Today, we feature two of our Community Partners joining us in the effort to help provide families and their students with essential School Supplies. Joining me is ena yasuhara li the Vice President of Community Impact for united way bay area, who helps oversee the agencys Services Designed to reduce poverty in the bay area. And also with us, we welcome larry loper, director of marketing and communications for the family giving tree, which also aims to close the opportunity gap for students in need. Welcome to show. Larry loper thank you. Ena yasuhara li thank you for having us. Robert give us an idea, first of all, of sort of an overview of this program. Ena great, thank you. So, united way is focused on reducing poverty and creating opportunities for families in the bay area. And this program, or this campaign is designed to collect backpacks so that we can distribute it to families at our schools. One of our programs, called spark point, is a Signature Initiative that provides lowincome families with a range of services to meet their financial and career goals. And our backpacks will support spark point families through this campaign. Robert well, whats in the backpacks . Ena so, a variety of supplies. So any kind of supplies that students might need when they return to school. And in addition, each backpack is going to have a caring card. So, its a personal note from a volunteer and someone who, just to let them know that we care. Robert yes, and we, of course, also know that you dont do this kind of a program very successfully without a lot of partners. Give us an idea, larry, in terms of the role of your organization, in terms of what it is trying to do to help, and how your services kinda fit in with all of this. Larry sure, well, thank you for having us. We have, for 27 years, been focused on closing the gap in the bay area. Rising rents and so on have made it even harder for people to get by. And so, in the summertime months, we focus on collecting backpacks. This year, our target is 40,000 with the School Supplies. And the holiday season, we do custom wishes, the things that the kids wish for that often their parents cant afford. Robert now, how do you collect the supplies that go into the backpacks . How can people help you with that . Ena so, we are partnering with family giving tree and nbc bay area through this summer campaign. Its a volunteer drive, so volunteers are assembling these 40,000 backpacks. Robert okay, so, were helping then, huh . Ena correct. Robert give me an idea, you know, my children, a lot of their School Supplies now are sort of hitech oriented as well as just the traditional notebooks, pencils, and things like that, that people kind of think of when they see or hear of School Supplies. Does that make it any more difficult . Does that make it a little more harder to reach your goals, in terms of what they need . Larry no, not really, because we turn to the teachers for what they need and they help us generate the supply list. And its very grade specific, so k through 2, 3 through 5, junior high, and senior high. And so, if they need calculators, those are in there. If they need protractors, those are in there. So a lot of the equipment we give them is very stem related, or even steam related. I should use the proper a because the arts are included as well. Robert yeah, so, who gets these backpacks . How do people kinda qualify for these programs . Ena yeah, so, if you want more information, you can go to uwba. Org or you can call 211 to find information or Services Near you. The backpacks are being distributed to spark point centers, to schools in the bay area, and also to select boys and girls club agencies. Robert how is the united way doing . I used to volunteer for a couple of groups that were part of the united way umbrella. How is united way doing these days in this Political Climate and the way things are nowadays for charities and help organizations . Ena mmhmm, so, united way iswere still committed to reducing poverty, to providing opportunities for families. And our opportunities and our programs like spark point really provide families now with the services that they need. So we can think of a client at the spark point center in fremont, for example, who came to spark point needing rental assistance. So, theres a lot of need for housing assistance. And she, through spark point, she was able to get temporary rental assistance. She was able to be connected to go back to school to Ohlone College to attend classes, and she was able to get a parttime job while she was in school. Robert but united way is able to get and gather those resources . You still have enough resource to be able to provide those kind of services . Ena correct, and we have partnerships with corporations, with nonprofits, and with agencies in the bay area to make these things happen. Robert larry, how bout your organization, in terms of this climate these days and needing people to help . Larry well, you know, its funny. We actually, i hate to say it, end up turning away volunteers. We put 8,000 volunteers to work every year. And we encourage families to volunteer, which is kind of rare for a nonprofit. We encourage kids to come with their moms and dads. And so, weve actually had a wealth of love from the local volunteers in the bay area. And also, the