www.aadapinc.org
“People Need People”
Thank You To
Our Supporters!
Mayor Dear, Councilman Santarina, Councilman Gipson, Captain Rodgers, Susan Park, CISAAP Collaborative members, and Carson youths tie the
first red ribbon in the City of Carson celebration of a weeklong drug and alcohol prevention awareness during Red Ribbon Week.
Red Ribbon Week In Carson
By Carol J. Almeda, Community Organizer
F
Volume 33, Issue 5, December/January 2009
Carson Red Ribbon Week………………....1
Showtime 2008!………………………..... 2
Project Choice Will Continue……………….4
P.I.D.P./A.S.K. Program…………………....4
Eunise Poblete……………………….......5
Benson Pheng Retires……………………..6
Holiday Celebrations……………………... .6
“From Dark to Light”…………………..…..7
Congrats to OA Grads.....………………....7
Donors………………..........………….…8
www.aadapinc.org
or the first time in Carson, the week of October
20-25, 2008 was dedicated to fostering community awareness to substance abuse as a social
issue. With the impetus being given by Council
Member Elito Santarina as the main sponsor,
Resolution 07-133 was passed unanimously by
Carson City Council on October 16, 2007 designating every fourth week of the month of October each
year thereafter, as Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon
Week is so far the oldest and largest drug prevention
campaign in the nation with the red ribbon chosen to
symbolize the response of a community when it
learned that one of its members, Enrique “Kiki”
Camarena, a Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA) agent was murdered in the line of duty.
This year marked the initial implementation of the
resolution by way of a citywide, week-long celebration. With the Asian American Drug Abuse Program
(AADAP, Inc.) as the lead agency partner of the city in
this undertaking, the first step that was taken was to
convene the Carson Initiative for Substance Abuse
Awareness and Prevention (CISAAP) made up of
community-based organizations and civic-minded
individuals who have been committed to the cause of
substance abuse prevention and treatment to serve as
the planning and coordinating body. A total of about
ten organizations have joined the formation to
continued on page 4
December/January 2009
Rice Paper
1
This year, Showtime had a
Hawaiian “Aloha” theme, and featured performances by some of
Hawaii’s best (in our humble opinion): Na Kama accompanied by the
renowned Keali’i O’Nalani halau ,
and American Idol finalist, Jasmine
Trias. Jasmine kicked off the night
with a high-energy performance,
dancing lively across the stage
and belting out popular tunes with
a voice that no one imagined
could be contained in such a
petite frame.
The night started off with presentations from several dignitaries such as the Honorable Judy Chu,
and LA City Councilwoman Jan Perry. One of
AADAP’s traditions is to honor those who have
made an exceptional contribution to community
service and have greatly impacted us. Our individual community honoree was Willie Tokishi, a man
who played a significant role in the NYPUM
(National Youth Program Using Minibikes) program and became a mentor o
f r a young boy
named Mario Castro.A video presentation
showed how the NYPUM program and Willie’s
influence helped Mario to reach beyond his
means and become a successful young man who
eventually graduated from UC Berkley.
The Corporate honoree was Southern California
Edison. AADAP recognized them as one of our
most consistent supporters and as a company
that conscientiously puts forth the effort to help
out the community.
We all know that every good fundraiser has a silent auction and
we were no exception. Thanks to the generosity of our donors we
were able to auction off a wide variety of goods ranging from autographed Michael Chang shoes to a signature knife set from Roy’s
Hawaiian restaurant complete with a bottle of vintage Roy’s wine.
Na Kama can only be described as pure entertainment. Not
only did they have beautiful voices that seemed to magically meld together to flow like honey, but they kept right on
charming the audience in between their songs with their
witty banter. Their Hawaiian sensibilities (or non-sensibilities) knew how to connect with the crowd and everyone
was warmed by their infectious good nature.
Their performance was only enhanced by the presence of
the graceful dancers of Keali’i O’Nalani. The dancers
swished and swayed across the stage in a colorful array of
outfits, their movements gratifyingly precise and in perfect
unison with the music.
