Bringing Chinese New Year to Hill Sides

Event Date:
Jan 31, 2009, 2pm to 3:30pm

Location:
Hillsides
940 Avenue 64
Pasadena, CA 91105
Main Campus: (323) 254-2274
Fax: (323) 254-0598

Kiwanis of Arcadia, leading by John Hsu (STC Management), wants to bring Chinese New Year to the children at the Hill Sides. He’s aiming to bring the philanthropy to the focus of Chinese community. Kiwanis of Arcadia will be the first of the Chinese groups to visit their facility. John not only wish to bring laughter to the Children at Hill Sides, but also show them the Chinese Americans also care very much about our community, our children and our neighborhood.


PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Marisol Barrios-Jordan, Hillsides
Office: (323) 254-2274 ext. 274
Mobile: (310) 713-8567
E-mail: mbarriosjordan@hillsides.org
John Hsu, Kiwanis Arcadia
Mobile: (626) 374-3180
E-mail: jh@stcmanagement.com

Arcadia同濟會將與寄養兒童一起迎接農曆新年

今年在洛杉磯的華裔義工團體 - Arcadia同濟會，將把華人傳統的農曆新年帶入一所位於Pasadena的寄養學院 - Hillsides，讓這些孩童可以有機會認識我們華人如何過傳統的農曆新年。所有的義工都是Arcadia同濟會的會員，而同濟會是由一群致力於服務社區及全球兒童/青少年的社會人士所組成，其宗旨是希望可以幫助到所有需要幫助的孩童，所以這次他們將讓 HillsideS的孩童有新的體驗可以認識這個不一樣的新年!

這些同濟會會員，將會用遊戲及活動的方式來解說農曆新年的由來和意義以及新年時會做的事情，例如: 如何佈置新年、發紅包討吉利的源由、如何製作手工燈籠，還有教他們一些傳統的遊戲如: 扯鈴、踢毽子,,..等，讓孩童可以從趣味中有更深的體驗來認識華人的農曆新年，而將這種具有正面教育意義的活動帶給HILLSIDES的孩童是所有同濟會會員的希望。

HILL SIDES 是個歷史悠久的孤兒院，創立於1913 直到近代成為寄養學院 HILLSIDES 是一個安全及溫暖的地方，讓有需要的孩童可以居住在此，而在這兒的孩童都是從一些有問題的家庭或是其他寄養家庭所來的，這些孩童沒有辦法像一般的孩子可以擁有正常的家庭關懷，所以他們大多都有一些心理上的障礙去面對社會。所以同濟會會員們及Hillside的教職員都希望這次的活動可以讓他們體驗一下家庭聚會的重要性及價值，讓他們知道這並不是困難的事並且讓他們在未來都可以有信心去擁有正常的家庭及下一代。
而其中寄養學院裡的教師也有提到: 「 可以讓我們的孩童體驗這種傳統式的文化是非常重要的，所以也希望將會有更多不同的團體像Arcadia 同濟會一樣，可以帶來更多的多元文化，讓我們的孩童可以有更多不同的經驗及知識。」
所以希望大家也可以積極的參與類似的活動及團體，讓愛可以無遠弗界的傳出去。

想要了解更多有關寄養孩童的訊息 可以聯絡 HILLSIDE (323) 255-9005 或上網站查詢www.hillsides.org and www.hillsideseducationcenter.org .

編輯注意：為了保護Hillsides寄養兒童的隱私，法院及我們要求在這次活動的照片或影片採取請集中在義工人員。



PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Marisol Barrios-Jordan, Hillsides
Office: (323) 254-2274 ext. 274
Mobile: (310) 713-8567
E-mail: mbarriosjordan@hillsides.org

John Hsu, Kiwanis Arcadia
Mobile: (626) 374-3180
E-mail: jh@stcmanagement.com


Chinese Volunteers Celebrate New Year with Foster Care Children
Local Kiwanis Club of Arcadia Volunteers Expose Los Angeles Kids to Chinese Traditions

(PASADENA, CA) – While many Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles will be reuniting with family and friends to celebrate the Chinese New Year, a local volunteer organization will be educating foster care children about the traditional ethnic celebration. The Kiwanis Club of Arcadia, whose mission is to change the world one child and one community at a time, will host several activities at Hillsides, a foster care charity that serves children and families in Los Angeles County, on Saturday, January 31st.

In celebration of the Year of the Ox, Arcadia Kiwanis volunteers will teach foster care children how to make red lanterns and origami. They will also pass out red envelopes, symbolic of “lucky money”, and decorate the room with red banners and red lanterns, which are used to frighten evil spirits. Other activities include teaching the children how to use chopsticks, playing with a Chinese yo-yo, and Chinese storytelling.

“As Kiwanis volunteers we want to have educational and fun activities for Hillsides’ children,” said Jeri Ni, Kiwanis representative. “We want to share with them why we celebrate the Lunar New Year and share the traditions we have.”
For many of the foster care children living in residential treatment centers like Hillsides, teaching them about the value of traditions in families is important. Children are removed from multiple foster care homes and have a difficult time establishing meaningful traditions.

“Offering cultural experiences like these are really significant to the children in our care,” said Laura Kelso, the foster care charity’s director of community resources. “We want to expose them to as many enriching activities and different traditions as possible and with the support of volunteer associations like the Kiwanis Club of Arcadia we are able to do so.”

To learn more about the foster care children’s charity, contact Hillsides at (323) 255-9005 or visit www.hillsides.org and www.hillsideseducationcenter.org.

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About Hillsides: As a Pasadena charity founded in 1913, Hillsides creates safe places for children in foster care living in its residential treatment center and is a community treatment center preventing the cycle of abuse for children at risk and their families. To learn more about Hillsides, visit http://www.Hillsides.org.

Note to Editors: To protect the confidentiality and privacy of the foster care children in our care, as they are dependents of the courts, we ask that photos or film taken at this event be focused on the volunteers