TACAS Building Fund Information

Letter from Fundraising Committee:

December 27, 2001

Since the inception of the Triangle Area Chinese American Society (TACAS) in 1979, we have always envisioned the eventual establishment of a cultural center for the Chinese community. A tangible sign of the pride we have in our remarkable heritage, this cultural center would serve as a venue for cultural exchange and education as well as a community center for those interested in the promotion of Chinese culture and arts, a valuable resource to the Triangle area. Over the years, many people have devoted their efforts toward making this dream reality, however, while other ethnic groups in the RTP area have successfully established their centers during this time, we are still in the only dreaming stage. Today, we have great news to share with you!

In an effort to push our dream forward, over 30 TACAS members have pledged over $50,000 toward the purchase of a building. Combined with the existing building fund, we now have a total of $110,000 at our disposal. This seed money makes our goal of having a community center more immediately attainable. The TACAS Building Fund Committee has identified a few selected office buildings that are within our financial means. Of these buildings, the one located at Aviation Parkway near NC 54 in Morrisville is the most promising. The size of the office is 2,147 square feet and the total cost is $210,000. The attached sketch shows the location and general layout of the building.

The design of the building includes a library/reception area, an office, a game room, and a large general activities area. The library will be a tremendous resource as a Chinese information center. Besides books, videotapes and videodisks, this area will also offer local and abroad business opportunity information. The game room will be for traditional and other table games such as wei-chi, xiang-chi, Ma-Jiang and bridge. The general activities area will provide a large open area for use by our cultural clubs (such as drama, dance, music, and vocal groups) and the Youth Group for practice, rehearsal and general meetings. This area could also be used for social events or classes.

To release TACAS from the stress of future debt obligation, our goal is to have enough money to pay for the building in full now by raising an additional $100,000 by March 15, 2001. With this arrangement, we can cover our operational costs through rental fee income generated by building use, plus profit from our hard work during our annual International Festival and Chinese New Year activities. You might think that current economic conditions in this area do not favor a fundraising drive, but economic indicators suggest that the nation is out of the recession. As Scarlet in Gone with the Wind said, “Tomorrow is another day,” and the outlook for tomorrow is better than today. Now is the time to plan for the future and we cannot let anything prevent us from reaching our goal when we are so close to making our dream come true.

Please do not miss the opportunity to be a part of this important milestone event for the Chinese community. The TACAS Fundraising Committee is asking for your pledge of financial support toward the $100,000 goal between now and March 15, 2001. Your pledge will only be collected if and when we have enough total pledges to move forward with the purchase of the building, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Contributions to TACAS are tax deductible. Nameplates will be permanently mounted in the building honoring those contributing $1,000 or greater, but contributions of ANY amount are welcome. If your company has a matching fund program, please do not forget to take advantage of it.

You may make a pledge by completing the enclosed form (click here,) and returning it to any of the Fundraising Committee members listed below. If you would like to track the progress of our fundraising drive, the pledge total will be updated periodically on the TACAS website (http://www.rtpnet.org/nctacas). If you are interested in joining the Fundraising Committee, please contact Hou-min Chang at 787-4183 or houmin-chang@worldnet.att.net. Your support for this great cause is deeply appreciated and will have a great impact on the Chinese community for many years to come. Thank you in advance for your commitment, contribution, and investment in our future!

Sincerely yours,

The TACAS Fundraising Committee