Community
November 3, 2014
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 11
Chanpone Sinlapasai-Okamura
honored with FBI leadership award
SOUTHEAST ASIAN STREET FOOD. Food carts Pok Pok (pic-
tured) and Koi Fusion now occupy space at the north end of the Oregon
Market at Portland International Airport. The two food carts rolled in last
month as part of a program designed to give local small businesses a
chance to operate at the airport for six months with low overhead to
see if it’s a good fit. (Photo courtesy of the Port of Portland)
Koi Fusion and Pok Pok
food carts find new
temporary home at PDX
Travellers making their way through Portland
International Airport (PDX) now have an opportunity to
experience Portland’s food cart scene. Food carts Koi
Fusion and Pok Pok now occupy space at the north end of
the Oregon Market at PDX.
The two food carts rolled in last month as part of a
program designed to give local small businesses a chance
to operate at the airport for six months with low overhead
to see if it’s a good fit for them. Three additional food carts
will arrive later this year.
Koi Fusion, which opened in Portland in 2009 as one
mobile truck, features Korean-style barbecue with fresh
Mexican flavors. Inspired by the genre of Korean fusion,
chef Bo Kwon created his own niche using Mama Kwon’s
secret family marinades, fresh vegetables, and locally-
sourced tortillas.
Pok Pok, established in 2008 by chef Andy Ricker, takes
a unique approach to Southeast Asian street food with its
spicy Thai cuisine, Vietnamese-inspired chicken wings,
and other house specialties.
“We welcome these new businesses to PDX and
anticipate their unique cuisine will be a big hit with PDX
travellers,” said Dave Pfeiffer, Port of Portland
concessions development manager of aviation business
and properties. “Our new food cart program is a great
opportunity for small businesses to gain exposure in the
community — while giving PDX travellers an authentic
street scene experience.”
To learn more, visit <www.koifusionpdx.com> or
<www.pokpokpdx.com>.
Chanpone
Sinlapasai-Okamura
has been named as a recipient of the
2014 Federal Bureau of Investi-
gation (FBI) Director’s Community
Leadership Award for Oregon. Spe-
cial Agent in Charge Greg Bretzing
presented the award to Sinlapasai-
Okamura during an event at the
Immigrant and Refugee Community
Organization (IRCO) last week.
Sinlapasai-Okamura serves as a
member of the board of directors for
IRCO and as a co-chair for the IRCO
Asian Family Center.
Originally from Laos, Sinlapasai-
Okamura and her family resettled as
refugees in northern California in
1980. She became the first among her
relatives to attend college, gradu-
ating from Santa Clara University
with a double major in English and
philosophy before earning a law
degree from Lewis & Clark College in
Portland. The focus of Sinlapasai-
Okamura’s work is currently civil
rights, international law, victims’
rights, and racism in law. She has
worked with at-risk children,
survivors of domestic violence, and
victims of human trafficking for
several years.
Sinlapasai-Okamura has helped to
create partnerships between the FBI
and various diverse populations in
Oregon for many years. For five
years, she has led a group of
multicultural community leaders
who have helped promote and
support the FBI’s Youth Leadership
Academy in Portland. The program
brings together high school students
from the region to learn about the
FBI’s role in the community, develop
leadership skills, explore various
career options, and match at-risk
teens with mentors.
“My elders have taught me that I
may not have a choice about the
hardships in my past, but that I have
the choice to make life better for
myself and others in the future. They
have taught me over and over again
the importance of treating every
human being with kindness, compas-
sion, and love,” Sinlapasai-Okamura
said. “One act that you do to improve
the world for that one person may not
seem like much at the moment, but if
you can change the life of one person
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP.
Chanpone Sinlapasai-Okamura (left) has been
named as a recipient of the 2014 Federal Bu-
reau of Investigation Director’s Community
Leadership Award for Oregon. Special Agent in
Charge Greg Bretzing (right) presented the
award to Sinlapasai-Okamura during an event at
the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organi-
zation last week. (Photo courtesy of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation)
for the better with your kindness,
you have changed the course of
history.”
In addition to her many volunteer
opportunities, Sinlapasai-Okamura
serves on the board of directors for the
FBI Citizens Academy Alumni
Association, on the Oregon Attorney
General’s Task Force for Crime
Victims’ Rights Enforcement, and as
chairperson for the Oregon Depart-
ment of Justice’s Immigrant Crime
Victim’s Enforcement subcommittee.
“The energy and passion that Ms.
Sinlapasai-Okamura brings to each
and every day is beyond compare,”
said Greg Bretzing, Special Agent in
Charge of the FBI in Oregon. “What
she does goes beyond ‘work.’ She has a
calling to serve the most vulnerable
people in our community — those
affected by sex trafficking, violence,
and the like. She exemplifies what it
means to be a humble — yet effective
— leader and is, without a doubt,
worthy of recognition.”
To learn more, visit <www.fbi.
gov>.
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A message from the National Diabetes Education Program,
sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Commissioners Fritz and Fish invite
all Portlanders to engage in a conversation
about the future of...
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HARD
Difficulty
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Please attend these meetings
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level: Hard
#38793 # 4
Instructions: Fill in the grid so that the digits 1
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Solution to
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Puzzle #56183 (Medium)
All solutions available at
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Warner Pacific College, 2219 SE 68th
Warner Pacific College, 2219 SE 68th
Food and childcare provided.
Find more information on this project at
PortlandParks.org