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For Immediate Release: June 23, 2010
Contact: Shandon Phan, 703-647-6462 |
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Falls Church, Virginia - Boat People S.O.S., Inc. (BPSOS) today announces the formation of an Oil Spill Response Fund to assist victims of the Gulf Coast oil spill, especially the large population of Vietnamese Americans living in the area. The Fund supports community outreach and education on the latest developments and access to services. In addition, the Fund facilitates coordination among stakeholders and finances advocacy efforts on behalf of affected communities. BPSOS accepts donations from all interested parties on our web site www.bpsos.org and all contributions are tax-exempt.
"As a community organization working on the ground, BPSOS is refocusing our efforts to meet the urgent needs of the affected families," said Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thang, Executive Director of BPSOS. "The Oil Spill Response Fund will significantly strengthen our assistance and relief efforts and allow us to ensure that community members get access to assistance that is available and yet avoid consumer fraud."
Already struggling to recover from the recent natural disasters, communities in the Gulf Coast region are now facing a human-made threat to their livelihood. The recent Gulf Coast oil spill threatens the shrimping and seafood industries, two major sources of employment for residents in the area. Therefore, BPSOS refocuses on-going capacity building and community organizing initiatives to address the impacts of the oil spill.
The organization recently awarded approximately $200,000 in Compassion Capacity grants to 18 local community organizations in South Alabama to quickly strengthen the organizational capacity of these service organizations.
As a key component of BPSOS' long-term plan to rebuild the distressed communities in the region, the capacity building grants address the serious lack of institutional support to restoring and improving the livelihood of local populations, who have been devastated with two worst disasters in recent U.S. history.
Founded in 1980, BPSOS is a national Vietnamese-American community organization operating at 18 locations across the United States and via four affiliated locations in Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Our program areas include direct services, advocacy, media, community development, and research.
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