Thursday, March 1, 2018

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The Taiwanese Community Center hosted a Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, February 17th from 2 to 4PM. The goal was to take this opportunity to hear opinions and suggestions from individuals and groups with an interest in the development of the TCC. In addition, we could take this chance to answer any questions and facilitate communication and understanding as well as transparency to improve the Taiwanese American community. About 30 people attended, and many spoke up and gave their suggestions. Below are some key points taken from everyone’s ideas, provided as reference to all stakeholders:
  • Regarding the THSH Service Member system:
    • Though there was a reason that the Service Member system was created, and the reality is that it had its necessity at the time, but as times have changed, we should reexamine this system and its costs and benefits. It can be expanded to allow more people to join this community and participate in its activities and serve, as well as get to know the different organizations and their respective missions. IN other words, we need to increase the visitor base to TCC. Some community members have voiced that the current system sets a bar for those wanting to volunteer, reducing desire to participate and serve. Some suggest expanding nomination rights for service members, such as allowing user members to nominate (current system is nomination by board members only), others suggest using a registration system.
  • Volunteers are shorthanded. If we add on the divisions among opinions in the different organizations, the problem is only bigger. If possible, we should consolidate all manpower and expand mutual communication, since the community’s resources are limited.
  • Regardless of the organization, we should all be open-minded and not have an us vs. them mentality. There should be peace internally in the community, this is an important factor.
  • Different age groups probably need programs suited to their respective ages.
  • Regarding THSH fundraising:
    • Some members suggested the financial and manpower issues could be solved by managing the non-profit organization like a for-profit company, such as letting a CEO take on responsibilities for management.
    • Can consider finding members who are willing to give recurring donations long-term.
    • The center belongs to all members, all groups that use the center (social orgs, school, parents) should participate in fundraising.
  • Someone suggested collecting THSH usage fees together with TAA membership fees. However, because one group is a 501(c)(3) organization and the other is not, there could be tax issues, so this needs to be carefully considered.
  • Someone suggested that the Heritage Society bylaws should be easily accessible. THSH Chair responded that THSH members can all download this information on the THSH member service site.
  • Someone suggested the TCC can be developed into a Senior Activity Center.
  • TAA’s new president suggested that for the 228 Memorial event next year, all Taiwanese American groups can come participate in the skits.
  • Someone suggested to open the doors and expand outward, allow others to come in to participate and get to know Taiwan. Our focus should be on the future, and not fear others joining. Others believe openness is beneficial, but we should be wary of dilution of the organization or infiltration and destruction of the org.
  • Someone suggested that to attract people, we have to help people and solve problems for them. For example, providing information for those that need it. So someone suggested the creation of a database, like United Way does, matching needs with resources. THSH Chair mentioned he has previously suggested the creation of a Taiwanese American central database to be managed centrally. Since we are now in the information age, this would be helpful to Taiwanese Americans sharing information and analyzing metadata, allowing all groups to serve their members more efficiently.

Although the turnout is lower than expected, we heard many valuable opinions and suggestions from the attendees. Before the meeting, we heard some concerns about the usefulness of such a meeting. For example, would the meeting turn disorderly?  Would it be a waste of time if there was no rigorous agenda?  And would this be a prelude for THSH become a traditional “oversea Taiwanese organization”, etc?  We humbly listen to and respect all kinds of concerns. The purpose of the town hall meeting is for community leaders to hear the community's views on public issues. Any people who care about the Taiwan Community Center can come and express their opinions and ask questions. This time, the attendees of the meeting were rational and respectful. All the participants in the meeting had the opportunity to speak out freely. The leaders of the participating organizations would take the opinions/suggestions back to their boards for future decision references. This meeting also indicated the necessity and a possibility of a cross-organization idea exchange platform. Two hours was not enough to express/address all the possible concerns in our community. We might hold similar meetings in the future. Hopefully more people will show up in the next meeting. Your presence to the meeting is a sign of support to our community.


