In the News
Area’s cultural diversity now more of a ‘mosaic’
According to the 2010 Census, Hoeferle said, not only are there 60 different ethnicities and/or cultures living in this area — more including the local schools that draw students from around the world — but there is a large increase in the foreign-born population here.
Mosaic is the current name of what used to be called the Ocoee Region Multicultural Services organization, or ORMS.
But, what Mosaic also may be right now is one of the up-and-coming organizations in the Cleveland area few have heard about — until now.
Hoeferle updated members of Bradley Sunrise Rotary about Mosaic in a recent breakfast gathering at SkyRidge Medical Center.
“Mosaic fosters diversity and helps newcomers become good citizens of the community,” Hoeferle said. According to its website, Mosaic’s mission is to helps promote community awareness and the acceptance of ethnic and cultural differences.
Several community leaders currently sit on its board, including Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland and David Hudson, director of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center.
“But we are not a government organization,” Hoeferle said.
Mosaic also provides newcomers with translation and interpretation services, especially helping new residents assimilate to their new home in Southeastern Tennessee.
Mosaic helps promote legal immigration.
A German Saturday School — which may be vital to the success of international families living here — also is available to learn both German and English. In addition, ESL classes are possible options. The necessity of this service is becoming a growing part of this community, especially with companies like Wacker Polysilicon North America and Volkswagen moving into the Cleveland and Bradley County area.
Cultural sensitivity training is also available, as are Welcome to Cleveland classes.
Maifest is a major annual fundraiser for Mosaic.
Mosaic also works with the TSBDC with bilingual business counseling.
The Montessori Kinder International School and Mosaic are jointly holding an annual initiative designed to give students a journey around the world in a two-week summer camp, teaching students geography, languages, as well as about different cultures.
A Diversity Forum was held in January 2010 at CSCC to discuss the topic of diversity and how it applies to this area. It tries to help people living in Cleveland and Bradley County be aware of the change in its demographics, how to manage this change and also how to help make this area a more vibrant community thanks, at least in part, to these changes.
Hoeferle also is hoping to rekindle the Cultural Fest.
“But it’ll take more than just us,” he said. “We’re just a small organization.”
Mosaic currently partners with several area organizations, including United Way of Bradley County, the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, Humanities Tennessee, the Montessori Educational and Cultural Foundation, Lee University, Cleveland State Community College, the Tennessee Small Business Development Center, Jones Properties and the Going Respectfully Against Addictive Behaviors (or GRABB) Coalition.
Mosaic is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2005 by several community leaders. It is supported by a United Way grant but dependent on community support. Additional funding is constantly sought to sustain and grow its programs, as are volunteers.
“We’re just starting to tap into the untapped energy around here,” Hoeferle said.
But the organization also tries to give back to the community, despite its limited funds.
“We were proud to be able to give $3,000 to Men and Woman of Action for work toward tornado relief,” Hoeferle said. “We try to keep the money local.”
Mosaic also offers language and training services for local businesses.
Mosaic is moving its offices to downtown Cleveland — 170 N. Ocoee St., Suite 103 (across from the Courthouse) — thanks to the auspices of local entrepreneur Allan Jones.
Hoeferle, owner and founder of Hoeferle Consulting, is a native of Germany, but has lived in Cleveland since 2004 with his wife, Brigitta, also a German native, who owns and runs the Montessori Kinder International School. They have two daughters, Amelie, 9, and Ana, 6.
Hoeferle Consulting’s main goal is to prepare its clients — and their families — to be successful in their professional and personal lives while trying to adapt to a new and different culture and environment, as well as to teach them to learn how to communicate easily. He also helps advise on marketing and public relations projects, business development and providing English-to-German and German-to-English translations.
Hoeferle has a long and extensive bilingual and bicultural background, as well as being fluent in English and German, and having a working knowledge of Spanish. He also has a degree in political science, history and American studies, followed by years of extensive publishing, journalism, editorial and writing experience.Hoeferle can be reached at either 284-5013 or ChristianHoeferle.orms@gmail.com. Mosaic’s website is ClevelandMosaicCenter.com. Board meetings are held from 2 to 3 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month at the Chamber of Commerce. Mosaic is also on Facebook and Twitter.
Cleveland cultural group Mosaic has new look
by Randall Higgins for the Chattanooga Times Free Press
CLEVELAND, Tenn.—Ocoee Region Multicultural Services has a new look and a name but the same services.
The organization with a mission of “Building Community through Diversity in the Ocoee Region” now is simply Mosaic.
“The logo, the name, are all part of making Mosaic a more familiar part of the community,” said Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland, an organizer of the group in 2005.
Director Christian Hoeferle said the public awareness campaign is not complete.
“This community was already diverse,” he told those at a recent board meeting.
But with growing numbers of people with Hispanic, Asian, European and other backgrounds coming to Southeast Tennessee, Mosaic seeks to make all groups, including those here for generations, aware of each other.
Mosaic will continue offering language services, oral and written translation, English-as-a-second-language classes and German Saturday School. Its training services for the workplace, cultural awareness classes and settling-in services for new residents will continue, too.
The board closed its physical address, the Mosaic Center. But throughout August and September all service requests can be made through the website, www.ClevelandMosaicCenter.com, or on Facebook.com/ClevelandMosaicCenter.
Translation services at Mosaic Center assisted by grant
by Special to the Banner
Cleveland Daily Banner, Sunday, January 23rd, 2011
Cleveland is home to immigrants from about 62 different countries around the world. This could lead to many difficulties for these newcomers and to others living here in this community were it not for the assistance provided by the Ocoee Regional Multicultural Services. ORMS grew from ideas suggested around 2005 in an effort to provide services to legal immigrants to the Cleveland community. Dr. Gary Ray, who served as the board president until 2010, and Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland were two of the major contributors to the creation and continuance of the program.
MOSAIC CENTER LEADERSHIP — Rafael Lastra, right, serves as the director of the Ocoee Regional Multicultural Services’ Mosaic Center. ORMS promotes community awareness and the harmonious acceptance of ethnic and cultural diversity among the residents of the community. The Mosaic Center provides translation services in the community through a grant from United Way of Bradley County. With Lastra is ORMS Board President Christian Höferle.
“ORMS is the only local or regional nonprofit, to my knowledge, that caters to the needs of an increasingly diverse population in our community,” said Christian Höferle, who replaced Ray as board president after Ray left the area for a new position in Texas.