Showtime 2008 was held at the historical Alex Theatre in
Glendale, CA this year. The new venue was a welcome
change, and the ornate décor and classic design added an
air of festivity to the night. The outdoor courtyard was
packed to the brink of overflowing, and the air was filled
with the hum of lively chatter. Showtime has always been a
time for AADAP to come together with our donors and supporters, and remember why we exist and do what we do: to
help those in need for the greater good of our communities.
Members of the Board of Directors Fundraising Committee
were proud as they posed for a picture. The success of the
whole night was built upon the hard work and dedication of all
the AADAP staff and Board members. The weeks leading up to
Showtime were filled with a flurry of late nights and last
minute preparations, just as it was in the past years. No matter how harried or frustrating things got, the night always
ended well, because what really counted was that the people
realized the cause of AADAP and were willing to support us
out of the good will of their hearts.
Project Choice:
STUDENTS for HIV
and SUBSTANCE
ABUSE PREVENTION
awareness and access to culturally-competent
health services.
It also seeks to increase students’ knowledge,
awareness and resistance skills about Alcohol,
Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATOD) and HIV.
This is done through intensive Core Training of
Trainers (TOT) Through Project Choice, trained
Peer Health Advocates (PHAs) will conduct
comprehensive cross age presentations to students, faculty, administration, and the local
By Susan Park, Prevention Director
F
or the past five years, AADAP has been able
to deliver HIV Prevention services to the
Asian and Pacific Islander students at the
California State University at Long Beach
(CSULB) through a demonstration grant from
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA). Our Community
Prevention program recently secured another
five year grant to offer similar HIV Prevention
services at CSULB, but now to the Latino student population. We are very excited to start up
this program and be able to reach a larger student population on campus!
The overall goal of Project Choice: Students
for HIV and Substance Abuse Prevention is to
improve substance use resistance skills and to
improve HIV prevention behaviors among
Latino/Asian students at CSULB.
The project seeks to improve linkages and
the network of student resources on and off
campus to increase Latino/Asian students’
Red Ribbon Week In Carson
Continued from page 1
include Mothers Against Drunk Driving
(MADD), Los Angeles County Teen Challenge,
Pacific Asian Student Services (PASS), Boys and
Girls Club, Philippine Independence Day
Foundation, Carson Student Movement (CSM)
and the Filipino Student Forum (FSF).
With the theme, “Be like me, keep Carson
drug-free” the week-long celebration was ushered in when the City Council handed over to
AADAP staff and the members of the Initiative
the Proclamation declaring the period Oct. 2331 as Red Ribbon Week for 2008. A kick-off
ceremony held on the grounds of City Hall on
October 20 marked the start of week-long
events. Attendees included were members of
the City Council, the City Manager, city
employees, officials and staff of the Sheriff’s
Office, AADAP staff, members of the Carson
Initiative, students from various schools, with
most from Carson High School and community residents.
The next day, the “Tie a Red Ribbon around
Carson” became the highlight activity as the
youths from the Carson Student Movement
(CSM) and the Filipino Student Forum (FSF)
accompanied by AADAP staff went through the
major streets and parks of Carson to tie red ribbons around trees in an effort to make the community aware of what the red ribbon symbolized in the fight against drugs. The Forum on
4
Rice Paper
December/January 2009
community on ATOD and HIV prevention.
Project Choice will also co-sponsor and participate in campus and community events that
raise awareness and encourage risk reduction of
ATOD and HIV.
Through this project, we hope to increase
knowledge, reduce high-risk behavior, and
reduce the stigma surrounding substance abuse,
HIV/AIDS, sexuality issues, and accessing services in our target population.
ASK SEEK KNOCK (A.S.K.)
DCFS Prevention Initiative Demonstration Project (PIDP)
By Jose Esqueda, Youth and Family Program Director
A
ADAP is collaborating with Shields for Families’
A.S.K. program, which is a Department of
Children and Family Services (DCFS) Prevention
Initiative Demonstration Project (PIDP). A.S.K. was
introduced to the agency and to the community at an
Open House held on Friday, November 14th here at the
AADAP Corporate Office.
We are proud and honored to join in on this collaboration and serve the surrounding community.
