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Vietnamese Friendship Association 

Description

Vietnamese Friendship Association (VFA) was established in 1978 to respond to short-term resettlement needs facing Vietnamese refugees in Seattle. Presently, the VFA serves low-income, refugee and immigrant youth and families in Seattle's Rainier Valley area, currently the nation's most diverse zip code. Most programs take place in the New Holly neighborhood through after-school, youth leadership, parental involvement and other programs.

Mission Statement
To empower the Vietnamese community to succeed while bridging, preserving, and promoting cultural heritage.
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Vietnamese Friendship Association
7101 Martin Luther King Jr Way S Ste 212 
Seattle 
WA
98118-3592 
(206) 760-1573 

Mr. Vu Le, MSW 
Executive Director 

Programs

Vietnamese Friendship Association Programs

Saturday English School (SES)             
VFA continues our in partnership with the Seattle World School to offer our weekly Saturday program, serving 156 recent-arrival students from 22 different countries increase their skills in core subjects like math, science and English. Only 50% of students in this demographic are expected to graduate from high school-- we are working to combat that statistic and create bright, hopeful futures for our youth.            

The Community Action and Research Empowerment (CARE) Project                  
A participatory action research project where elders and college-aged youth work together to assess the strengths and needs of the Vietnamese community in Southeast Seattle, and develop a long-term plan to address those needs and advance the community.                  

The Youth Leadership Council                 
The Youth Leadership Council is an intensive program that provides training and mentorship to promising Vietnamese youth with an interest in, and potential, to step into leadership roles within our communities. This program is open to high school students, grades 9-12.

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

Spring 2013: VFA's Saturday English School has had its most successful year yet, serving a record 156 students, all recently arrived from 22 different countries. However, this program continues to struggle financially due to Washington's decision to waive No Child Left Behind funding, and our greatest need is for funding for this essential program.

Early 2012: VFA played a significant role in forming the Southeast Seattle Education Coalition, which is rallying immigrant and refugee communities and minorities to work together to improve schools in Southeast Seattle; the school system continues to fail minority students, and yet our communities are often not involved with efforts to change this system.

April 2012: VFA applied for and received a $93,000 grant from the City of Seattle Human Service Department to launch a job training program for Vietnamese high school students and their parents.

October 2012: This year, because of the growing population of Vietnamese-speakers in King County, election materials and ballots were provided in the Vietnamese language for the first time ever. VFA partnered with Asian Pacific Islander Americans for Civic Empowerment (APACE) to register over 300 Vietnamese voters in 11 days in Seattle, WA.

Current need: VFA is currently seeking startup funding to launch a Vietnamese Immersion Preschool (VIP). Parents are also growing increasingly concerned about children losing their language, culture and heritage. The VIP will be the first of it’s kind. It will provide a comprehensive, high-quality early learning experience for children through Vietnamese language and cultural immersion.

 

Evaluation


Vietnamese Friendship Association (VFA) serves low-income, primarily Vietnamese youth and families in the Rainier Valley, especially in the NewHolly neighborhood through out-of-school, youth leadership, and parental involvement programs.

Proven Success
While the central goal of VFA initiatives is to improve academic achievement among Vietnamese immigrant youth, all programming is designed to help young people develop such critical assets as commitment to learning and community service, as well as social and cultural competencies.

Use of Best Practices
VFA leadership has made research and evaluation a major priority for the organization. Through its partnership with the Seattle School District, VFA uses data (grades and WASL scores) to track the academic progress of youth participants and makes program modifications as needed. They are also working with Social Venture Partners to improve their evaluation system.

Sustainability
In the past five years, VFA has experienced tremendous growth in budget, programs, staff and number of clients served. They are a Social Venture Partner grantee and are receiving support to strengthen their infrastructure including, financial management, technology, fund development, board development and evaluation of programs.

Collaboration
VFA staff also works to raise awareness about Vietnamese community needs by serving on local refugee advisory boards, partnering with community liaisons from the city's parks and police departments, and working in close collaboration with the Seattle Public Schools Bilingual Education Center.

VFA is one of only two direct-service agencies in King County focused primarily on the Vietnamese community. Historically the Vietnamese community has been underserved because the capacity of these organizations has been weak. VFA’s Executive Director has been with the organization for 6 years and has been serving as the E.D. for the past three years. They have been successful in diversifying the organization's funding base and receive support from Social Venture Partners, the Gates Foundation, and United Way. They are re-energizing and expanding their board, as well as expanding the services they offer to students and their parents. In order to minimize costs they partner with Americorps as well as with organizations like the University of Washington who provide students that serve as tutors and program assistants. They have been successful in increasing their capacity.

Grant History with The Seattle Foundation:

Grants Awarded through The Seattle Foundation Grantmaking Program:

DateAmountPurpose
3/10/2013 $15,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/10/2012 $15,000.00support general operating expenses.
9/10/2010 $15,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/27/2008 $20,000.00support general operating expenses.

Financials

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