Höferle said while there are some very good Chattanooga-based organizations that cater more exclusively to the Hispanic population in the region, “we don’t limit ourselves to that, but try to provide services for all ethnic, religious and national linguistic backgrounds and cultural backgrounds.”
He admits in the Cleveland area, the Hispanic population is one of the most underserved, but there are so many other cultures in this community.
“We have a strong influence of Ukrainian and Russian (immigrants), and Eastern European immigrants. We have a growing number of German neighbors in our community and a number of Asians from various national backgrounds.
“We, at ORMS, try to provide mostly free services to all of these newcomers to our community,” Höferle said. He added these do not have to be immigrants in the United States for the first time, but could be those who have lived in other parts of America who have relocated here to be closer to family, or for school, or for employment opportunities.
With that in mind, ORMS created the Mosaic Center, which is located at the Blythe Avenue Safe Haven (the old Blythe Avenue Elementary School). The Mosaic Center offers many services to the community, with the most utilized being its translation services. United Way of Bradley County provides the Mosaic Center with a grant made possible through the Bradley Memorial Health Endowment Fund to provide these translation services.
“Our goal is to help those who come here legally to improve their situation here,” Höferle explained. “In many cases, that involved their English skills.” Thus, the Mosaic Center serves as a resource for volunteers who provide these services to the many different languages seen in the community. “We try to attract volunteers from Lee and other parts of our community who share this background of being a newcomer to our area and have the ability to help translate words for these people,” said Rafael Lastra, Mosaic Center director.
Lastra, who moved to the Cleveland area in 1965 to attend what was then Lee College, said he knew no English when he moved here. He was eventually helped to be able to understand and then become proficient in the language, and now is giving back to this community through the Mosaic Center. “I care for anybody who is a newcomer because I know what they are going through,” he said. “Sometimes, I admit, I may go overboard for them because I want to make it as easy as I can for them.”
Höferle gave an example of how these translation services may be used. “Imagine an immigrant family with children in our local schools. The children speak English, but the parents speak their native language, and the schools need to talk to the parents or are in a parent-teacher conference. The schools will want an interpreter there to make sure that the message they are presenting gets to the parent as delivered,” he explained. “Rafael and his team have been doing a wonderful job of serving as interpreters for the schools.”
These are not the only translation services that the Mosaic Center have or can provide. When United Way of Bradley County was involved in a Community Needs Assessment in 2010, the Mosaic Center translated the assessment tool into Spanish, and was available to translate the assessment questionnaire into other languages if necessary for those needing this type of assistance.
“We want to thank Rafael and his group at the Mosaic Center for helping us with that project, and United Way of Bradley County is proud to partner with such a forward thinking program that assists people and organizations in efficiently communicating and better preparing a diverse population to work collaboratively,” said Matt Ryerson, vice president of Community Investment Strategies for United Way of Bradley County.
Lastra said they have had as many as 25 registered translators working with the Mosaic Center, and while some translators are just a phone call away, he feels a translator for almost any situation can be brought to Cleveland through the Mosaic Center within just a couple of hours. The Mosaic Center and ORMS have also been involved with providing English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, and hope to do so this spring. ORMS has been involved in many other activities in the community promoting an understanding of the diverse cultures here, including the “Building Community through Diversity” forum last January and the traveling Smithsonian exhibit “Journey Stories” last fall.
Höferle said ORMS and the Mosaic Center are very thankful with the grant from United Way. “We are very, very grateful for the support we are getting from United Way, and honestly, without it, we would have to shut our doors,” Höferle said. “We appreciate the United Way for their help, and want to thank the Family Resource Agency for its support, and Gary Ray and Mayor Tom Rowland for always supporting the program.”
The program began through a three-year partnership with the Safe Schools Healthy Student initiative, and then has received a United Way grant for the past two years.
He said funding for the future is a concern, but hopes the community will come to see the program as providing a much needed service.
Ryerson, who stressed the United Way grants are provided on a yearly basis, said he too hopes the community can rise up and help this organization continue. “With the recent and future growth of diversity in our community, a program like the Mosaic Center can play a key role in successfully integrating the best parts of our community,” added Ryerson. Höferle said the services from the Mosaic Center are not only available to those from diverse cultural backgrounds in the community, but to nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies and local businesses.
To find out more about the Mosaic Center or the Ocoee Regional Multicultural Services, go to the website at www.mosaiccenter.wordpress.com or contact Lastra at (423) 584-6515. The Mosaic Center also has a Facebook page.
VW official says company wants to become the world’s largest automobile manufacturer by 2018
David Davis
Managing Editor
Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010
The general manager of communications for Volkswagen Group of America told members of the Ocoee Region Multicultural Services organization Tuesday the company could not meet its goal without a stronger presence in the United States.
Guenther Scherelis said the VW group consists of nine nameplates in several countries that produce more than 180 car models ranging from a two-seater test car that gets 160 miles per gallon to a 1,000 horsepower Bugatti that costs $1.5 million.
“The Chattanooga plant is a very important element in our strategy,” he said. “Volkswagen Strategy 2018 means in principal to become the leading car manufacturer in the world. One of the spots where we are not so strong as Europe, China or South America is North America.”
VW’s market share in North America is about 2 percent compared to 20 percent in Western Europe or 19 percent in China.
“We have to be stronger in North America,” he said. “We have to be a local producer for two reasons.”
He said the first reason is that being an American manufacturer will help sell cars. The second reason is currency fluctuations of the dollar and euro.
VW sells about 6 million vehicles worldwide and is third behind Toyota and General Motors. Each day, he said 62 assembly plants produce about 26,000 vehicles.
“Brazil was the first country where VW went in 1953,” Scherelis said. “Today, most students don’t know that Volkswagen is not Brazilian.”
Volkswagen was the first western company to enter the Chinese market where the automaker sold its vehicles to the government. In the last 10 years the market has expanded and will eventually overtake the United States as the largest market.
Chattanooga represents VW’s second attempt at the American market. The company operated a plant in Pennsylvania from 1978 to 1988, where it produces the Golf.
A land of diverse opportunity
Larry Bowers
Banner Staff Writer
Monday, Jan 25, 2010
But, a diversified community is not exclusive to Cleveland and Bradley County. There are thousands of diverse communities in America.
America was diversified even before the Pilgrims set foot on Plymouth Rock. Hundreds of Indians tribes had different customs and traditions.
The English followed the Vikings to America, and they were followed by the Spanish, French and many European immigrants.