drive leaders, were very dependent on points of contact within corporations and organizations who lead a drive within a hitech company, for example. Robert thats very good. And i used to work for the volunteer exchange. Getting people to volunteer is sometimes the hardest thing. Its a real good measure of Community Involvement when they do that. Thank you very much, good luck, were all in this together, so. Larry thanks for the help from nbc. Robert all right, well, mark your calendar for july 29. Nbc bay area and telemundo 48 will be collecting backpacks with family giving tree at 394 west caribbean drive in sunnyvale from 7 a. M. To 1 p. M. And dont worry, therell be plenty of opportunities to donate throughout the bay area. Visit nbcbayarea. Com for details on when and where to donate, as well as how to build your own backpack of School Supplies. Well, next up, the attempts to make San Francisco free of hepatitis b, so stay with us. If you dont much about hepatitis b except it sounds scary, you should find out more. It is the leading cause of liver cancer in the world, and 1 in 12 Asian Americans are chronically infected. With me now is arcadi kolchak, the executive director for the program San Francisco hep b free, whos been a leader in promoting awareness of hepatitis b, including with some of the firstever efforts here in the bay area. And also here is dr. Stuart fong, the board chair for San Francisco hep b free, who works at Chinese Hospital in San Franciscos chinatown, where he oversees many services, including its hepatitis b program. Thank you both for being here. Arcadi kolchak thank you for having us. Robert and give us another overview. I know a lot of people think they know about what hepatitis b is. Give a quick overview of hepatitis b, as well as the situation here in the bay area. Dr. Stuart fong well, the situation in the bay area is such that hepatitis b afflicts predominantly asians. One in twelve asians have hepatitis b, as you mentioned earlier. And these are our new immigrants. And so, its endemic in the asian community. And at the time we first started, there was a lot of stigma attached to hepatitis c, as in the asian culture itself, in terms of dealing with health issues. They dont wanna discuss it. They dont wanna talk about it. And so theres this stigma. And so now that weve been around for about 10 years, sf hep b free, i think weve made a lot of inroads into destigmatizing hepatitis b so people can talk about it more, get out there, and get screened. cause one in four chronically infected will go on to develop cancer. And hepatitis b is the leading cause of cancer in the world and the nation. And when hepatitis b, sf hep b free started, it started because San Francisco was the number1 city for liver cancer. Robert wow, and give me an idea in terms of what people need to look for when they see it. And how were you able to make that inroads . How were you able to make progress in the community that way . Dr. Fong well, in terms of making progress, the model we use at sf hep b free is about awareness, education, screening, and linkage to care. But we attacked it from two fronts. We looked at it from the community standpoint, where we provide Community Education to individuals. And we also educated the physicians. The physicians know about hepatitis b, but of course, it was on a back burner with all the other issues they have to deal with. So, basically, it was just reminding them about screening for hepatitis b in asians because it predominantly affects asians. So, we were able to bring it up a notch in terms of awareness in physicians and getting it on their radars that if you are asians, ah, make sure we scree for hepatitis b. And that is through education is what we did. Robert yeah, arcadi, you were involved in a lot of what i felt were, like, very pioneering kinda programs. A lot of em were firsttime ever, especially in Santa Clara County. Why was that needed in terms of, you know, why wasnt it addressed earlier . And how difficult was it to do that . Arcadi well, one of the things that hep b free created when we were in Santa Clara County, which i carried over to San Francisco hep b free was the business initiative. And one of the reasons why we waited as long as we did to start strategizing that way, to educate employees, working directly with hr departments, is because we needed to make sure that the community was aware of what this issue was before we try to break in and help them understand at a different level. So, we started engaging the hospitals. Excuse me, we started engaging the small businesses, the restaurants, the momandpop shops. Then we started getting a little bit bigger and working with the larger corporations. So, we would go in cold to these smaller businesses, no invitation, no prior notice, and wed just start engaging them in conversation do you know about hepatitis b . Are you familiar that it can lead directly to liver cancer . And its been a tremendous effort in San Francisco. Over the past year, weve reached out to over 1,000 businesses alone, establishing over 100 partners, all who have recognized that hepatitis b is a serious issue and wanna get involved making sure that their employees are aware of it, that if they havent been screened, if they havent been vaccinated, that they go out and do