Asian culture and community events in the Dallas area

In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, members of the Asian American Association of City Employees recently held a cultural program at Dallas City Hall that focused on Cambodia.

Sushil Mathew, association president, welcomed guests.

"There are city employees from more than 20 Asian countries who work for the city of Dallas," Mathew said. "This is an opportunity to learn from each other and build a stronger workforce that appreciates and embraces diversity."

Council member Dwaine Caraway read a proclamation, and City Manager Mary Suhm also spoke.

"Diversity is a major goal of our City Council," Suhm said. "Thank you for bringing unity to the city of Dallas through your diversity."

The event included an exhibit of Cambodian arts and a fashion show of traditional costumes.

Organizers presented Caraway and council member Carolyn Davis with scrolls showing their names in Cambodian characters.

After the presentations, guests enjoyed a lunch of noodles, rice and other Cambodian dishes.

To learn more about the association, visit www.aaace dallas.com.

Flower power

At the 2010 DFW Dragon Boat, Kite and Lantern Festival on Sunday, rowers from four teams tossed pink carnations into Lake Carolyn in Irving. The flowers symbolized remembrance and hope.

"We remember our loved ones who lost their lives to breast cancer," said Frances Leung. "We celebrate the survivorship of breast cancer patients."

Leung, community outreach manager for Asian Breast Health Outreach Project, organized three teams to participate in the breast cancer awareness division of the races. The teams were KOI and Mudzilla 1 and 2. The Organization of Chinese Americans-DFW sponsored the fourth team.

To learn more about the Asian Breast Health Outreach Project, visit www.asianbreast health.org.

Sunnyvale council

Saji George was sworn in Monday as a council member in Sunnyvale. He received the highest number of votes in the May 8 election, which also placed Ronnie Henderson Jr. and Pat Wiley on the council.

Born in India, George received an engineering degree from Texas Tech University and an executive master's degree from Southern Methodist University. He has about 20 years of experience in engineering and management.

He and his wife, Jaya George, have two children, Anne, 14, and Andrew, 11. The family said they are active members of St. Paul's Mar Thoma Church in Mesquite.

Sunnyvale, with a population of about 4,000, has an Asian population of about 25 percent, said Terry Reid, president of the Sunnyvale chamber.

"This is a great and historic event," Reid said of George's victory. Visit www.sajigeorge forsunnyvale.com.

Summer camp

The Crow Collection of Asian Art will hold "CampAsia: Summer Camp for Kids" in June and July. The four weekday camps are for ages 6-12. Registration ends June 1. The cost is $300 per weekly camp for members and $350 for others. A CampAsia Overnight is $125 per child for members and $150 per child for nonmembers. All fees include supplies and snacks. Call 214-979-6435 or e-mail education@crowcollection .org.Upcoming events

Today and Sunday

The Dallas Opera presents Madame Butterfly at 7:30 p.m. at the Winspear Opera House, 2401 Flora St. in Dallas. 214-443-1000. www.dallasopera.org.

Friday

Crow Collection After Dark will be from 6 p.m. to midnight. The event will focus on Korea and feature Korean-inspired fans and sampling of ice cream (flavors include green tea and red bean), tasting Korean beers and tours of "New Vision" and "Modern Twist: Bamboo Works From the Clark Center and the Art of Motoko Maio" exhibits. The museum is at 2010 Flora St. in Dallas. Free. 214-979-6430. www.crowcollection.org .

Saturday

The Crow Collection of Asian Art unveils "New Vision: Ballpoint Drawings by Il Lee." Lee is a New York artist of Korean heritage. The show includes eight large-scale works and 50 small works on paper.

The museum is at 2010 Flora St. in Dallas. 214-979-6430. www.crowcollection.org.

Gospel for Asia will hold a fundraising yard sale for a youth mission trip from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1800 Golden Trail Court in Carrollton. 972-371-4045.

The Chinese Institute of Engineers/USA-DFW will hold its 2010 Youth Engineering Fair from noon to 5 p.m. in the Student Union at the University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Road in Richardson www.cie-dfw.org.

Sunday

The Kimbell Art Museum presents a film, The Story of India; Ages of Gold, at 2 p.m. Free. The museum is at 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd. in Fort Worth. 817-332-8451. www.kimbellart.org .