Then came the slave trade, which brought Africans to America. They were followed by the Chinese and Japanese, who came across the Pacific to work on America’s early railroads, eventually settling on the West Coast.
We then had immigrants from the Middle East, the Far East, from the Pacific islands, the Caribbean, South America and in recent years a huge influx from Mexico.
Little did Amerigo Vespucci know what was to come when he loaned his name to this new country. The Italian navigator (also known as Americus Vespucci) was one of the early explorers to the new world and the Americas were named in his honor.
The diversity of our nation has expanded over the years, and even filtered into the last presidential election.
Many Americans were attracted to Obama’s message of bringing people together … an issue which may have helped him win the election.
Diversity is accepted as a vital strength in the United States — whether related to religion, race, gender, or nationality — and keeps the nation strong and renewed as global conditions change.
The story of the American people is a story of the world’s peoples. Throughout American history, hopeful immigrants arrived to establish new lives. They came for many reasons. Some were fleeing oppressive regimes, seeking economic opportunity or simply pursuing personal dreams. Whatever the reason, each new arrival has made a contribution to the American mosaic of diversified communities.
America has earned the reputation of being the world’s “melting pot.” Traditional measures that identify a nation, such as race or religion, do not apply in the United States. There are so many races and religions practiced here that it is impossible to claim that any one is “American.” American society is defined by an idea of hope and optimism.
Today, diversity is realized as one of America’s greatest assets. Schools in the U.S., from kindergarten to higher education, are striving to increase diversity. A recent survey shows strong growth in the enrollment of every minority group in U.S. graduate schools over the past decade. International student enrollment in America is also up. And almost 60 percent of U.S. graduate students are female.
Immigrants to the United States continue to find a land of opportunity both for themselves and for their children. The Economic Mobility Project, which profiles factors that make up the so-called American Dream, shows that the children of immigrants attain higher levels of education than their parents, and are even more likely to attain college degrees than children of non-immigrants.
Many experts contend that America is well placed to remain competitive in the world economy because it knows how to accept and integrate a diverse population.
The nation is becoming even more diverse. More than one third of its population belongs to a minority group, and Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment.
Nearly one in six residents, or 46.9 million people, are Hispanic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The U.S. Census Bureau recently reported that the minority population has reached an estimated 104.6 million — or 34 percent of the nation’s total population. Nearly one in six residents, or 46.9 million people, are Hispanic.
Therefore, it’s apparent our country will remain as it has always been … a land of diversity. But, also a land of opportunity.
Forum builds beginning point for diversity
David Davis
Managing Editor
Sunday, Jan 24, 2010
The Building Community With Diversity Forum was sponsored by The Mosaic Center of the Ocoee Regional Multicultural Services and Humanities Tennessee.
The discussion on Friday covered only the business, education, leadership and religious components of community. In those components were questions of how residents and newcomers view one another. Do locals accept the gifts newcomers bring? Are they given space and encouraged to contribute?
Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland envisioned ORMS as an organization dedicated to helping legal immigrants assimilate into the population. He was the primary supporter of the organization during its developing stages. He said the discussion on diversity was needed because the city is no longer isolated from the rest of the world.
“No longer do we live in a local economy, but in a global economy,” he said. “We compete for industry not just with the next town or the next state, but with the world.”
His first thought about diversity was seeing the number of students at Lee University and Cleveland State who come from around the world to become part of Cleveland and Bradley County.
“Diversity is good,” the mayor said. “We all came from somewhere. Unless you are a Native American, all of our ancestors came by boat, by plane and some may have even swam, but we are glad you are here.”
“When you hear the phrase (E pluribus Unum) ‘out of many one’ that’s what America is built on and that’s what the city of Cleveland and Bradley County is built on. Imagine how boring life would be if we were all the same,” Ray said. “My idea of a perfect world is one which we appreciate each other’s differences whether short or tall, black or white, Democrat or Republican. We believe diversity is a strength in Cleveland and Bradley County.”
“It does entail the civic and moral virtues of tolerance, trust, goodwill, forbearance, self-restraint, compassion and forgiveness and perhaps most of all, respect for all of its members,” Judkins said. “A key part of the definition is that we all live in a place that is important to us. It makes no difference whether we have recently arrived or whether we have been here many years.”
Mosaic Center leading way on diversity
Saturday, January 23, 2010
By Meg Veal
Correspondent
CLEVELAND, Tenn. — The world’s people, cultures and languages are no longer far away, and it’s educators’ role to guide and shape how those influences melt into local life, participants at a diversity forum said Friday.
“Our world is changing drastically, and we need diversity,” said Dr. Carl Hite, who moderated the forum. “We need faculty and staff that are much more diverse than before.”
The forum, “Building Community with Diversity,” was sponsored by the Mosaic Center, a division of Ocoee Region Multicultural Services, Cleveland State and Humanities Tennessee. Separate panels discussed diversity in business, education, leadership and religion.
A starting point is defining diversity, panelists said.
“We cannot forget that diversity isn’t just what color you are on the outside,” said Lisa Eulo, language teacher at Walker Valley High School.
“In a classroom we have no color when we talk about faith and economic background,” Ms. Eulo said. “A classroom ought to be a place where we can air these differences in a respectful dialogue and interact with students.”
Asking about opportunities and challenges for educational systems with increasingly diverse student populations, Dr. Hite said, “We’re placing a large burden on public education.”
Cleveland City Schools Assistant Director Doug Greene said the city school system is one of the most diverse in the region.
“We have over 200 kids who go home to families that don’t speak English,” he said. “Those 200 kids encompass 24 languages,” Mr. Greene said.
Brigetta Hoferle, director of Cleveland’s Montessori school, said she thinks educators should find common, unbiased ground.
“We need teachers who can give them a hands-on classroom and environment that speaks to all of their diverse needs.”
Sheena Newman, supervisor of elementary education, spoke of the technology offered to Bradley County students.
“We have e-pals who are students from other cultures. We want to raise a generation of leaders and students with a world-class education,” she said.
Cleveland City Councilman Bill Estes spoke of Lee University’s cross-cultural requirements and placements the university arranges for some education majors’ student-teaching experience.
He said Cleveland leadership is working to “offset inequalities.”
“Communities set a real tone on what’s acceptable, and I am really proud of Cleveland,” he said.
Meg Veal is based in Bradley County. Contact her at megveal@gmail.com.