that. Robert that approach is interesting because its a very communityoriented kind of way of spreading the word, as opposed to sending out some alarms or even mass media. Doing it that way makes the, kind of, almost spreadtheword kind of way, and maybe a little less scary. But where are we right now, in terms of addressing the problem . Do you still need to get more word out . And what do you want the community to know about what hep b free is doing . Dr. Fong well, i think what its good is hepatitis b is gonna be in the community until we eradicate it. Theres a 2030 mandate from who and cdc, where we want to eliminate or decrease liver cancer caused by hepatitis by over 50 . So with this is still continued education because people should be aware of it. And as we know, in our culture, its hard for asians to talk to physicians. So we have little cards that weve made that they can ask the physician, you know, what is my status about hepatitis b . And so not only it cues the patient, it develops a better relationship with the physician. It cues up the physician to say, oh, i better check the status. What i like to tell people about hepatitis b, it is a one and done. So you can do one test to determine your status. If you need to be vaccinated, you can be vaccinated and then youll be fine and youll be protected from hepatitis b. If youre chronically infected with a positive surface antigen, and then you can be linked to care so you have yearly follow ups with physicians. Robert very good, San Francisco hep b free, great program. Arcadi thank you. Dr. Fong thank you. Robert well do some more shows on that, okay . Dr. Fong okay, sure. Robert well, coming up, the pistahan parade and festival billed as the largest Filipino American celebration in the world, thats next. The environmentally aware. The ones with their eyes on the sky and our air. They say our climates in need of repair. Why do they worry . Why do they care . The Energy Conscious people among us say small actions could add up to something. Humongous. A little thing here a little thing there starts to feel like a badge maybe millions can wear. Limiting showers to only five minutes. Turning off lights in a room unless theyre in it. Air filter changing, solar installing unplugging, dialturning, thermostatlowering offpeaktime users all joining forces. To help get our power from renewable sources. Who are all these caretakers, advocates too . The celebrated leadbyexample crew. Turns out, its californians its me and its you. and yeah, its him too dont stop now, its easy to add to the routine. Join Energy Upgrade california and do your thing. Its billed as the largest Filipino American celebration in the world. And having once emceed the event, it sure looks that way from the stage. Joining me is a familiar face, al perez, president of the Filipino American arts exposition, the Organization Behind the pistahan event. Welcome back, al. Al perez thank you so much. Im glad to be here. Robert now, of course, we know that the Filipino Community is very large in the bay area, and that makes sort of the festival and the parade kind of a big success, just from the sheer numbers, right . Al thats correct, based on the last census, the Filipino Americans are now the largest asian minority in california, and one of the largestgrowing communities in the united states. So, and a lot of the filipinos are concentrated in the bay area, so that makes the pistahan really big every year. Robert thats right, including my wife, and now my kids. Al yes. Robert part filipino, and the Filipino Community, as weve seen from this show, very involved, huh, very involved in the community . Al thats correct, yeah, were very passionate about being a part of community. And we try to be a part of the, you know, in every way that we can in the community. Robert right, it is on so many different levels. So, tell us about this years event. It is big and bigger every year. Whats happening this year . Al all right, well, so, the pistahan parade kicks off the festival on august 12, and so, the parade starts at the civic center in San Francisco. It marches up Market Street, and it will end at 4th street. And the parade, we have almost about 50 to 75 contingents, and well have lots of floats. We have marching bands. And this year, were even gonna have the stormtroopers from star wars being a part of the parade contingent. Robert very culturally relevant then. Al yeah. Both [laughing] al well, a lot of em are filipinos apparently. Robert oh, is that right . Al yeah. Robert okay, so you cant tell with the uniforms on, huh . Al yeah. Robert give me an idea here. Why do you feel like this event is so important to the community . Why do people come out . Al right, its a way to reconnect with the culture, toive been volunteering for the last 15 years, and i still learn something new about my heritage and the history. So its good to go back, so you kinda get back in touch with our roots. And its a great way to meet new people and meet old friends, to have a little reunion, to watch great filipino entertainment, and of course, filipino food, so. Robert and one thing too, when i was there, i remember that, of course, the Filipino Community comes out, and so does the asian american, Pacific IslanderCommunity Comes out as well. But also, a lot of other