A Special Holiday Message from Net Myanmar President, Aung M. Naing
As we approach the holiday season we look forward to spending time with our families, friends, and relatives and we anticipate the opportunities that come with a new year. It is also a time to look back on the many accomplishments that we have achieved in 2015.
The face of the Myanmar-American community is changing. There will always be financial, political, and physical challenges to maneuver through, but in the end, as we have successfully done in the past, we will find a way to accomplish our mission and meet our goals. The human spirit is resilient and you have proven that success can be achieved through perseverance and commitment.
This has been an extraordinary year at Net Myanmar and here is what we have accomplished:
• Continued to provide the U.S. immigration assistance service to the community in partnership with the Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles (AAAJ) and American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).
• Opened the first-ever traditional Myanmar dance academy class in Los Angeles to promote cultural heritage which is supported by a grant from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA).
• Continued to perform traditional dances within the Myanmar and Asian American communities’ events including Asian Cultures Family Festival, Annual Burmese Medical Association Dinner, Annual Myanmar New Year celebration, U.S. – Myanmar Exchange & Gala Dinner, Refugees Day celebration, South East Asia Day celebration, and World Reunion for the Rangoon Institute of Technology (RIT).
• Hosted the 8th Annual Myanmar Film Festival of Los Angles in celebration of arts and culture through film. The Film Festival is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and The City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs.
• Facilitated the opening of the first Myanmar Consulate-General Office in Los Angeles since the establishment of diplomacy between the two countries in 1947.
• Co-hosted the 2015 U.S. – Myanmar Exchange & Gala Dinner at the Universal Hilton in Los Angeles.
• Continued to engage with the federal, state, and local governments along with the other Asian organizations to help and strengthen the Myanmar American communities in the U.S.
We continue to improve established working relationships with Myanmar/Burmese American and Asian American community organizations throughout the United States. These partnerships are essential to the advancement of promoting social issues and cultural heritage awareness in our Myanmar American community.
Each and every one of you worked hard to continue to make Net Myanmar shine. I want to personally thank you for your efforts. I also wish to extend my heartfelt appreciation to our sponsors, donors, board of directors, members, and also Facebook members of 3, 300 strong! Your continued support makes our successes possible.
Thank you again for all that you do and on behalf of Net Myanmar, I wish you and your loved ones the warmest and safest of holiday seasons and a very happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!
Sincerely,
Aung Min Naing
President
