When the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami ravaged southern and southeast Asia , APAS jumped into action. Through its generous members, the general public and with the help of United Way and Freeport McMoran, nearly $.5 Million was raised for the APAS Tsunami Relief Fund.
One of the many great projects APAS assisted with is an orphanage in Kao Lac , Thailand, called Home and Life, which now houses 20 children orphaned by the tsunami. We also donated computers to the Baluga School in Phuket, Thailand , which was another program directed at serving tsunami orphans.
APAS' point man for those projects was Mr. Pong Chongchit. He was instrumental in helping APAS identify programs and in making sure that our members' funds were handled with great care. It is fair to say that the Thailand programs could not have been done without Mr. Chongchit's assistance. APAS has learned that Mr. Chongchit has continued his good work on behalf of tsunami victims. This video is in promotion of a book authored by Aaron LeBoutellier regarding his experiences in the tsunami. Of course, there are hundreds of such books on the market now, but Mr. LeBoutillier's is different in that he will donate his profits to the Thai victims of the tsunami. He has pledged to work with Mr. Chongchit's Thailand Tsunami Education Center to aid tsunami orphans.
The Holiday season is around the corner! APAS closes the year with a holiday party for our little ones!
Our 3rd Annual APAS Children's Holiday Party is set for Saturday, December 6th and I am organizing it!
For those who didn't know, this party was originally put together for the benefit of our adopted asian children. This is a place where parent's of adopted asian kids can bring their children and expose them to their rich asian culture- something that they may have limited means of doing.
We have slowly opened it up to our members to enable more children to mingle amongst themselves. This year, I would like to continue the tradition and give an open invitation to our members' children. Admission will be limited, therefore, an RSVP is recommended.
Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.
Lastly, I need some volunteers ready to play and have fun with the kids. I already have activites and performances lined up, you are more than welcome to select how much or how little you can help.
Welcome to the new and improved APAS website! It is a work in progress, so please feel free to contact us with corrections or information you'd like to see on the site. APAS reserves the right to include or exclude any information presented once reviewed. Thank you!
Thanks to a generous donation of land by Ms. Sudaporn Boonmonthira, plans are underway to build the center at 6245 Wainwright Drive, across from the UNO Campus.
APAS seeks to preserve the experiences of Asians living in the New Orleans area in part through the documentation of cultural practices (such as festivals) and the experiences of Asian individuals or oral traditions (such as storytelling).