$2,000
ANDY CHEN, 吳光宜
$1,500
FORMOSA PLASTIC CORPORATION, 金城銀行, 王懷璿
$1,000
AMERICAN FIRST NATIONAL BANK, Andrew Chen, 吳文龍, 呂文惠, 周得安, 宋明麗, 張懿方, 張顯道, 李克溫, 李春生, 李秀英, 楊朝諄, 楊朝諭, 江志豪, 沈肇基, 王吉盛, 盧文雄, 羅錦燦, 葉錦如, 蕭文源, 許定烽, 連鐘琦, 邱忠男, 郭正泉, 鄭佩玲, 鍾曜聰, 陳咸亨, 陳惠智, 陳舜哲, 黃澄清
$750
黃會川
$600
張明忠
$500
美南銀行, 台聲合唱團, 吳連山, 廖文豪, 張仁裕, 張吉正, 李席舟, 林書德, 林重光, 王明珠, 石福津, 紀百純, 管氏冷氣, 陳信志, 陳美雲, 黃尚武, 黃瑤明
$400
黃和義
$300
呂理順, 周建佑, 尤文芳, 林永錚, 林美慈, 江慈暉, 沈清政, 葉郁如, 蔡坤城, 蔡炳傭, 蔡炳全, 蘇宏彥, 賴澄成, 郭正光, 鍾智純, 陳俊榮, 陳光耀, 陳聯群, 顏琇莉, 黃逢春
$250
劉郁蘭, 吳柏相, 曾昆聯, 江朝雄, 潘冠州, 詹德勝, 陳清亮
$200
DORA J. Chen, Ellie and Nathan Ratliff, Helena Cheng, John Chang, SUNLY ENTERPRISES,INC, 何世杰, 何處覓小館, 吳世杰, 吳振成, 吳文山, 宋明綉, 廖明徵, 張喻婷, 張馨云, 徐於菟, 施志南, 李芳博, 林婉真, 林弘敏, 林正益, 林秋成, 林輝男, 林錦燦, 林雲凱, 柯志佳, 楊佩雯, 楊啟暉, 楊祖禧, 楊雪麗, 沈忠臣, 沈靜芳, 潘冠呈, 王明哲, 王清穆, 王麗娟, 石瑛瑛, 祝敏雄, 章鴻倫, 莊勝義, 莊承業, 葉明霞, 蔡丁財, 蔡凱禮, 蔡昭雄, 蔡琪芬, 蔡雲瑞, 蔣為志, 許光雄, 賴江椿, 連淑琴, 邱淑容, 郭振源, 郭文星, 鄭美雲, 陳慧媛, 陳政雄, 陳明鄉, 陳正祐, 陳瑞玉, 陸明亮, 高文吉, 高景男, 黃子端, 黃惠鸚, 黃懋肇, 黃漢楨, 黃登煙, 黃美惠
$150
Wei D. Hung, 林振榮, 葉晁南, 鍾萬南, 陳明昭, 黃穎彤
$120
蘇久雄, 鄭文和
$100
Herman H. Lee, Lily Lin, Chien Chih Shih, Ya-Ping Ko, 劉如峯, 劉志成, 卓甫詠, 吳丁發, 吳宏傑, 吳浩為, 呂精次, 廖凱平, 張世英, 張啟偵, 張多喜, 張靜, 戴照發, 施本源, 曹昌讃, 朱海豐, 李宏謀, 李文治, 李明雄, 李順連, 林周淑惠, 林康立, 林廖靜, 林得海, 林恩義, 林映佐, 林秋喜, 林芳標, 林財瑟, 楊惠玉, 楊振成, 楊朝訓, 歐素雲, 江淑芸, 沈盈懷, 洪恭儀, 游文慶, 游福華, 游續中, 潘美芬, 王健次, 王凱平, 王慶隆, 王武彥, 王素美, 管人傑, 管慈卉, 莊德源, 葉相岳, 蔡三平, 蔡亞德, 蔡定洋, 蔡忠和, 蔡瑞聲, 藍森生, 許健彬, 許勝宏, 詹松峰, 謝勝男, 謝松義, 賴美珠, 趙偉宏, 邱忠勇, 邱玉枝, 邱綉鸞, 邱麗卿, 郭鐘樑, 鄭乃榮, 鄭惠蘭, 鍾世榮, 鍾綉靜, 陳世杰, 陳希文, 陳建賓, 陳德通, 陳恩雅, 陳春樹, 陳楊珠仙, 陳毅埂, 陳淑芬, 陳立中, 陳美珍, 陳老摺, 雷深雪, 高中民, 魏主成, 魏耀德, 黃俊雄, 黃博英, 黃敏生, 黃榮富, 黃武良, 黃泓瑞, 黃淑娥, 黃純信, 黃紫濤, 黃維鏞
$60
郭禮哲
$50
JIAN-YUAN LI, 丁望賢, 何瑞齡, 劉美娥, 姚曼苓, 孫碧華, 巫范秀妹, 廖珮君, 廖碧玉, 張文信, 張闕桃, 張陳瓊珲, 張馨文, 曾色惠, 李文雄, 李維祥, 李芬蓮, 林三江, 林國輝, 林振能, 林梓秧, 林芳映, 林麗蘭, 楊欣蓉, 楊高滿 楊以勤, 江玟玟, 游秀寶, 盧佩均, 盧照金, 程修德, 葉全益, 蔡富雄, 蘇武沛, 賴惠美, 賴瑞華, 邱建成, 邵燦成, 陳坤定, 陳慶輝, 陳文馨, 陳雅惠, 黃柏瑞, 黃謙敬
Company Donation (donation plus volunteer time matching)
Company Donor Amount
BP 李秀英
$1,950
BP 許健彬
$100
Chevron 陳惠智
$1,500
Chevron
楊雪麗
$200
Chevron
黃漢楨
$1,300
Nvidia Ellie & Nathan Ratliff
$200
Shell Oil 羅錦燦
$1,000
SRC Inc. 蕭文源
$1,000
Statoil Gulf Services LLC
林康立
$425