Diversity forum this week
CLEVELAND, Tenn. — The diversity of Bradley County and East Tennessee is the main topic for participants in a daylong community forum this week.
The Cleveland Mosaic Center and Humanities Tennessee are hosting the forum and community event for the Ocoee Region on Friday at Cleveland State Community College.
“People should leave the dialogue with an understanding that, not only is dialogue important, but it’s a vital part of the community development and it should be recognized in all aspects of community,” Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland said.
The panel of speakers will include Dr. Ingomar Kovar, North American president and CEO of German-based Wacker Chemical Co., said Christian Hoeferle, vice president for community outreach at Ocoee Region Multicultural Services.
Wacker announced in late 2008 its plans for a $1 billion chemical plant in Bradley County.
Gary Ray, ORMS president, said this will be the first diversity forum for the region.
“As we all know, this is how America began — from many, one. We build stronger communities by recognizing our diversity,” he said.
Ocoee Region Multicultural Services was formed to serve the region and its legal immigrants, Dr. Ray said. The group does not promote illegal immigration.
The forum, “Building Community with Diversity,” is presented through the efforts of the group and the Cleveland Mosaic Center.
Diversity forum at CSCC Friday
David Davis
Managing Editor
Monday, Jan 18, 2010
“I really don’t know what the panels are going to say, so a lot of what I’m going to do is react to what they say,” Dr. Jones said last week in reference to the upcoming “Building Community From Diversity” forum.
The conversation with people of the Ocoee region is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Cleveland State Community College auditorium.
The free program features business, education, religion and community leaders, including Dr. Ingomar Kovar, president and chief executive officer of Wacker Chemical Corporation.
Dr. Kovar said in a written statement, diversity in the workplace goes far beyond social responsibility. The company views diversity as a natural means of enriching its capacity to sustainably grow its business not only for the benefit of their customers, employees, stake holders and the environment but into the fabric of communities in which they reside.
Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland said, “People should leave the dialogue with the understanding dialogue is a vital part of the community development and it should be recognized in all aspects of community.”
Dr. Kovar explained that WACKER is committed to a policy of providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified people.
“WACKER is a culturally diverse company and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status or age. Our policy goes much deeper,” Dr. Kovar said. “In addition to these basic principles, we do not discriminate against any qualified employee or applicant for employment because of Vietnam-era veteran status, disabled veteran status, or physical or mental disability.”
Aside from the responsible stewardship for products, production and environment, WACKER sees itself as having a long-standing corporate and social responsibility. Dr. Kovar said this is due to the company’s fundamental corporate philosophy and is supported by their global scope of operations.
“This scope helps facilitate the blending of diverse regional cultures and other related people differences and similarities. These dimensions are inclusive of every WACKER employee, and are indispensable and essential to our way of thinking,” he said. “It is these unique and individual characteristics and experiences that allow employees and management alike to learn from others and to capture and apply the advantages of these perspectives at work and in our daily lives. “
That corporate sentiment is the exact goal of the forum: create a dialogue on how diversity can build a stronger community.
Rowland said people from more than 62 countries now call Cleveland and Bradley County home. “This diversity presents great opportunities for the city of Cleveland and Bradley County.”
Dr. Jones said the Internet has accelerated the pace of globalization. While technology has resulted in sharing material and information, everyone is still pretty much bounded by their own national and cultural identities.
“Globalization hasn’t really changed all that much what it means to be an Egyptian, and globalization hasn’t really changed all that much what it means to be an American,” Dr. Jones said. “There is still a lot of ethnocentrism, where our way is the right way. The Egyptians think the same thing. Their way is the best way.”
He said globalization has exaggerated cultural and ethnic boundaries. Before the 20th Century, there were very few inter-ethnic conflicts in the world. There were political and religious conflicts, but the ethnic tension in the world today is a product of the 20th Century and globalization.
“Anytime people feel their way of life is being threatened, they exaggerate it even more,” he said.
Cleveland Daily Banner
NEWS
Multicultural agency seeks nominees
“This would be a good opportunity for someone new to our city to become involved,” he said. “Who has better knowledge of how to help others fit in than someone who has gone through it themselves.”
“Our mission is to support legal immigrants to help them assimilate and become productive and recognize those who are contributing by spotlighting them as role models,” he said.
GERMAN VALUES AND TRADITIONS
* A key concept is the idea that order (Ordnung) is inherent in everything.
* Clarity (Klarheit) is important for conversations and interactions. There should be a system that outlines for everyone what has to be done and who will do what.
* Germans are usually very direct and straightforward, even brutally honest.
* Many Germans keep clear boundary lines between business and their social lives and are reluctant to share details of their private lives.
Source: Christian Höferle, founder of Höferle Consulting
If a German doing business with you doesn’t care about your wife’s name or your children’s sports teams, don’t take it personally — it’s part of their culture.
“The German culture sees their business partaking and their personal lives as a dichotomy, and they don’t mix,” said Brenda Sheehy, with the Small Business Development Center at Cleveland State Community College, citing what she learned this week in an introductory workshop about German culture.
“Introducing: The German Way” was the first in a serious of workshops for local educators and businesses about the impact the influx of German business and residents will have in the local community.
German-based Volkswagen is building an assembly plant in Chattanooga, and Wacker Chemical Corp. announced in February it would build a $1 billion plant in Bradley County to manufacture hyperpure polysilicon for the solar industry.
“What I hope people will get out of this is a basic understanding that the German and American culture, even though they may seem similar in the outside, do have some very subtle and strong differences,” said Christian Höferle, a German native and founder of Höferle Consulting who gave the presentation Tuesday at the Cleveland-Bradley County Chamber oøf Commerce.
“Local businesses and educators need to be aware of the fact these differences can lead to misunderstandings and problems down the road,” Mr. Höferle said.
About 65 educators and entrepreneurs attended the workshop organized by Mr. Höferle, in partnership with the Mosaic Center and the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative.
During the six-hour workshop, attendees learned about German history, business etiquette and the educational system.
“As a school system, we want to know as much as possible about how to make the people coming into the community feel comfortable,” said Chuck Rockholt, public information coordinator for Cleveland City Schools.
“When you understand the history of a nation, it helps you understand who the people are and why they are the way they are,” he said.
