LANSING, MI — One of the best qualities of Lansing is that it’s a very culturally diverse city, which makes festival fun very interesting during the summer.
In the past three decades the city has become home to refugees and immigrants from widely different cultures, among them the Croations, Somalians, Hmongs, Burmese, Vietnamese and Iraqis.
Left: Internationally known Nguyen Hung sent the concert goers to the dance floor with hisdynamic stage performance and singing.
The Vietnamese community in Michigan came together on August 15 and 16th to celebrate culture and the unveiling of a new statue of Mary, mother of Jesus, at St. Andrew Dung-Lac’s Second Annual Festival Concert at the church located at 5430 S. Washington Avenue.
The event was an opportunity for the Vietnamese community to enjoy traditional Vietnamese music and cuisine. The festival goers were able to take part in traditional Vietnamese games and karaoke, as well as , see martial arts and performances by famous singers, Bao Han, Ban To Chuc and Nguyen Hung. There was also a Miss Ao Dai Beauty Pageant (Vietnamese Traditional Dress Beauty Pageant).
One of the organizers, Hao Trinh, said that he wants to attract people from different cultures to the festival and that the celebration is a good opportunity for Vietnamese nationals to introduce their culture to international friends and family.
“This is an opportunity to learn more about Vietnamese culture, however, our long term goal is to include other Asian cultures so that the attendees will be able to share and learn about the diverse Asian cultures in our city,” said Trinh.
The festival, which was held for the first time last year will now be an annual event.
EAST LANSING, MI –After “stuffing the bus” with new school supplies, MSU freshmen will be delivering them
to the students at the Shabazz Public School Academy in Lansing on Friday, September 11th at the school’s assembly.
The MSU students, who took part in the Multicultural Business Programs Summer Business Institute (SBI) in July, collected $430 worth of school supplies during their “Stuff the Bus!” community service event for Shabazz Public School Academy students. This year this successful program is celebrating its 8th anniversary.
In the last eight years, the “Stuff the Bus!” event has purchased almost $4,000 in school supplies. The supplies have been donated to the Lansing Public Schools, Red Cedar Elementary in East Lansing and New City Academy in Lansing. This is the fifth year the school supplies will be donated to Shabazz Public School Academy.
At SBI, students are assigned to teams for group projects, including community service. Each student
donated school supplies, worked with their team to decorate boxes to store the supplies and presented a team report about the value of community service. The boxes have inspirational themes such as “Knowledge is power”; “Dream big!” and “Reach for the stars”.
“It is a powerful time during the Summer Business Institute. It gives students a chance to reflect on the heroes who helped them overcome obstacles and become successful. Now they have chance to be a hero to a child in the Lansing community. Stuff the Bus completes the circle
of support,” said Anne Crain, Multicultural Business Programs coordinator.
The annual visit to Shabazz Public School Academy is a chance for the MSU freshmen to connect with students in the Lansing community.
The MSU students enjoy spending time with the Shabazz students and learning about the school’s unique philosophy and approach to education. “It is our hope that today’s Shabazz student will be tomorrow’s MSU student,” said Darrell King, Multicultural Business Programs,
associate director.
SBI is designed for incoming freshmen business majors at MSU. The program provides academic seminars, corporate workshops and other learning experiences for incoming freshmen in order to prepare them for success.
To make a donation to Shabazz Public School Academy call (517) 267-8474.
