102303 Mercury News

About 75 community members including local, county and state dignitaries gathered Wednesday in Fremont to celebrate the start for a new center aimed at serving the region's special-needs children.

The 6,000-square-foot Dream Center on Peralta Boulevard near Paseo Padre Parkway will include six classrooms, a resource library, a kitchen and a multipurpose room when it opens next fall.

The center, believed to be the first of its kind serving predominantly developmentally disabled Chinese-American children, will provide tutoring, speech and physical therapy, job training, and seminars for parents, among other activities.

``We called it a dream project because we thought it was just a dream,'' said Linmei Chiao, a parent organizer who in charge of programming for the center.

But now, Chiao says, that dream is coming true.

Friends of Children With Special Needs, the non-profit Chinese-American organization building the center, started in 1996 with 10 Chinese immigrant families who wanted to find ways to help their developmentally disabled children. Since then, the group has grown to more than 300 members, many of whom are immigrants from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.

Within the past year, volunteers raised $1.25 million of the $2 million needed for construction.

Most of the money has come from private donors; the most recent contribution was a $10,000 pledge Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty made after speaking at the Wednesday groundbreaking.

``You've done this all by yourself,'' said Assemblywoman Wilma Chan, D-Oakland, who was one of more than a dozen local, county and state dignitaries to attend.

``This will be an example to the country's Asian-American community and special-needs community, an example that came from the ground up.''

The center was created, in part, to help parents with developmentally disabled children and adults network with one another, and for the children to learn in their native tongues from about 10 bilingual staff members. Limin Hu, president of the organization, says the center will serve up to 1,000 special-needs children and adults a year.

``This is a great place to turn for people who need help,'' Fremont Mayor Gus Morrison said.

	October 23, 2003
Center to serve Asian-Americans is closer to reality GROUNDBREAKING CELEBRATES FREMONT FACILITY TO OFFER SERVICES FOR SPECIAL-NEEDS CHILDREN
By Putsata Reang
About 75 community members including local, county and state dignitaries gathered Wednesday in Fremont to celebrate the start for a new center aimed at serving the region's special-needs children. The 6,000-square-foot Dream Center on Peralta Boulevard near Paseo Padre Parkway will include six classrooms, a resource library, a kitchen and a multipurpose room when it opens next fall. The center, believed to be the first of its kind serving predominantly developmentally disabled Chinese-American children, will provide tutoring, speech and physical therapy, job training, and seminars for parents, among other activities. ``We called it a dream project because we thought it was just a dream,'' said Linmei Chiao, a parent organizer who in charge of programming for the center. But now, Chiao says, that dream is coming true. Friends of Children With Special Needs, the non-profit Chinese-American organization building the center, started in 1996 with 10 Chinese immigrant families who wanted to find ways to help their developmentally disabled children. Since then, the group has grown to more than 300 members, many of whom are immigrants from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. Within the past year, volunteers raised $1.25 million of the $2 million needed for construction. Most of the money has come from private donors; the most recent contribution was a $10,000 pledge Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty made after speaking at the Wednesday groundbreaking. ``You've done this all by yourself,'' said Assemblywoman Wilma Chan, D-Oakland, who was one of more than a dozen local, county and state dignitaries to attend. ``This will be an example to the country's Asian-American community and special-needs community, an example that came from the ground up.'' The center was created, in part, to help parents with developmentally disabled children and adults network with one another, and for the children to learn in their native tongues from about 10 bilingual staff members. Limin Hu, president of the organization, says the center will serve up to 1,000 special-needs children and adults a year. ``This is a great place to turn for people who need help,'' Fremont Mayor Gus Morrison said.


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