Mr. President. I would like to take this opportunity to honor the Chinese American Service League [CASLI. an organization dedicated to solving the problems faced by ChineseAmerican residents and immigrants in Chicago. as the league members receive the prestigious Sara Lee Foundation 1991 Chicago Spirit Award. CASL was founded in 1978 by a group of ChineseAmerican professionals concerned about the assimilation of Chicagos 35.000 Chinese immigrants into their new American home at a time when there was a severe lack of social services catering to their special needs. With one eye on making the transition from the old country a little easier and the other on helping new arrivees retain their wondrous Chinese culture. the CASL established free English translation services. individual and family counseling. and support for elderly immigrants. From these humble origins. the CASL has developed into the largest and most viable social service agency for ChineseAmericans in Chicago. Their services have helped more than 14.000 ChineseAmericans make the transition to their new land. CASL now also provides employment counseling. immigration services. day care vocational training. health screening. and energy assistance as means of further aiding new arrivals. CASLs success can be traced to the committed volunteers who selflessly give of their time and energies to make the organization an integral part of Chicagos burgeoning Asian community. I would like to especially commend Mark Chan. president of the board of directors of the CASL. and Bernarda Wong. executive director of CASL. for their exemplary service. not only to ChineseAmericans. but to the entire city of Chicago and the State of Illinois.
Keywords matched
immigration immigrants