Scholarship & Awards Banquet
May 16, 2016
Most Honored Elders
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 9
Exemplary Community Volunteers
Filipino-American Association
of Vancouver, Washington
VENERABLE WOMEN. The Asian Reporter Foundation’s Most Honored Elders for 2016 are Vicki Naka-
shima (left) and Marisa Newnam (right). (AR Photos/Eugene Wong)
Vicki Nakashima
Vicki Nakashima, a third-generation Japanese American (sansei), was born August 1,
1947 in Spokane, Washington. Her grandfather emigrated from Tottori, Japan around
1900 and her grandmother was one of the first “Picture Brides.” Much of Vicki’s family
was interned during World War II at Minidoka, while her parents were sent to Tule Lake
due to her father’s activism. Vicki, now retired, worked as the director of multicultural
health for the Oregon Department of Human Services. She was an American Leadership
Forum Senior Fellow (Class XIII) and has been the recipient of many accolades, in-
cluding the Portland State University Center for Women, Politics & Policy 2010 Women
Leaders of Oregon Award, the Herm Gilliam Spirit Award (2011), the World Arts
Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Vancouver Avenue First Baptist
Church Coretta Scott King Award. Vicki has a son, Lloyd, daughter-in-law, Bethany, and
a two-year-old grandson, Jalen. Her many volunteer activities include the Partners in
Diversity Leadership Council, including serving as its first executive director; the
Marylhust University Board of Trustees; the City of Portland Golf Advisory Committee;
the Oregon-Toyama sister-state relationship; and the Western States Golf Association.
She is an avid golfer and often officiates golf tournaments for youth and adults. She also
enjoys shopping at thrift stores and being an extra on film sets for movies and television.
w
Marisa Newnam
Marisa Newnam was born November 25, 1944 in Manila, the Philippines to Dr.
Florencio and Pacifica Price Barrios. She earned an Associates in Arts degree from
Maryknoll College, then pursued a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of
Santo Tomas, graduating in 1966. After graduation, Marisa served in the United States
Air Force as a lieutenant in the Nurse Corps. She was assigned to Brookley Air Force
Base in Mobile, Alabama, where she met her future husband, the dashing Lt. Albert
Newnam. In 1968 they were assigned to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines where
Marisa resigned her commission when she became pregnant with their first child. The
family later returned to the U.S. and Marisa pursued her career as a nurse. Before her
retirement in 2000, Marisa worked at several facilities, including Houston Hospital
Southwest, the Klamath Falls Family Practice Clinic, and Kaiser Permanente in Salem.
She and her husband have three children, Philip, Christina, and MaryAnn, and five
grandchildren, Stryder, Emory, Malia, Anchor, and Ari. She currently volunteers
extensively with the Salem Multicultural Institute, where she is a board member and
cultural advisor, and is a great contributor to its World Beat Festival. In addition, she
serves as an individual trustee for the Council of Filipino American Associations, is a
member of the Filipino American National Historical Society, and a board member for
the Marion Cultural Development Corporation. In her spare time, Marisa enjoys
reading, travelling, dancing, teaching Philippine folk dances, and participating in
cultural outreach.
Tu Phan
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The Filipino-American Association of Vancouver, Washington (FAAV) — formerly
known as the Filipino American Association of Clark County and Vicinity (FAACCV) —
was founded in the early 1980s to preserve the Filipino culture and promote camaraderie
among Filipino Americans in the Vancouver, Washington area. The organization, led by
18 officers and
board members,
maintains a list
of
barkadas
(friends)
from
Vancouver, Port-
land, and other
areas
of
the
Pacific
North-
west to aid in its
mission to en-
gage in humani-
tarian, civic, edu-
cational,
cul-
tural, and charitable activities that preserve, promote, and share the customs, values,
and heritage of the Filipino culture. In the past year, FAAV’s activities have included
sponsoring Philippine Consular outreach in Portland, the Fil-Am Vancouver basketball
team, and Filipino cultural events; awarding a college scholarship to a Filipino-
American student; supporting a social business conference; and more. The organization
also maintains a newsletter listing Filipino-American community events in the Pacific
Northwest. To learn more, visit <www.filamvancouver.org>.
w
Salem Multicultural Institute & World Beat Festival
The Salem Multicultural Institute (SMI) was founded in 1997 by two moms with young
daughters who wished to respond to growing concern about racial tensions in Salem,
Oregon. The organization, which is assisted by 1,000 volunteers, seeks to collaborate
with public and private organizations to promote harmony and understanding through
innovative, educational
cultural programs and
activities. In 1998, SMI
hosted its first World
Beat Festival (WBF), an
annual celebration of
the many cultures that
are found in Oregon,
and in 2006, the organi-
zation opened the World
Beat Gallery at the Reed
Opera House, which
hosts cultural exhibits.
SMI’s programs serve
more than 25,000 people
of all ethnic backgrounds. The 2015 festival welcomed community members
representing 65 cultures, while the gallery included educational exhibits highlighting
Vietnam and the Philippines. In addition, the organization’s volunteers have served the
community in the areas of cultural programming, referrals, and committee work. To
learn more, visit <www.worldbeatfestival.org>.
Vietnamese Community of Oregon
The Vietnamese Community of Oregon (VNCO) was established in 1995 to unite and
support the voices of Vietnamese people in Oregon. The organization, which seeks to
represent the more than 29,000 Vietnamese living in the state, advocates for community
members, supports youth, and preserves and nourishes the traditions of Vietnamese
culture. Among its many
activities in the past year,
VNCO offered free tax
service for low-income
Vietnamese
families;
served meals to the
homeless at Potluck in the
Park and breakfast to
senior citizens at the Holly-
wood
Senior
Center;
entered a float in the Rose
Festival Parade (winning
the “Rose Festival Court”
award); organized the
Memorial of the Fall of Sai
Gon event; sent members to Washington, D.C. to advocate for human rights in Vietnam
with U.S congresspersons; and hosted its two annual cultural events — the Mid-Autumn
Festival and Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. In addition, the organization reaches out to
Sunday Vietnamese schools to encourage volunteer teachers and to advocate for
academic support for students. To learn more, visit <www.vnco.org>.
(AR Photos/Jan Landis)
Nomination forms for the 2017 Exemplary Community
Volunteer awards will be available January 1, 2017
and will cover volunteer efforts performed between
April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017. For more information,
visit <www.ARFoundation.net> or <www.asianreporter.com>.