[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23066]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 IN HONOR OF THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE SAIGON PLAZA COMMUNITY CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 6, 2006

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of the first 
anniversary of the Saigon Plaza Community Center, sponsored by the 
Friendship Foundation of American Vietnamese. Saigon Plaza has excelled 
in its first year, having established valuable links and bridges of 
friendship between the people of America and the people of Asia, 
especially Indochina.
  The Saigon Plaza has been a beacon within the community promoting 
peace, progress, justice, and friendship. The Saigon Plaza has opened 
its facilities up to various groups and agencies throughout Northeast 
Ohio area for gatherings, events, celebrations, and other community 
activities. Under the sponsorship of the Friendship Foundation, the 
Community Center has presented many worthwhile events and services 
including art exhibits, festivals, veterans' memorial events, job and 
employment events, and other community activities. The Saigon Plaza and 
Friendship Foundation have also assisted members of the Vietnamese-
American, Kampuchean-American, and Laotian-American communities by 
providing various services for them, including tax educational 
activities, financial counseling, and utility assistance.
  The Saigon Plaza also has spread its marvelous works outside Ohio and 
the United States. They have established programs of economic 
development, women's enterprises, and handicapped people in Vietnam as 
well as countries of Southeast Asia, establishing an outlet for their 
goods and handicrafts. The Plaza is a vital source of Vietnamese and 
Asian culture locally, and bridges international communities.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in recognition and appreciation of the 
Saigon Plaza and the Friendship Foundation of American Vietnamese. 
Their work and dedication has reached across borders to aid communities 
locally and internationally.

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