4th Annual Hmong Resource
Fair
The 2005 Hmong Resource Fair
focused on providing resources and assistance to the new Hmong refugees,
their sponsor or host families and other providers. Bilingual staffs
from more than 110 organizations / agencies were available to provide
assistance to members of the Hmong community and to those who work
with them. Information related to health and nutrition, mental health,
education, employment, legal and government services, and many other
areas of services, were available to the participants.
School board member Kazoua Kong-Thao and Bo Thao of the Federal
Reserve Bank served as emcees for the event. Guest Speakers at the
Fair included St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly, St. Paul Mayoral Candidate
Chris Coleman, and School Board members Elona Street-Stewart, John
Broderick and William Finney. Entertainment on the main stage was
provided by the Hmong Cultural Center dance troupe, the Hmong Cultural
Center Qeej Troupe and Hmong spoken-word performers F.I.R.E.
Mark E. Pfeifer, Director
of the Hmong Resource Center and co-chair of the 2005 Hmong Resource
Fair stated: “The 2005 Resource
Fair was very, very successful at accomplishing its mission of getting
education, health, employment and other information resources to
the Hmong community. We are particularly pleased at how effective
our outreach efforts were to the Hmong who have arrived in Minnesota
from Wat Tham Krabok over the past year.” Kazoua Kong-Thao
noted that it was the giving nature of the Hmong community that made
the event such a success.
Financial Sponsors of
the 2005 Hmong Resource Fair included: UCare Minnesota, Medica,
and U.S. Bank. Partners included Hmong Cultural Center, St. Paul
Public Schools, MN Dept. of Human Services, MN Dept. of Revenue,
Ready 4 K, MN State Colleges and Universities, UCare Minnesota,
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities, Portico Healthnet,
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Hmong American Partnership,
Southeast Asian Community Council, Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans.
Editors Note: Access
Press provided over 800 copies of the October issue of Access Press
for the participants. The October issue included the story “Every Parent Wants to Help Their Child” written
by Dao Xiong of the PACER Center and our Directory of Organizations.
It is our hope that the Directory of Organizations and the story
from Dao Xiong will encourage the Hmong community to advocate for
the services that are available to them if there is a need due to
a disability.