Thank you for your continued, faithful support of our community.


Event Previews (Event Calendar)


March Events

Property Exemptions & Protests
Time: Saturday, March 3rd, 11AM-12PM
Contents: Many people do not know that there are many ways to save on taxes when reporting property taxes each year. Property taxes are determined by government appraisal of property values. If you believe the government has overvalued your property and your taxes are too high, how do you object? After Harvey flooding last year, many people had their homes flooded and had to spend money on repairs. Can these costs reduce property taxes? After the floods, real estate values fell—should taxes go down? We are inviting Harris County Attorney Mr. Scott R. Hilsher, J.D. to answer these questions. Hopefully this will help some people to reduce some financial burden. (Online Registration)
Cost: Free for both members and non-members.
Reference: http://hcad.org/hcad-help/texas-first-time-property-owner/exemptions/property-tax-exemptions-for-homeowners/
http://www.hctax.net/Property/protest

Skin Care & Cosmetics
Time: Saturday, March 10, 2:00 PM 〜4:00PM and March 31, Saturday, 2:00 PM 〜3:00PM
Content: Taiwanese Women’s Association together with THSH has invited makeup artist Nancy Huang made a special trip to teach us skin care & makeup tips for beginners. Please register in advance and remember to bring your own cosmetics and mirrors to the class. (Online registration)
Cost: Free for both members and non-members

One Day Field Trip: Houston Downtown Tunnel & Sam Houston Park
Time: Wednesday, March 28th, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
Content: Did you know how busy the Houston Downtown Tunnel is? It is a far-reaching network with a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and bakeries. Whether you want to visit cultural sites, historical sites, businesses, banks, or luxury hotels, you can safely do so with-out crossing any roads. It’s a leisurely and convenient way to get around, but many have lived in Houston for 30 or 40 years without ever using these tunnels. We’ve specially arranged this trip to allow everyone to gain some insight on them and learn about the beauty of Houston Downtown.  After visiting the tunnels, We will go visiting some interesting places which include Allen’s Landing and Buffalo Bayou,Seven Wonders Sculptures (next to Wortham Center),Beautiful Julia Ideson Building (the Old Library)next to Smith Street, and  the Phoenicia Market。We may also visit Sam Houston Park if we have enough time.  We might spent about 100 minutes of walking around during this day trip, so if anyone who could not walk for too long, we do not recommended you to participate this time.
Cost: Members $10, non-members $20. Lunch fee is not included. You will get $ 2 discount if registered online. (Online Registration)
Reference: https://365thingsinhouston.com/2017/05/18/downtown-tunnels-underground-houston/#