The A.S.K. program model provides community
drop-in family resource centers throughout Los
Angeles. A.S.K. offers linkages to available services
such as housing, child care, employment, and 0food
banks at the following four sites: Shields for
Families, West Angels CDC, Avalon-Carver and
AADAP. In addition, we also will have legal clinics,
and provide vocational and educational services.
The Prevention Initiative Demonstration Project
funded by DCFS is a 12-month child abuse and neglect
prevention demonstration project intended to enhance
the existing community-based networking systems.
This program was designed to prevent families from
experiencing extended stays in the County’s health and
human services system by addressing root causes
that weaken families and impede healthy childhood
development, social isolation, lack of economic opportunities and limited access to municipal services.
Through the A.S.K. program community-based organizations can collaborate to leverage resources and
improve services.
Drugs and Underage Drinking held on October
22 brought together resource persons from law
enforcement, the academe and the therapeutic
community in a panel discussion that led to a
synthesis that the existing social system pervades with influences that promote a culture of
drug use so much so that prevention work
entails taking on the challenge to become an
agent of social change.
The Youth Cultural Night held on October
23 was a showcase of youth talents by way of
spoken word, songs, dances and skits conveying the message that there are healthy and productive alternatives to drugs. A poster making
contest about the theme was held throughout
the period. More than a hundred entries were
submitted, which mostly came from schools
throughout the Carson district. The winners
were from Curtiss Middle School, Stephen
White Middle School, Carson High School and
St. Philomena School. Awarding of prizes
which were donated by The Philippine
Independence Day Foundation was held during the luncheon at the Carson Community
Center on October 25 that at the same time
capped the week-long celebration.
In so many ways, the first citywide Red
Ribbon Week celebration in Carson spelled of
success in terms of establishing collaborative
links between and among various organizations; soliciting support from the local government; and mobilizing the different sectors of
the community to participate in the events, the
corporate sector included by way of donations
and sponsorships. Most importantly, the weeklong celebration represented an attempt to look
at substance abuse prevention from a holistic
standpoint of building communities where
lives can change for the better.
People
Need
People
The Rice Paper is a bimonthly publication of the
Asian American Drug Abuse Program, Inc.
Karl K. Nobuyuki, Chairman
Reverend Dr. Kenneth Uyeda Fong, Vice Chairman
Kenneth Kasamatsu, Treasurer
Sue Oda Omori, Secretary
Saundra Bryant, Member
Ron Ikejiri, Esq., Member
Jean Shigematsu, Member
Dr. Thomas Yamamoto, Member
Mike Watanabe, MSW, President & CEO
Management Team:
Byron Shinyama, Olympic Academy Director
Daisy Asis-Nakanishi, Employment Access Director
Dean Nakanishi, Administrative Director
Glenn Andres, Outpatient Director
James Stinson, Therapeutic Community Director
Jose Esqueda, Youth and Family Program Director
Susan Park, Prevention Director
Rahimah Shah, Editor-In-Chief
Mike Nakayama, Graphic Designer
Adcraft Business Mail, Printer
www.aadapinc.org
Eunise Asis-Poblete
By Rita Villalobos, Administrative Coordinator
E
unise Asis-Poblete came to the United States in 1991. Prior to
coming to the States, Eunise worked as a program monitor in
the social services field for many years. While her parents were
here in the U.S., Eunise and several of her siblings continued their
life in the Philippines. Since they had been separated from her
parents for some time, she, along with 2 of her siblings made a
choice to reunify themselves with their parents. In April of 1991,
Eunise and her siblings migrated to the U.S. and began their new
life. After being here for a while, Eunise and her two siblings contemplated returning back home to the Philippines. One of her sister’s
who worked at Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE), a
Los Angeles based job replacement referral program encouraged Eunise
to participate in the job-training program and to send out her resume to
different agencies. She soon received a call from AADAP for an interview.
She was interviewed by Al Mizuno, who at that time was the Therapeutic
Community Director. Mr. Mizuno asked, “Can you roll up your sleeves?”
Eunise felt that this was a question of whether she could handle this type of
work due to her appearing timid, and naive. However, come August of
1991, Eunise was hired as a Day Treatment Counselor of the newly established Special Deliveries program. In August of 1993, a position as the
Special Deliveries Coordinator became available. Eunise became the
Outpatient Coordinator soon thereafter and was in charge of several
of the units. She gives credit to her mentors; Al Mizuno, Phyllis
Mickle and Kimberly Hee.