Children learn about world in culture camp
Staff Photo by Lesley Onstott Land Tolley points out a location on the map of continents to Brigitta Hoeferle who leads the children in song and questions reviewing what they have learned over the past week at Mosaic’s first cultural camp in Cleveland, Tenn., while Emma Moore listens. Children attending the camp learned about other parts of the world, helpng them understand the similarities and differences between themselves.CULTURE CAMP
* A weeklong summer camp organized by the Mosaic Center to encourage children to think globally in appreciation of culture and diversity.
* Children learned basic words in Chinese, Russian, Spanish and German and tasted dishes from around the globe.
* The Mosaic Center, a resource for Bradley County’s immigrant community, opened in January to promote awareness of the variety of people and cultures in the region.
CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Sarah Hamidi, wearing a peach-colored traditionally embroidered Moroccan dress, holds hands with Maggie Moore as the two dance a Cuban cha-cha-cha.
Around them, other children wear clothes traditional to German, American Indian and other cultures. Beyond the clothing, the children spent the past week speaking in such foreign tongues as Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish.
“I really liked teaching (the other children) the numbers and some words like ‘hello’ and ‘good-bye’ in Arabic,” said Sarah, 9, while the rest of the group practiced dancing.
“I liked eating the snacks from the different countries,” especially the Russian pancakes, 9-year-old Maggie said.
For an entire week in the Museum Center at Five Points, about 30 children representing almost every continent participated in the Mosaic Center’s first culture camp, in which they learned different words in Chinese, Spanish, Russian, German and Arabic and tasted dishes from around the globe.
“We wanted children to be aware that people are different, our theme is unity and diversity,” camp director Melody Bonilla said. “We just want children to feel comfortable in their own culture, to speak their native language and appreciate others who speak their native language as well.”
Four teachers, most of them native speakers, taught the language classes, while the children experienced the sights, tastes and sounds of different countries.
“We traveled around the continents virtually with the children, giving them an idea how children live, the languages they speak, different clothes they wear,” German teacher Brigitta Höferle said, “just opening up all that information to them and making them more aware of our friends who maybe live right beside us who come from a completely different continent.”
Michelle Hamidi, whose husband is from Morocco, said she signed up her children for the camp as soon as she heard about it.
“I think it’s very important for children at this age to be exposed to as many cultures and languages as possible, to eradicate racism at a young age,” said the mother of four, including Sarah.
“We are predominantly in a Christian, white area and I want them to know that the world is not all white, it’s beautiful colors, and it’s not just Christian, that there are many religions and languages and it’s all beautiful,” she said. “This is the age where their mentality is going to be set for how they view people from different races and colors when they get older.”
The Mosaic Center in Cleveland is not connected to Mosaic in Chattanooga, a nondenominational church.
Cleveland Daily Banner
| Author: Cleveland Daily Banner Staff Date: June 11, 2009 Publication: Cleveland Daily Banner (TN) |
| The Ocoee Regional Multicultural Services Cultural Camp date has been changed to July 20 through 25 to avoid other community camp conflicts. The web site has been updated and the new flyer and registration forms will be loaded by 5 p.m. today. Because 32 other camps are listed for the same week, the ORMS staff decided that moving the camp would be best for local families. The camp will be held at the Museum Center at Five Points. For more information, visit www.clevelandmosaiccenter.com |
German Way seminar
IF YOU GO
What: “The German Way,” a cultural sensitivity seminar targeted for educators and members of the business community
When: July 28, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Cleveland/Bradley County Chamber of Commerce
How much: Free for teachers from Cleveland and Bradley County school systems; $59 for other participants
For more information: Visit www.clevelandmosaiccenter.com
CLEVELAND, Tenn. —Anticipating a clash between molasses-paced Southern hospitality and hardened German efficiency when two large German corporations land here, Ocoee Regional Multicultural Services is working to build a bridge between the two cultures.
“Germans are blunt. They’re in your face, and they don’t sugar-coat things,” explained Christian Höferle, a German-born consultant who has lived in Cleveland for five years. “Some locals here will find them rude or very demanding, but it’s just that the mentalities are very different.”
Looking ahead to the construction of a Wacker Chemical Corp. plant in Bradley County in late 2010 and the opening of Chattanooga’s new Volkswagen plant in 2011, Mr. Höferle said it’s not too early to start heading off potential misunderstandings with the German families those businesses will bring to the Tennessee Valley.
He is partnering with Ocoee Regional Multicultural Services’ Mosaic Center and the Cleveland/Bradley County Chamber of Commerce to offer language and cultural sensitivity classes for the business and education communities.
Lisa Eulo taught a “crash course” in the language in June, to the delight of participants such as Douglas Berry, vice president of economic development for the Chamber.
“The Germans have taken the time to learn English so they can communicate with us and do business with us, so I think it’s just a reciprocal courtesy,” Mr. Berry said. “Everyone’s going to be struggling with their language skills, and if we’re struggling, trying to work on our German, maybe that will make (the newcomers) feel more comfortable.”
Mr. Berry also plans to attend The German Way, a one-day seminar Mr. Höferle will conduct July 28.
The idea is to keep dialogue about diversity going in the Cleveland area, said Gary Ray, vice president of administration at Lee University and board chairman for Ocoee Regional Multicultural Services.
“We want to promote the importance of working together and building community through unity,” Mr. Ray said, noting that this next seminar certainly won’t be the last before the German businesses arrive.
“We’ve got a whole list of projects that we believe can prepare educators and business people for the immersion of the German families of Volkswagen and Wacker,” he said.
An increasing number of area museums are launching summer camps as nonprofits look for ways to boost their funding in the current economic downtown.
Capitalizing on interest generated by the popular “Night at the Museum” movies, these camps introduce a future generation of arts patrons to the wonders within their walls.
“This is the first year we are doing a camp,” said Lisa Simpson Lutts, executive director of the Museum Center at Five Points in Cleveland, Tenn.
Ms. Lutts said the staff had plans for camp last summer that fell through, but they learned lessons on organizing and promoting camps that have paid off in this summer’s arts camp.
Additionally, the museum is partnering with the Ocoee Regional Multicultural Service for a second camp promoting unity in diversity. The “culture and language” camp is sponsored by The Mosaic Center in Cleveland.
Ms. Lutts said the addition of camp is three-fold: to provide quality summer arts programming for youth, boost the number of youth served by the museum and reach a multicultural audience of youth the museum doesn’t normally serve.
The Hunter Museum of American Art, one of the first to offer summer youth camps more than a decade ago, is broadening its range to add two teen camps this summer.