April Events

Texas’ Rare Wildlife Species
Time: Saturday, April 7th, 12:30PM~1:30PM
Content: Texas is home to a wide variety of species due to its size. Many of the wild animals here cannot be found in other states. These rare animals are among our resources and are worth being proud of. We should be protecting them. Last February, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wildlife expert Ms. Diana Foss came to introduce some of Texas’ wild animals and plants. Her presentation was well-received, so this year we have invited her again to talk about rare species in Texas. Our hope is that everyone will care for them and protect them. We also encourage participation in the City Nature Challenge taking place from April 27th to 30th. This session will cover a lot of material, so please don’t miss this great opportunity.
Cost: Free for both members and non-members. (Online Registration)
Reference: https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0013.pdf

Urban Coyote
Time: Saturday, April 14th, 12:30PM~1:30PM
Content: Houston is a large metropolis. The surrounding desert used to be home to coyotes, but due to population growth, many new neighborhoods, malls, factories, and office buildings have been built, forcing coyotes out of their habitats. They now need to look for food where humans live. This poses a threat to humans, their pets, and other animals. Summer is their breeding season, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is hosting the Urban Coyote Project to increase awareness. Their wildlife expert Mr. Kelly Norrid is taking the time to talk to us about urban coyotes. He previously came and gave a fascinating talk on snakes and other reptiles. We expect this time it will be even more interesting, so please don’t miss your chance!
Cost: Free for both members and non-members. (Online Registration)
Reference: https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/nuisance/coyote/

One Day Field Trip – Port Arthur, TX
Time: Monday, April 16th, 8:30AM~5:30PM
Content: We were originally scheduled to visit Port Arthur on September 26th last year, but due to flooding from Hurricane Harvey, roads were impassable. Roads have finally reopened now. The city is located 90 miles east of Houston, where the land meets the sea. It’s also the coast where Sabine Lake meets the Gulf of Mexico. This is a city full of plenty of cultural history, and a great location to watch migratory birds and play at the beach. The city’s slogan is “laissez les bons temps rouler”, which translates to “let the good times roll”. We will be visiting the Museum of the Gulf Coast, Buu Mon Buddhist Temple & Lotus Gardens (a beautiful lotus and lily garden), and Veteran’s Memorial Park. Everyone is welcome to join, don’t miss this great opportunity! Please note that this will be on a Monday. (Online Registration)
Cost: Members $25, non-members $35. Includes all tickets and lunch. You will get $ 2 discount if registered online.
Reference: http://visitportarthurtx.com

Event Highlights



On February 24 ( Saturday 12:30PM to 1:30PM), Ms DeAndra M Ramsey, a Houston zoo specialist made a special trip coming to our center to share with us about some of Texas's special animals.  She briefly introduced ocelot, chachalaca and TX tortoises common to the South Texas Plains; river otters, bullfrogs, and red cockaded woodpeckers in East Texas -Pineywood; and bottlenose dolphins, diamond back terrapin and prairie chickens along the Texas Gulf Coast area. She mentioned that prairie chickens face extinction and their biggest natural enemies are fire ants and urban developments. Ms. DeAndra M Ramsey says she really love bats. She says there are 33 different kinds of bats, and there are 11 species found in Houston. There are also urban wild animals, such as rats, mountain lions, ants, toads, raccoon, etc., and they are masters of survival. She also listed some of the urban wildlife for us to learn: bats, all kinds of birds (owls, hawks, eagles, water birds, songbirds ... etc.), reptiles (alligators, snapping turtles, diamond backed water snakes ... etc.) and some mammals (nutria, River otters, raccoon, possum, squirrel, coyote, armadillo, skunk ... etc). At the end of the presentation, she hoped that we can learn more, care more and save more animals.(Event Photos)



Victoria, TX is one of the oldest cities in Texas; it is located between Houston and CORPUS CHRISTI. Victoria is full of historic houses and beautiful buildings; this trip surely is a cultural journey that combines beauty and history. Today we have a hired Historic commentator from the City of Houston Bus Tour who came along with us; his name is Jeff. With his introduction and explanation, it added to everyone's interest and understanding.
In the afternoon, we visited the Museum of the Coastal Bend which exhibited a rich multicultural heritage of the central coast of Texas. The collection and preservation of the artifacts in the museum provides educational activities to enhance everyone’s appreciation of the region's cultural heritage. There were exhibitions of Spanish, French, Native American and prehistoric cultural artifacts like cannons, pottery, stoneware…etc. There were also French trade goods, ammunition and personal belongings of the French explorer La Ssalle who tries to build a French Colony in 1685. Permanent exhibitions for early people include darts, stone carvings and shell tools; these were the remnants of prehistoric people living in the coastal bend area 13,500 years ago. Another place we have visited was Victoria Educational Gardens.
Today, we have a total of 37 people went to this trip. Thanks to everyone for being on time and making this a wonderful trip.

