SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Asian Real Estate Association of America made some big moves at their annual National Convention in San Francisco last week. The organization announced to its record number of attendees a series of new initiatives, reports, and installations. Real Estate leaders from all over the nation spoke about issues relevant to the Asian American community, and the real estate industry as a whole. Guest speakers included best-selling author Amy Tan, NBC News' Richard Lui, and host of Iron Chef: America Mark Dacascos.
To kick off the Convention AREAA and VRM Mortgage Services announced Darryl Lal as the latest recipient of the AREAA Education Foundation's Welcome Home for Heroes Housing Assistance Grant Program. Darryl is one of a handful of Fijians who served in the US Air Force, and during his six years of duty he earned numerous medals and recognitions for his outstanding service. Cheryl Travis-Johnson of VRM Mortgage Services said of the program, "As a daughter of a disabled Veteran, it is an honor and a privilege to work for a leader and a company that treats our Veterans with the respect and dignity they have earned."
AREAA also announced the launching of its "No Other" Campaign, which will advocate for additional disaggregation of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) data in government research and industry publications, specifically those dealing with homeownership rates and housing matters. Specifically, the campaign is advocating for the inclusion of Asian American homeownership information in the quarterly US Census homeownership, which drive much of the business and public policy discussions. The organization also unveiled its "2015 State of Asia America Report", a compilation of data related to AAPI from over 50 public and private sources, including the Census Bureau, Dept. of Labor and Statistics, Pew Research, Nielsen, the University of Georgia Multicultural Report, and many others. It is the first time this information has been compiled into a single source. The Report will be made available for free on AREAA's website: www.areaa.org.
AREAA installed Vicky Silvano as their 2016 National Chairwoman. Vicky will be the second consecutive female national chair for the organization, and its first Filipina. Vicky Silvano is a highly regarded Realtor® from Chicago, and stated she will focus her attention on membership growth and policy initiatives. "I am honored and humbled to have been chosen as the first Filipina Chair for AREAA," Vicky said shortly after her installation. "This is a proud moment for me, for my fellow Filipinos, and for my fellow Chicagoans. I will continue our momentum in policy with the 'No Other' campaign, and have a goal to double our membership by this time next year. I want to bring in people who have never worked with us before, and show them what great things we can accomplish when we work together. AREAA is for everyone, not just Asian Americans. Anyone who wants to support our cause related to Asian American homeownership and wealth creation is welcome to join us. We may fight for AAPI goals in real estate, but a lot of those goals are the same for everyone: we want access to credit, affordable and sustainable housing, and we want our voices to be counted. And be sure, we aren't stopping at the US border; through our great Canadian chapters in Vancouver and Toronto we plan to bring our cause to Canada and make sure we're fighting for them as well. I could not be more proud of the direction we are moving in as an organization. You will be hearing from us a lot this year, I guarantee it."
The Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA), established in 2003, is a national business trade organization focused on expanding housing opportunities for Asian American communities and creating business opportunities for real estate business leaders who serve this growing market. With over 15,000 members in 35 chapters across North America, AREAA is the largest real estate trade association dedicated to promoting homeownership in the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
Contact:
SCOTT BERMAN
619-770-9030
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SOURCE AREAA