 | Honoree
The City of Irvine appreciates the service of the following honoree:
| Wall of Recognition | | | Community Partner | | | Irvine Multicultural Association | | | The Irvine Multicultural Association (IMA), which became a registered, nonprofit public benefit corporation in 2002, has a very long list of accomplishments in providing service to Irvines multicultural community over the past 16 years. It has provided unique contributions that could come only from an organization whose goal is to unite all of the citys cultures and nationalities so that everyone can understand each other better and become true friends. Promoting Harmony and Understanding in the Community is the IMAs mission statement. Irvine is one of Americas most ethnically diverse cities with more than 50 cultures represented. The IMA has been a leader in helping integrate the citys richly diverse communities. Instead of living in separate ethnic enclaves, the IMA has helped Irvines citizens live as friends and next door neighbors. The IMA has presented about 200 programs over the past 16 years, often working directly with the City to bring leaders from the different cultures together to celebrate similarities and promote harmony between the groups. Without prejudice, the IMA educates all of the citys nationalities about each other, and many of the IMAs 200 members are among Irvines most active citizens. Among its greatest accomplishments, the IMA created the week-long Irvine Multicultural Festival, which was attended by 1,000 people in 1998. This festival gave birth to the Irvine Global Village Festival, now the citys largest and most popular fair. This event was taken over by the City ten years ago, and now is attended by nearly 20,000 people each autumn. The IMA has organized hugely popular Monthly Social and International Film programs for the past 15 years. Each monthly program teaches IMA members and friends about the culture of a featured country. The IMAs English Mentoring Program has been successful for the past ten years at greatly helping English-language-challenged members of the Irvine community function more effectively, academically and professionally. Through IMAs efforts in working with the City, local immigration attorneys have helped provide legal assistance to Irvine residents seeking citizenship in the United States. The IMA organized the 60th anniversary celebration for India, Israel and South Korea at City Hall in August 2008. The IMA organized a Multicultural Conference for four years, attracting as many as 225 attendees in 2007. These conferences brought leaders from 30 Irvine-area cultural organizations together to promote multicultural understanding and cooperation. The IMA has organized cultural bus trips to visit sites and exhibits in Southern California, including museums, temples and missions, and ethnic areas like Little India. |
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