For the last seventeen years, Eunise has diligently worked as
Coordinator of the Special Deliveries Program. During her
tenure, she has had many personal and professional accomplishments. She married Valentine Poblete in January of
1995 and will soon celebrate fourteen years of marriage.
She has one daughter, Jeuvalyne Grace Poblete, who
was born July 1996. Eunise also received her
Certification as a Certified Alcoholism and Other
Drug Addictions Recovery Specialist in 2005.
Eunise states that her fulfillment comes with helping individuals get their lives back together. She
states, “It is a joy to see individuals come back and
have achieved milestones in their lives. Some become
counselors and also begin working alongside me. I also
have the support of my family and co-workers, who
have the same passion as I do.” She states that her job
is an extension of her home and her family. Some of her
valuable qualities are one of being resourceful, sincere,
and passionate about her work. Despite the many trials
that Eunise faced, she continues to put her best foot forward
in an effort to help others. The
love and passion of reunifying
mothers with their children is
actually the mission of her life.
We celebrate the seventeen
years you’ve dedicated to our
AADAP family.
Left to right: Eunise,middle,
stands with two of her staff,Pat
Hamlin and Ms.Leslie. Eunise
works with her staff to create a
cohesive and supportive team.
www.aadapinc.org
December/January 2009
Rice Paper
5
FAMILY MATTERS
Family Matters is an open forum for everyone to participate. Because AADAP is committed to the family concept, we
invite all of you to share your ideas and thoughts. You can write AADAP c/o of Rahimah Shah or call her at AADAP.
AADAP President & CEO, Mike Watanabe, staff and community members surprised Mr. Benson Pheng (seated in center) with a retirement party organized
by Indochinese Youth Community Center staff (IYCC). Mr. Pheng is a well
known leader in the Cambodian community. During the past seven years as
an IYCC Counselor, he linked his community to the much needed services provided by AADAP. We will miss Mr. Pheng and wish him the best with future
projects during his retirement. Thank you for teaching us to see life through
your eyes.
The 2nd Annual Dean Weiner Dessert Contest brought many
Therapeutic Community and Olympic Academy judges to the table!
The delectable desserts were judged on creativity, presentation and
taste. The winners featured above took 2nd, 1st and 3rd place,
respectively. Aviva Weiner (2nd Place) made her chocolate pistachio
brownie cake, Andrew Kami of OA (1st Place) for his tres leches
turkey and Rahimah Shah (3rd) for pineapple upside down cake.
Congratulations to all of the participants! The other dessert chefs
made scrumptious sweets such as, rice crispy treats, chocolate chip
cookies, lemon meringue pie and brownies.
6
Rice Paper
December/January 2009
Left to right; Certificate awarded to Most “Creative” Costume went to
Olympic Academy resident, Jessie and staff; “Nice Try,” Jackie, OA resident;
Most “Spirited,” Therapeutic Community resident,Lawanda; Most “Original,”
Kevin, OA resident and Most “Scariest,” Milton, OA resident.
Congratulations to the Administrative Unit for winning this year’s Halloween
Creation Pumpkin Contest!
www.aadapinc.org
Residents’ Corner
The Residents’ Corner is a regular feature in the Rice Paper. It is written to give the
reader a bird's eye view of recovery and treatment in the T.C. and O.A.
From Dark To Light
By Mark Davison, Bronson House Manager
O
n September 19, 2008, AADAP’s Drug Court Outpatient Unit celebrated another successful graduation, which was held at the
Inglewood Municipal Court in Division VI. Drug Court proudly recognized sixteen graduates who will now need to guide themselves in their
new walk of life in recovery.
The ceremony began with the Honorable Judge Wright congratulating
the graduates for completing the program. Judge Wright introduced
AADAP’s staff, court staff and main guests that attended the event. Special
guest speaker and Dodger legend, “Sweet Lou” Johnson was introduced
to share his words of encouragement to all graduates and attendees. The
words of encouragement I remember most were, “If you keep a higher
power and develop a support system, you will be on the road to succeed
in life.” I would have to say that comment was a grand slam home run.