Other Community News


TACL Toastmasters Monthly Activities

Our club mission is to provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.  We meet at Taiwanese Community Center room 203, every Monday night 7:30pm.  This group of totally awesome communicators and leaders continuously to support each other in self improvement.
We had a meaningful meeting on 1/29, Sunny spoke on passing on the good and forgiveness even after his friend was killed.  Kevin urged us to sit less to live longer.  Thanks to Sherry for filling in as the topic master.  We hope Phil feels better!
On 2/5, we really exercised our laugh a muscles this week, we had two great speeches by our powerful duo, Carol and Lorrine.  Carol gave a speech about nothing is impossible and Lorrine spoke about cell phones replacing old technology.  Gordon did an awesome job with his first time table topic on exercise, everyone was really into it!  Plus it was great to have Patrick back!
We had a fun, awesome time celebrating the Lunar New Year together!  On 2/12, we met at LeLai Restaurant, enjoy great food, and round robin table topics.  We got cruise proposal done and listen to many testimonies of fellow Toastmasters.  So good to see Van, Grace and Richard again!
Congratulations to Patrick for completing his CC - Competent Communicator!  On 2/19, he gave a rousing speech on boosting your self confidence, while Kevin briefed us on a proposal for the long awaited TACL cruise!!  We are definitely going to cruise together, please save the date for Jan 12-17 2019, cruise slow season for us parsimonious savers!  It was a fruitful meeting, Nam also led a thought provoking topic session on longevity vs prosperity.
It's that time of year again, club dues are $55 for the 6 months April-Sept or $110 for the full year!  Please submit dues to Stephen by the end of March to re-up with the friendliest club in Houston!
Also, don't forget, we are looking for 5 members for the $250 discounted club rate to attend the District 56 Spring Conference, May 11-12 Fri/Sat at the Stafford Center!  Hear the the best speakers in Houston and meet awesome people!
Our International & Table Topics club contest date is March 12th, and our Area M34 contest is 3/24 Sat 12pm @Trini Mendenhall.
Check us out online at on Facebook @TACLtoastmasters or www.TACLclub.toastmastersclubs.org

Date: March 3, 2018 (Saturday)
Time: 2:30PM 〜4:30PM
Place: Taiwanese Community Center
Speaker:  Evelyn Chao
Topic: Yuan Shi Dian Workshop

March 2018 Newsletter of T. A. Archives

TCC Announcements


  1. The Taiwanese School celebrated the Lunar New Year on February 10th. They invited the children from Turning Point Center to join in the festivities. Four families and two staff members attended, a total of 15 people. This was their first time trying Taiwanese snacks and New Year sweets, and a completely new experience for them. There were even lucky red envelopes for them after lunch, which made everyone happy. Their leader has expressed wishes to join us again next time.

  2. In 2016, the TCC had a line dance class every Thursday at 1:30PM that was taught by Flora Jang. The class was popular, with 10 to 20 people attending regularly. Many could not attend due to work. To provide the learning opportunity to these people, starting in February, classes will be available every Saturday at 10AM. All community members, teachers, and parents are welcome to join. Tuition is only $30 for the whole semester. Many thanks to Ms. Jang for her passion in offering this class.
  3. Driven by her great passion for folk music and dance, Ms. Kimlan Hung assembled a Taiwanese folk dance troupe at the Taiwanese Community Center. Every Friday afternoon from 3:00PM to 4:30PM, this group will practice in classroom 203.  Dancing music is the Taiwanese folk symphony, so dancers can enjoy the wonderful music. Together with elegant dancing movement, just in an hour and a half, participants can enjoy the beautiful music of symphony, twist the body, exercise bones, and enhance memory. The first dance of this regiment is the aboriginal dance "Alpine Evergreen," which is expected to be accompanied by a series of Taiwanese folk songs. Welcome all the people who are interested to join and have fun. Interested parties can call 713-271-5885 or register at the Taiwanese Community Center counter.

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