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Donations aim to warm
Asian Students in Action (ASIA) will be accepting donations of warm clothing for Hmong immigrants
By Nick Aaland
Published:
Thursday, December 9, 2004
Media Credit: Joshua Fox
Junior Rizwan Gilag drops off clothing at a drop box outside the student government office in Atwood on Wednesday night. The clothing collected will help Hmong refugees immigrating to the area from South East Asia.
With the holiday season comes the harsh weather of Minnesota. Asian Students In Action (ASIA) members have put together a clothing drive for this holiday season to help the new Hmong refugees keep warm this winter.
"This will be the first time they experience harsh winters," the advisor of ASIA Hedy Tripp said.
The clothing drive will be going on through Dec. 10. There are labeled boxes at the Multicultural Student Services office in Atwood A106 and the student government office in Atwood 138, where anyone can drop off clothing. Ideally, the donations should consist of winter clothing.
ASIA is only running the clothing drive through Friday because they want to pack up the clothing as soon as possible to ship out to the refugees. The clothing will reach the alumni of ASIA, Hmong people and others who are working with refugee service groups in the Twin Cities.
ASIA is looking for winter clothing of all sizes. Coats, gloves, mittens, boots, scarves, hats, sweaters and snow pants are ideal, but anything is welcomed.
"Warm clothing is a must in Minnesota," second-year student Greg McBride said. "It's so cold here. Clothing drives are always nice during the winter time."
This is the first year that ASIA has organized the clothing drive. Although Hmong refugees have been coming to Minnesota for many years, this is the first time that a large number are coming from the Thai refugee camp of Wat Tham Krabok. About half of the 5,000 Hmong refugees coming to Minnesota have already arrived.
ASIA's mission is to increase knowledge of Asian Cultures through various events and opportunities, to promote and increase cultural diversity on campus and in the community, to be a voice for underrepresented peoples, create a positive learning environment and to be active in the movement for social justice issues.
"This clothing drive for the new Hmong refugees in Minnesota highlights the plight that these new refugees are experiencing," Tripp said.
There are more aspects to the clothing drive than just the traditional holiday gift-giving. ASIA believes that the drive represents awareness, generosity, kindness, cultural diversity and social justice.
"The outcome I wish to see is that the campus community is aware of the plight of Hmong (and other) refugees," Tripp said. "Hopefully, the university community is knowing that they can help, even in small ways."
ASIA is also collecting school supplies for an orphanage in Chiengmai, Thailand. They believe that the troubles and the under-funded educational problems in other countries need to be addressed and helped.
"I think it's great what ASIA is doing for the refugees," first-year student Anne Crakes said. "It's just a nice thing to see people helping people in need."
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Quit smoking.
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One kind deed a day.
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