Office of Grants and Special Projects. Thanks to Bill Deef and Yuko Myamoto at Meet Minneapolis for the initial suggestion for this visit.

The second stop was NECHAMA - the Jewish Response Center to Disaster at its Operations Center in Eden Prairie. Todd Cytron, President and Todd Heilicher, Immediate Past President were hosts. This is an NGO, non-profit religious organization serving disaster victims through the USA, The delegation was impressed with the non-profit volunteer nature of this organization. Their visit included a hands-on trip through the garage and storage buildings. Thanks Margaret Wong for the initial suggestions of a visit to NECHAMA.

After a quick visit to Mall of America, the delegation flew off to their next stop.

Thanks to all who participated in introducing officials from our Sister Province to our emergency procedures.

DELEGATION MEMBERS INCLUDED:
Mr. Zhang, Xiaoning
Director General of the Emergency Responding Office of Shaanxi Provincial Government, China
Mr. Mi, Weixin
Deputy Director of the Emergency Responding Office of Xi’an Municipal Government, China
Mr. Ma, Guanghui
Director of the Emergency Responding Office of the Department of Public Health of Shaanxi Provincial Government, China
Mr. Gong, Jiantong
Deputy Director of the Duty Office of the Department of Transportation of Shaanxi Provincial Government, China
Mr. Ban, Hui
Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Shaanxi Provincial Government, China
Ms. Liu, Ruonan
Staff member of the Emergency Responding Office of Shaanxi Provincial Government, China

DELEGATION FROM HEILONGJIANG PROVINCE

In January, a delegation of officials from the far northeastern agricultural sector of Heilongjiang Province visited Minnesota, Iowa, and Idaho at the invitation of Ten Square International. Following a tour of local farm and equipment resources, they attended a potato convention in Idaho. The group above includes (second from left) Li Yaowu Vice Director of Geqiushan Farm, Seth Naeve, soybean agronomist at the U of MN, Mary Spangler, USDA Farm Service Agency, Kit Spangler, Director of Marketing and Sales of Ten Square International, Kurt Markham, Director of Agricultural Marketing Services of the MN. Dept of Agriculture, Mary Warpeha, Co-President of USCPFA-MN, Ren Hong Bin, Delegation leader and Division Chief of Agricultural Machinery, Hua Sun, Bioscience specialist and interpreter, Zhang Yuqing, Section Chief Engineer.


May, 2010
Board Meeting

Monday, May 10 at 6:30pm

Teahouse Restaurant
2425 University Avenue SE
Minneapolis

RSVP your reservation to uscpfa_mn@hotmail.com