communities, you know . White groups, people like that, they, a lot of em come to the festival. Why do you think it has kinda that broad interest . Al right, i think here in the bay area, in San Francisco, everything is just so diverse, where everybody celebrates everyones differences and everybodys culture. Everyone still wants to be involved in everybody elses culture. So i think thats part of it. Were just very lucky to be in the bay area, where diversity is celebrated and embraced. And also, i think our festival is free admission. Were right in the middle of downtown San Francisco, right next to the metreon, next to the Moscone Convention center, next door to the moma, and also just a few steps away from union square. So, the locations great, very convenient, and we have lots of exciting, immersive, handson activities for the whole family. Robert yeah, its not just observational stuff, huh . Its to get involved. Al yeah, we try to make it really an engaging cultural experience. We have seven pavilions. We have a dance pavilion, art pavilion, culinary pavilion, sports pavilion, even a health pavilion, just to kinda engage people about filipino culture in a more meaningful way. Robert all right, well its still tryin to work out. I hope to emcee part of that event. Al yes. Robert all right, good luck. Al thank you. Robert all right, well, again, as you heard al mention, the 24th annual pistahan parade and festival runs august 12 and 13 from 11 a. M. To 5 p. M. With a grand parade to kick things off. The parade runs along Market Street and ends at 4th street. The fun continues at San Francisco yerba buena gardens. Admission, as you heard, is free. Visit nbcbayarea. Com to learn more. Up next, our community calendar, then a Live Performance from singer tenelle, so dont miss it. Before we hear from tenelle, we wanna tell you about an important event coming up, the san jose jazz summer fest 2017, in and around Plaza De Cesar Chavez in downtown san jose from august 11 through the 13. Ive attended it many times. Its a great showcase for jazz, blues, funk, r b, salsa, just about anything youd like to hear on ten stages. And then, an event we have profiled before here on our show, the 6th annual island reggae festival, july 8 from 11 a. M. To 11 p. M. At the Santa Clara County fairgrounds. And tenelle will be one of the featured performers. Thank you very much for being here. Tenelle thank you for having me. Robert how did you get started in this business . Tenelle hawaii, hawaiis what started me. Hawaii, samoa, fiji, my motherland started me. Robert all right, and how bout the bay area . Howd you end up here . Tenelle bay area, island reggae Fest Committee and family, theyre a great solid team. And yeah, im here because of them. Robert all right, well, good luck at the festival. Tenelle thank you. Robert what are we gonna hear today . Tenelle youre gonna hear the leading single on my album called for the lovers. For the lovers, you know . Robert tenelle, enjoy. Tenelle thank you. Mmm, oh, yeah. Tonight, so many people out on the streets looking for love. While tonight, yeah, so many people out on the streets, breaking up. But dont you worry. Were here to have a good time. Leave all your troubles behind. Because tonight is for the lovers in here, all the lovers in here. You could be anywhere, but your love is right here. For the lovers in here, all the lovers in here. You could be anywhere, but your love is right here, ooh, tonight, yeah, ooh, tonight, oh. Ooh, tonight, so many people have other people to hold them at night. While tonight, yeah, theres other people searching for strength to bear their goodbyes. But dont you worry. Were here to have a good time. Leave all your troubles behind. Because tonight is for the lovers in here, all the lovers in here. You could be anywhere, but your love is right here. For the lovers in here, all the lovers in here. You could be anywhere, but your love is right here, ooh, tonight, ooh, tonight, oh. [applauding] robert wonderful, that was wonderful. All right, thats vaea on the guitar. Thank you very much for being here. All right, well, our thanks, tenelle. Youre gonna play one more for us before we go, right . Okay, our thanks to tenelle and all of our guests. And you can get more details on their events on nbcbayarea. Com, and were also on facebook and twitter. Please join us again next week and every week here on Asian Pacific america. Thanks for watching. And to play us out, tenelle and vaea. Tenelle yes, thank you. Baby, you, you got the key to my heart. Said, open up and set me free. Set me free, yeah. Baby, you, you got the key to my heart. Said, open up and set me free. Set me free. I dream of you every single day and night. You can run, but you cant hide. Where are you now . Said, where are you now . Shots being fired. An attack on all of us. This is our innuendo and i dont appreciate it. Id like to thank the jury. The warriors are nba champions again good morning, and welcome to sunday today. Im Hallie Jackson in for willie whos enjoying a little breakfast in bed on fathers day. Happy fathers day to him, to all you dads out there and of course my own pops. A devastating end to that slip collision off the coast of japan. A body of a number of u. S. Sailors recovered this morning as the navy works to figure out what happened