Contact Representative to NCI - Eileen Tsai, [email protected]
Website www.iacaonline.org
Indiana Association of Chinese Americans, Inc. (IACA) is a State
registered not-for-profit organization established in 1973. IACA is not
affiliated with any religious or political organization.
Goals and objectives of IACA are:
To foster constructive citizenship on the part of Chinese Americans in the
State of Indiana, and the nation.
To cultivate the understanding and the appreciation of both American and
Chinese cultural heritages.
To enrich the Indiana society with Chinese American contributions.
To improve the overall well being of Chinese Americans in Indiana.
IACA was originally established in 1973 as Indianapolis Association of
Chinese Americans, Inc. and in 1999, it was renamed to Indiana Association
of Chinese Americans, Inc. to encompass a larger membership around the
states. In the early '70s, a group of local Chinese Americans met once a
month for lunch to share their everyday experiences and to lead support
for each other and their families. The popularity of this monthly luncheon
continued to grow and the need for an organization to provide social
activities and a variety of services was inevitable. In November 1973, the
founding members filed the IACA constitution with the State. Officers for
the following years were elected and IACA was born.
Through the years, most of the social activities provided to our
membership were focused on the celebration of Chinese culture and
traditions such as Chinese New Year and other festivals, in an attempt to
keep alive our heritage and to pass them on to the next generation and
beyond. Friends and other organizations have been invited to these
gatherings to share and celebrate in our cultural heritage and it has
proven to be very successful.
IACA has participated in countless community cultural projects and
educational outreach programs. IACA has long established its presence in
the annual International Festival since 1976 and has won awards for its
cultural displays. Our 'Lion Dance' team is well recognized in our
cultural community. IACA has collaborated with the international Center of
Indianapolis and other local professional organizations in co-sponsoring
cultural exhibitions, concerts and recent performances from the Inner
Mongolian Dance Troupe and the Beijing Orchestra. IACA participates in
programs at the Children's Museum, providing cultural materials, speakers
to local schools and colleges. Through corporate sponsorship, scholarships
were awarded to our qualified IACA youths from the annual Telamon High
School Scholarship Program. IACA has also participated in the USA
Bicentennial Anniversary celebration and in establishing a Sister City
with Taipei, Taiwan and a Sister State with Zhejiang Province, China.
IACA currently publishes a quarterly newsletter to communicate information
and progresses to our members, an annual membership directory which serves
as a tool for our members to exchange information and networking. IACA has
been working diligently and continuously fine-tune its services and
programs to meet the needs of our growing and changing community.