HONORING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE THAI COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CENTER; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 152
(Extensions of Remarks - September 20, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1188-E1189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE THAI COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CENTER
______
HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF
of california
in the house of representatives
Friday, September 20, 2019
Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Thai Community
Development Center upon its 25th Anniversary.
The Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC) was founded in 1994
with the goal of supporting and improving the lives of Thai immigrants
and other ethnic communities in the greater Los Angeles area. Thai CDC
achieves its mission through a comprehensive community development
strategy and initiatives that focus on a variety of issues including
access to healthcare and social services, affordable housing, human
rights advocacy, neighborhood empowerment, and small business
incubation.
Thai CDC played an essential role in an eight-year community
organizing campaign that raised awareness and led to the creation of
Los Angeles' Thai Town in 1999, the first Thai Town in the United
States. Through this designation, Thai CDC has been able to engage in
transit-oriented development and beautification efforts such as the
installation of the Kinarra Lamposts. This strategy to revitalize an
otherwise depressed portion of East Hollywood through cultural-based
tourism has allowed the Thai American community to prosper and
flourish. In 2008, Thai Town was designated a Preserve America
neighborhood, a federal designation celebrating cultural heritage and
encouraging historic preservation.
Throughout the years, Thai CDC has been instrumental in creating
events and spaces to foster economic opportunity and bring Angelenos
and tourists alike to Thai Town.
[[Page E1189]]
Thai CDC spearheaded the effort to build and develop the Thai Town
Market Place and establish a twice weekly East Hollywood Farmers Market
to help incubate small businesses and provide healthy and affordable
food options to the neighborhood. In 2004, Thai CDC helped found the
Thai New Year's Day Songkran Festival which has since become an annual
event attracting hundreds of thousands of attendees.
Since its founding, Thai CDC has also been committed to improving
the lives of Thai immigrants through culturally sensitive and
linguistically appropriate social services and programs such as legal
aid, financial literacy and counseling, and mediation and dispute
resolution. In addition to assisting clients with securing affordable
housing, Thai CDC has also built the Halifax Apartments, a multi-family
affordable housing development in Hollywood, and the Palm Village
Senior Housing in Sun Valley. Thai CDC has also raised awareness of
modern-day slavery and human trafficking in the United States through
the creation of the Slavery Eradication and Rights Initiative, SERI.
I am proud to recognize the Thai Community Development Center for
twenty-five years of providing extraordinary service to the Thai
American community in the greater Los Angeles area, and I ask all
members to join me in congratulating the center for its outstanding
achievements.
____________________