“There’s no question that the economic downturn has affected nonprofit organizations across the country and museums are no exception,” said Katrina Craven, Hunter spokeswoman.
“Summer camps offer museums a way to bring in additional revenue. Beyond that, they allow museums to reach new audiences and give camp participants an in-depth experience in their facilities,” Ms. Craven said.
Marlene Payne at the Chattanooga History Center said that center is hosting a two-day program at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park since the museum is currently housed in an interim location,.
“Because our interim location does not have the space in which to do much for children, we are only doing one program for youngsters this summer and it will be at Chickamauga Battlefield. This will definitely change once we are in our new place,” Ms. Payne said.
Cleveland Daily Banner
ORMS offering ‘crash course’ in German
June 4, 2009
David Davis Managing Editor
Ocoee Regional Multicultural Services begins this summer as one of its busiest and most visible with a cultural summer camp and crash course in German.The organization was founded for the purpose of assisting legal immigrants to assimilate into the local culture while fostering pride in their individual heritage. It is also embarking on its most ambitious effort to build relationships with grant foundations. Executive Director Gary Ray said grant applications will primarily focus on language, education and literacy. “The success of any organization depends on the level of support it has. We’re rich in interest in the organization and with the projects we have going on this summer serves as a stage to promote us as we write our grant proposals,” Ray said. Also, there has been some discussion of reviving the cultural festival. “I think we will apply to the Tennessee Humanities Council for a $2,500 planning grant,” he said. “If that goes well, we’ll go back to them for another grant to help with the implementation.”
Cleveland State Community College President Dr. Carl Hite said there have been two very successful culture festivals on campus. “Holding it on campus during the week is not the same in terms of growing and expanding,” he said. “There is more than enough interest in this community to get this back again in some form.” Hite said the annual festival sponsored by Bradley Initiative for Church and Community fell apart after it was rained out two successive years and the third year it was scheduled on the same day as a University of Tennessee football game. “That was a mistake,” he said. “But really, it started growing so fast it almost became a full time job, but the dollars weren’t there to support the person.” A cultural camp sponsored by
The Mosaic Center and Safe Schools & Healthy Students Initiative and Montessori Kinder will take place July 20 through 24 from 9 a.m. to noon at Museum Center at Five Points. The five-day summer camp is available at the Museum Center July 20 through 24 for children 5 to 11 years of age. “This is a different approach to the concept of summer camp,” Ocoee Regional Multicultural Services Executive Director Gary Ray recently told board members. “The goal is to attract camp kids of all ethnic backgrounds who want to engage in an intercultural exchange and to reinforce their awareness of their own respective cultures. Students for whom English is not their native tongue will meet the challenge of retaining their native language while learning English and appreciating their heritage.” He said camp coordinators and teachers speak German, Spanish, Russian and Mandarin Chinese, but this is not a camp for ethnic minorities only. “The Cultural Camp will attempt to highlight the importance of unity in our communities, the importance of maintaining our various native languages and to teach the acceptance of diversity and cultural differences, which means all children are welcome,” he said. Students will be introduced to one hour of basic greetings, colors, numbers and common phrases, arts and crafts and time to learn the camp theme song in their native language. One day will be dedicated to a cultural celebration. All students will wear cultural attire and present a song in their language. They will enjoy a cultural meal and have game time. Cultural camp is limited to 50 children from age 5 through 11. Early registration is $25 before July 13. Late registration is $30. Lunch, snacks and camp T-shirts are included.
ORMS and Safe Schools began a Crash Course in German for educators and the business community. The class is be taught by Lisa Eulo, German language teacher at Walker Valley High School. This course is free to all city and county teachers. Space is limited. The course began Tuesday and continues through June on each Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce in Village Green Mall. The final class will be June 30. For more information, please call the Mosaic Center at 423-584-6515 or e-mail at mosaiccenter. orms@gmail.com.
Have your cake at T&L Bakery
Angel food cakes baking in ovens at T&L Bakery pull at people’s association of big, red, plump strawberries or other favorite fruit setting atop a slice of angel food or pound cake. Bakery owners Thomas and Laurie Pavlou said, in truth, their busiest season is from January to August.
“It is our busiest time when strawberries are in the store,” Thomas said. “After that, it slows down a little bit.”Thomas, Laurie and three employees bake about 1,500 cakes each day in eight ovens. Each oven holds 14 cakes. “It takes 28 minutes to bake an angel food cake,” Laurie said. “At home, it would take about an hour. Pound cakes take a little longer, about 37 minutes, and they are not as easy to mix either, so we can’t make as many of those.”
The Mediterranean island of Cyprus was a very poor country when Thomas Costa Pavlou was a young boy.
“I grew up a poor boy, in poverty,” he said at a recent Ocoee Regional Multicultural Services meeting. “Now I am a middle-class American. It wasn’t an easy road, but God helped me.” Missionaries from Cleveland influenced his life in his junior year of high school. “They talked to me about God and I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior and all of a sudden, like a miracle, my life changed.” Until then, he was not proud of his grades Thomas had no thoughts of going to college. His grades significantly improved his senior year and he earned one of three awards in his class. In the 12th grade, he decided to attend college in England. “I got the inspiration to go to college, but it was easier said than done,” he said. His parents worked hard as laborers to raise eight children. “There was no way for my parents to provide any finances to go to college anywhere,” he said. Thomas had to complete 26-months of obligated service before he could even consider college and after that, it would have taken years to save up enough money for school. He was blessed with a good job in Abu Dhabi and many hours of overtime. “In nine months I worked there, I was able to save $16,000 and arrived in Tomlinson College,” he said. Thomas arrived in Cleveland in 1981 to attend the Church of God of Prophecy’s two-year Bible college.
After his first year, he transferred to Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo., where he obtained a bachelor of science degree in industrial management. During his final year of college, he met Laurie. They were married in September 1985. “I asked her if she wouldn’t mind living in Cleveland because I like it a lot. It was a place where I could see people from Greece and Cypress, and I just love Cleveland,” he said. “And I still like it. I just think we are very blessed here.”