As a staff member, I was fortunate to witness the miracles of family reunification, growth in those who had none or little hope, the blooming process
of a planted seed and lastly, the dismissal process of each graduate’s pending cases. This event had a great turnout. The Drug Court team would like
Class Of 2008
By Richard Y., Olympic Academy Graduate
I
f I could describe the class of 2008 in one word, it would have to be
opportunity. After a hard and long year of working like mules, the
graduates of ’08 finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. One of
the biggest accomplishments of my life is earning my diploma. I felt like
I just started a new chapter in my life.
In the past, I would never have thought about graduating high school
but I have been given the opportunity to make something positive out of
myself. I have the opportunity to do anything I want. It seems as though
the abstract painting of my life became a little bit clearer. I consider myself
lucky for everything that has happened in the past year, including the wonderful graduation that I really enjoyed.
If I were in the past, I wouldn’t
have seen the graduation as an
opportunity. I made a lot of
sacrifices in my life to be
here as of this moment.
One of the sacrifices I
would make is when I
didn’t go to events with
my family, such as family barbeques. I would be
getting high on marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy, or crystal meth instead of
trying to change my life for a
brighter future.
The graduation was a memorable event
for everyone. The food melted in my mouth and the dance was filled with
excitement. Everyone had a great time and I look forward to the next
graduation, the class of 2009. Rashaan is employed at Red Cross, Edgar
is attending LACC and I am attending SMC. Congratulations and best
wishes to all the graduates, Rashaan K., Edgar P., Ray T., and Richard Y.
www.aadapinc.org
Congratulations to 2008 Drug Court Graduates and their hard working
counselors! (Jennifer K., not pictured) AADAP wishes you success in
your new found journey!
to acknowledge and thank the AADAP staff, friends and family members
who were present to show support in the graduation ceremony.
My message to the graduates is to utilize your tools in recovery, attend
your meetings, continue developing your techniques, be aware of what to
avoid, and give back. Remember, it’s all about choices you make because
what you hide in the dark will eventually show itself in the light.
Congratulations, Edgar!
By Byron Shinyama, Olympic Academy Director
I
t's been a long
while coming,
but it finally
happened.
After
twenty-two months
of ups and downs,
anger and sorrow,
frustration and joy,
‘ED-Gahr’ as he is
affectionately
known
by
the
Olympic Academy
family, graduated
from the program
on October 17th,
2008. He joins an
elite group of people that can say that
Left to right; Edgar,Richard and his Counselor,
they are graduates Yuki Sugisaki. Job well done, Edgar! We are
of the Olympic proud of you and wish you continued success in
Academy. Knowing the field of medicine.
the other graduates,
I attest that he is in good company.
Edgar came to the Olympic Academy on probation and not wanting
to change. He held on to his gang mentality and his stubborn ways got
him nowhere for a long time. After awhile, he figured out that he could
actually learn from the program and be able to achieve his long-term goal
of working in the health field. He earned his high school diploma, got off
probation, and finally graduated the program.
He currently is a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and will be working towards obtaining his RN degree.
Congratulations, Edgar! We knew you could do it...(eventually)!
December/January 2009
Rice Paper
7
THANKS TO ALL THE DONORS FOR DECEMBER/JANUARY 2009!
AADAP GREATLY APPRECIATES YOUR SUPPORT AND WE WISH YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
UNITED WAY
$ 6,211.63
$5 - $99
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Durousseau & Associates, Inc.
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Hiram & Janet Hironaka
Hiroahi Kashiwagi
Hiroshi & Misako Fujisaki
Jack Rogers
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Keith Umemoto
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Robert Nishinaka
Ruth Watanabe
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Tokunori & Yoshiro Takahashi
Tomi Kuwayama
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AADAP is a substance
abuse rehabilitation center.
If you or anyone you know
is struggling for help,
please contact us at
(323) 293-6284.
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AADAP, Inc.
2900 Crenshaw Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90016
Telephone: 323-293-6284
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If you would like to
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8
Rice Paper
December/January 2009
www.aadapinc.org