The Asian American Chamber of Commerce

A Winning Combination

November 22, 2008

What do you get when you combine the Orlando Magic, Panda
Express, and the Asian American Chamber of Commerce?

You get a winning combination.

On November 22 the Orlando Magic and Panda Express held an
Asian Night Celebration at the Amway Arena. The Asian American
Chamber of Commerce (AACC) was there along with thousands of
Orlando Magic basketball fans and of course devoted Yao Ming fans.
Guests were greeted by UCF Asian student associations and local individuals
wearing authentic cultural clothing. In addition, J Club’s Teri
Mitchell and other members hosted a table on the concourse to share
their knowledge about the Japanese culture with the Magic fans.

Prior to the ball tip off, the Board of Directors of the AACC, their
2008 Sponsors (Orlando Magic, State Farm Insurance, Universal Orlando,
and the Orlando/Orange County Convention Visitors Bureau)
and special guests participated in a private reception and dinner.
The Asian cuisine was catered by Panda Express.

Ms. Deborah Rios-Barnes, Assistant Director of Cause Marketing
and Multicultural Insights with the Orlando Magic welcomed guests and shared the Magic’s strong commitment to the AACC. The next
speaker was Orlando Magic Chief Operating Offi cer, Mr. Alex Martins.
Mr. Martins reiterated the importance of building a strong partnership
with the community and the impact of such a project as the Orlando
Events Center in the City of Orlando would help the local economy
during these though times. Mr. Martins also spoke about the many
opportunities for Minority and Women Owned businesses to participate
on this project. If you would like more information on this opportunity you can
go to this website to learn more http://www.orlandoeventscenter.com/.

As part of the pre game activities, Glenn Leong and I were selected to be Honorary
Co-Captains and Game Ball presenters . This means we were on center court with the officials and got to shake hands with team captains Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) and Tracy McGrady (Houston Rockets) . There was such a rush being on center
court with these legends and I was completely speechless when the official
had asked Glenn and I to say a few words. All I could get out was “Go Magic!”
with a big grin on my face.

For the home team introduction , AACC representatives Becky Szymanski,
Nick Lebredo, Kathy Llamas, and Joanne Mei Peytremann along with a select
others were able join the High Five line up. Just being on the floor prior to the tip off and wishing the players well was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these lucky representatives. At halftime, entertainment was provided by Red Panda. There was
also a special presentation in recognition of a local community hero.
Mrs. Thuong “Cuc” Foshee was honored for her experiences which led her to be
a model of democracy and freedom. In 2005, Ms. Foshee was wrongly imprisoned while attending her niece’s wedding in Vietnam. She was held without being charged for any crimes and not allowed to see a lawyer for over a year. It was with the help
of Senator Mel Martinez, United States Congressman Ric Keller and the local
community that Cuc was fi nally allowed to return home to Orlando in 2006.
In addition, Cuc established the fi rst Buddhist temple in the area and helped
the local Vietnamese community with voter registration. She has served as
President of the Central Florida Vietnamese Association and currently the
owner and President of T.N. Grassing, Inc., a commercial landscaping company
which has been in business since 1984.

The Magic may have lost the game that evening to the Houston Rockets, but they
have certainly won the hearts of the local Asian American community. Congratulations to the Orlando Magic on their 20th Anniversary and thank you, Orlando Magic for
your continued strong support of the AACC.

Want to learn more about the Orlando Magic game schedule or find the locations of the closest Panda express or learn more about AACC? Follow these links
for more information. Orlando Magic http:// www.nba.com/magic/index_main.html,
Panda Express http://www. pandaexpress.com/,
AACC http://www.asianamericanchambercfl .org/.

By Victor Alzona

Photo by Kevin Kolczynski, Victor Alzona