Multi-Cultural Services focuses on German culture
William Wright
Cleveland Daily Banner Staff Writer
Dr. Renate Basham, former German and French instructor and vice president at Cleveland State Community College, related how she adapted to American culture by applying her German discipline to excel in an academic society and suggested trying to immediately integrate oneself into a community for the best results.Lisa Eulo, a German-American who teaches German at Walker Valley High School, said she is from the Northern part of Germany and the people there are more “uptight.”"I tell my students when they ask me, ‘Can you tell a joke or be a little funny?’ I say, ‘I’m German. I’m not funny. We are not willing to give from ourselves so much. We keep our personal life very personal … It takes time to become friends.”Christian, who serves as a host in the German language Cafe at Lee University, noted another difference in German and American cultures. “If you are not familiar with someone you would never call them by their first name,” he said. “It’s always on a last name basis. You have to earn somebody’s respect and somebody’s heart.”
Brigitta said Germans are not known for holding doors open for others, they wear their wedding ring on their right hand, hold their knives and forks differently and keep their hands on the table. Eulo describes Germans as thorough and efficient. They have been trained to “put meaning” into every minute, including their break times at work. “Americans are wonderful team players and I think we can learn from Americans in the way that they portray their attributes as being team players, even to the point of business,” said Eulo. “Germans are individualistic. They are self-disciplined and are to themselves. The German school system is geared toward the individual. We don’t have sports teams in the German school system. There is no such thing. But there are very important business lessons to be learned on the ball field.”
“Germany is a very young democracy,” added Christian. “The ruling caps in Germany were either military or social service. In order to make it in your lifetime you had to follow one of these paths … America is the country of opportunity for everybody and Germany was never like that. I think this is a major difference. We were missing that team spirit.”
Basham encapsulated the roundtable discussion by saying, “Germans love Americans. Period. There have been a lot of international damage. “The Americans came to the aid of Germans after the catastrophe of the last war with incredible human interest and empathy. We’ve never forgotten this.” Christian agreed, stating, “America have always been perceived as a liberator,” to the point that Germany has embraced every aspect of American pop culture from fashion to films to literature.
Dr. Carl Hite, president of Cleveland State Community College, recently visited Germany and said he was impressed with the balance Germans have in their lives. “We were in Munich and the southern part of Germany,” Hite said. “I really felt that they do their job and when it’s time to go home and enjoy — they do. I think they have better balance than Americans.” While Christian confessed that Germans can be stubborn and a little too uptight, he said, “They’re smart enough to adapt.”
Cleveland: Mosaic Center aids immigrants
By: Perla Trevizo (Contact)CLEVELAND, Tenn. — In a small conference room, Sandra Ellis and three other students carefully listened to Lyudmila Voytso review the letters and sounds of the Russian alphabet during their second class in the Mosaic Center on Blythe Avenue.
“For us to know about other cultures and languages is an advantage for everyone,” said Ms. Ellis, a supervisor at the Bradley County Health Department. “There are some Russian families in this area now, and we are expecting that population to grow.”
The Mosaic Center, a resource for Bradley County’s immigrant community, opened in January with the goal of embracing diversity and creating awareness of the variety of people and cultures here, coordinator Melody Bonilla said.
“There are 62 different nationalities represented in Bradley County, and we want to best reflect that,” Ms. Bonilla said.The center is managed by Ocoee Regional Multicultural Services, an initiative of Mayor Tom Rowland that helps immigrants adjust to their new lives in the United States. With the influx of immigrants that came with the industrial growth in the area, Mr. Rowland said he saw the need “to show that our city and community is inclusive and that we welcome all.” He thinks of the clearinghouse as a place where people can learn in their own language how to do things such as apply for licenses.
The Mosaic Center offers a variety of services and a new resource guide with information about places to worship, specialty grocery stores and community organizations.“I think (the center) really provides the necessary tools to make the transition to the area a little smoother,” said Agnes Colon, a Spanish teacher at Bradley Central High School who is also a member of the Russian course.
Ms. Bonilla said the center has helped between 15 and 20 people since it opened Jan. 12.“In this short time it has evolved so much. I’m guessing in six months time it’s going to be very well known in the community,” she said. She said the project depends on the help of many organizations and individuals.
Lee University provides the volunteers, the Family Support Center an office and the Safe Schools/Healthy Students a grant to offer interpreting and translation services.In the future, Mrs. Bonilla said, “We want to have a library, workshops, educate even teachers on how to minister to students who have a different cultural background. We want to celebrate culture.”
The March 27 grand opening will include international music and displays.
CLEVELAND, Tenn. — A large world map with hundreds of pins on countries such as Ukraine, Mongolia and Kenya hangs inside the Russian Market on Keith Street.
A sign above the map instructs visitors to place a pin on the country where they come from to show how far they traveled to get to Cleveland. The latest figures show people from about 62 countries now call Cleveland home.
To serve those people, the Ocoee Region Multicultural Services office is building a multicultural resource guide its officials call “Mosaic.”
“We want to put together a networking guide to help the multicultural community of the area,” said Frances Irizarry, originally from Puerto Rico.“We want to include any business, any agency and church, anybody who is either serving or trying to serve the multicultural community in Cleveland and Bradley County,” Ms. Irizarry said.
MULTICULTURAL RESOURCE GUIDE
* Listings for ethnic-owned or managed businesses and agencies or those seeking to serve the international community.
* Listings are free and ad space is available for sale.
* Oct. 31 is the deadline to buy an ad. Nov. 15 is the listing deadline.
* For information, contact Gary Ray at (423) 503-1095 or e-mail gray@leeuniversity.edu, or contact Frances Irizarry at (423) 310-1152 or Irizarryim@bellsouth.net.
Source: Ocoee Region Multicultural Services
The Ocoee Region Multicultural Services is an organization that helps immigrants adjust to their new lives in the United States.
Anya White, who owns the Russian Market with her family, said a resource guide could be very useful for people who have just arrived.
“This is the only Russian store in Cleveland, and there are several Russian churches, I know they have special holidays and get together, but a lot of people don’t know about these stores and services,” she said.
Tony Bartolo, whose family is originally from Italy, said his parents had a hard time integrating when they moved to Cleveland from New Jersey about 40 years ago. He said they didn’t know where they could buy Italian goods or who spoke their language.
“The first thing my parents really wanted to do (when they moved to Cleveland) is see who else was here,” said Mr. Bartolo, director of marketing and public relations at Cleveland State.
“We came from New Jersey, a place where there’s a large Italian community. When they came down here you couldn’t buy any food that was Italian, they didn’t know who was here that had an Italian background or who could speak Italian,” he said.
