5 more days until the Asian Heritage Street Celebration!

Former American Idol Contestants Will Perform at AHSC!

Fans of American Idol are in for a treat, as featured guests Jasmine Trias and Sway (Jose Penala) will perform at the main stage on Irving St. and 25th Ave. between noon and 2:30 p.m.

Jasmine Trias

This Filipino American singer and entertainer will sing live at the Asian Heritage Street Celebration! Trias was the third place finalist on the third season of American Idol. Trias' appearance on American Idol grew into a cult-like phenomenon, as she became the second runner-up in the competition. She won millions of fans in the United States and millions more in foreign countries where the show was aired: Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan, among others.

Sway (Jose Penala)

Jose "Sway" Penala is a 28-year-old from South San Francisco. Before joining American Idol, he was a member of the singing group, 6th Day. This will be the first local appearance for San Mateo County native Sway since he appeared on American Idol this season!

By Angela Pang

Asian American Donor Program The program is committed to helping to save the lives of people with leukemia, lymphoma, and other life threatening blood diseases by raising the awareness of and recruiting potential marrow/blood stem cell donors. At the fair, they will be having a Marrow Registration Drive to register interested volunteers to be potential marrow/blood stem cell donors! "We enjoyed last year's fair. It was a huge event, drawing even more than the Cherry Blossom," said Aish Yulo, of the AADP. "It was nice to see a celebration of the entire Asian population of the SF bay area - which is a huge one! I liked how booths were encouraged to keep participants interactive with them and how the fair encouraged community booths through the community booth program." Read More

HSBC Bank HSBC Bank USA, N.A. offers its 3 million customers access to global markets and services. The Bank provides a full range of financial products and services including installment and revolving term loans, deposits, branch services, mutual funds, investments and insurance. For information on HSBC Bank USA, N.A. products and services, visit your local Irving St Branch, located at 2257 Irving, St. San Francisco.	HSBC Irving St. Branch Staff
Southwest Airlines "Connecting with the Asian community starts by building relationships that capture the heart of the Asian community and result in lasting partnerships," said Shirley Manan, Southwest Airlines' San Francisco Marketing Manager. "For Southwest Airlines, this means making sure the Asian community knows who we are before boarding our planes." Throughout the year and during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Southwest Airlines, the nation's largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned, celebrates and embraces the Asian Pacific Islander community. With operations in California, Texas, and New York, Southwest Airlines serves the growing Asian population. Southwest's involvement in the Asian community begins at the grassroots level. For more than 12 years, the airline has sponsored the San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade. Southwest loves a celebration, especially one that brings families together. The successful Lunar New Year partnership was recently extended to Southern California where Southwest is the sponsor of the Lunar New Year Parade and Festival in Hollywood. Along with celebrating cultural events, Southwest partners with various local Asian community and civic organizations. Last year, Southwest flew scholarship recipients from the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) to a special reception in Washington, DC. As part of the Asian Pacific Fund's tenth anniversary celebration, Southwest sponsored the Growing Up Asian in America Essay and Art Contest for Bay Area youth. This year, Southwest provided complimentary airfare from Oakland to Seattle to the Chinese Disabled People's Performing Arts Troupe. "We want the Asian community to see us as more than a partner but as part of the family," Manan said.	Southwest Airlines Employees and their families join in the festivities of the "Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Festival & Parade."