Mrs. Irizarry said the multicultural resource office hopes the guide, which is expected to be finished in January, can help meet the needs of the growing international community.“Sometimes you just need to do business with somebody that understands your needs, your background,” she said. Brigitta Hoeferle, director of the Montessori Kinder in Cleveland, said when she arrived from Germany she had to put together a similar list herself.“When we moved here four years ago I had to gather all this information of places such as the European Market in Chattanooga where we could buy cold cuts that we are used to from Germany (and) restaurants that Germans like (because) they serve food we are used to from back home,” she said. “I think the Mosaic guide brings all of that together; it’s a great tool for people that are already here and for newcomers to the area.”
Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland emphasized the importance of understanding and learning from different cultures.“I think there are a few people in the community who may not like anyone that has a foreign label and we’re trying to discourage that,” Mr. Rowland said.
“That was the reason we founded the (Ocoee Region Multicultural Services office). I think when you learn more about the folks that visit with us and come to work with us, the better they can understand us and the better we can understand them,” he added.
“All of us came from somewhere else at one time or another, we just want to refine our own heritage as well as learn about the other people we are surrounded by,” he said.
Bradley Baptist Association Newsletter June 2008
New Partnership Will Help Expand Ethnic Ministry
We have been actively working to expand our network with various church and community leaders in Cleveland, seeking to build foundations for future ministry. While doing that, we have discovered an agency already working to meet needs among members of the ethnic/international community. The Ocoee Regional Multicultural Services works to assist immigrants as well as local businesses, religious organizations, educators, law enforcement, industries and the community at large by providing various services such
as interpreters and translators for various languages, among others. Their mission is to, “promote community awareness and acceptance of diversity among its citizens through a harmonious, safe and healthy environment.” After meeting with Gary Ray, Vice President of Lee University and Chairman of the ORMS Board, we realized that we have a common vision and similar goals and that it made sense to join efforts. Therefore, a new working partnership has been established between the Ocoee Region Multicultural Services and Bradley Baptist Association, which will benefit both agencies in their efforts to reach and assist the growing international community in Cleveland and Bradley County. This partnership will expand our ministry network in the schools, businesses, and in the community at large, and it will greatly increase our resources and our pool of volunteers. We believe this to be a God-given opportunity to have a greater impact among the international population in our community. It will open doors to more resources that could be utilized by our churches in their individual ministries to internationals. Our desire is to utilize whatever resources the Lord may bring our way to assist each one of the churches in our Association in fulfilling the Great Commission in each of the communities where they are established. Our goal is to have each of our Association’s churches develop and implement their own ethnic/international ministries by next summer. At the same time, we hope to have five or six Bible study points throughout Cleveland/Bradley County.
These study groups could be in conjunction with some of our churches own ministries (like offering a Spanish Bible study after ESL classes) or at people’s homes, as the Lord opens the doors. We also hope to have some kind of international ministry going on alongside Ocoee Outreach, ministering to internationals in the communities where Ocoee Outreach is serving by next summer. Please join us in prayer for this effort. Encourage your church to pray for this ministry. Keep the ministry present before your church and remember that we have a God given command to reach the nations for His Kingdom. The BBA Spring Celebration was held on Thursday, April 24, at The Church at Grace Point. Pastor Phil Griffin began
our meeting by blessing our time together. Bro. Phil Taylor presented the financial report and reminded us “the Lord has been faithful.” Bro. Phil Taylor used John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and moved out into the neighborhood” to share the BBA Vision—Where we are and where we want to be. Pastor David Tuten, of Valley View, shared about visits he and Frances Irizarry made in his church community.
Gary Ray, Vice President, Lee University, spoke of a new partnership between BBA and Ocoee Region Multicultural Services.
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Walter Atkinson of the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service in Atlanta explained his function to the executive board the Ocoee Regional Multicultural Service office.From his viewpoint, he said the organization is on the right track because of its inclusiveness, written mission statement and bylaws. “In some cases you are far ahead (of similar organizations in other cities),” he said Tuesday in the meeting held in the Cleveland City Council chamber.”The reason I say that is because you have a lot of people in the community who are well respected and that says a lot right there.Besides all of that, you are out in the community and people know who you are and what you are doing.”As a community relations specialist, Atkinson is part of the “peacemaker” arm of the justice department created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.It is his job to help communities resolve tensions, conflicts and civil disorders on the way to restoring racial stability and harmony.The Community Relations Service has no law enforcement or investigative authority and does not impose solutions.”I don’t know what kind of issues you are having or if the reason you are together is you hope to prevent having some of those issues in the future,” he said.”The key is, if you do have some of those issues, how are you going to respond.”He said it is important to know how each board member responds to one another within the organization, how the organization responds to schools and works with other community-based organizations.
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Atkinson said those are questions he helps communities answer through developing short and long range strategies.Other Cleveland Banner stories
| Speaker says China’s advances ‘a phenomenal miracle’Author: David Davis Community Editor Date: September 2, 2008 Publication: Cleveland Daily Banner (TN) |
| China has transformed from a very closed, totalitarian and tumultuous country to the status of Olympic host in only 32 years. Dr. Murl Dirksen, director of Asian Studies at Lee University, said recently during the monthly meeting of Ocoee Multicultural Services the change is phenomenal. “They put $40 billion into the Olympics. This was to prove to themselves and the world that China has changed,” he said. Dirksen was one of two guests at the ORMS meeting… Click to purchase article. ($2.95). |
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| Russian community is growing in Cleveland/Bradley County Author: David Davis Community Editor Date: June 5, 2008 Publication: Cleveland Daily Banner (TN) |
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| While the Ocoee Regional Multicultural Service Office reaches out to international populations in Cleveland and Bradley County, the Slavic community has grown to the point that Russian is the second most often heard foreign language behind Spanish. During the meeting each month the Multicultural Service Office spotlights a person or people from one of the 62 countries represented in the area. In May, the spotlight was on Russians and as it turned out — Ukrainians. The four must have felt… Click to purchase article. ($2.95). |
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| Japanese culture’s influence on business success topic of recent ORMS meeting Author: William Wright Banner Staff Writer Date: May 3, 2008 Publication: Cleveland Daily Banner (TN) |
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| Japanese culture, their quality of service and global success was the focus of the Ocoee Regional Multicultural Services meeting on Tuesday. Hugh Cantrell, human resource director for the Japanese owned Denso Corporation in Athens, gave a PowerPoint presentation to ORMS board members on the philosophy and work ethic behind the largest employer in Athens and the leading supplier of advanced automotive technology for the world’s major auto makers. Denso Manufacturing Athens… |
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