I am deeply honored and humbled to have been elected by my fellow members of the Hmong 18 Council, Inc and clan leaders as your next President of the organization. Thank you so much for this honor and for entrusting me to lead the Hmong 18 Council, Inc. for the next chapter. It has been a great pleasure working with you all, and I am grateful for our teamwork, effort, and positive energy to help our Hmong Minnesota community grow while building a brighter future for our children, families, and clans.
In the last two years, I’ve served the Hmong 18 Council, Inc. as a Council Member, by giving back to the Hmong Minnesota community, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life as a Hmong person. The Hmong 18 Council, Inc. was founded in 1997 by the late General Vang Pao and became a nonprofit organization, 501(c)(3), with a mission to enhance the Hmong community through social justice, traditional values and practices, and to develop emerging leaders.
The council’s vision is to unite the voice of the Hmong community in the state of Minnesota by sharing and planning for its prosperity. As your new President of Hmong 18 Council, Inc., it’s also my vision to unite all the council members and clan leaders to work together toward a common goal and make meaningful change, adjustments, and/or new ideas for the organization and Hmong Minnesota community as we look forward into the future of our younger Hmong generation.
I believe that trust, respect, and transparency in the Hmong 18 Council, Inc. are the three most important characteristics of great teamwork in this organization. The team success depends on the trust, respect, and transparency of every member; therefore, I treat every member with respect, and I trust in their leadership and being transparent when serving both the organization and the community.
One of the challenges that we face every day at the Hmong 18 Council, Inc. is that the organization has been serving the community for more than 25 years, yet it still doesn’t have a permanent office location where our Hmong families and community members can reach out to us. As the President, I believe that the right time is now, for us to look for a permanent location so we could better serve the Hmong people. At the same time, we need to document and publish a book about the organization and its history of services and former leaders who have shown valuable contributions during their terms to the Hmong community. This is one of the ways to keep our organization history, identity, and vision alive for the younger generation Hmong.
I look forward to a new chapter with the Hmong 18 Council, Inc., and I’m committed to supporting the Hmong community and to working closely with Hmong clan leaders to strengthen our relationships. I’m also committed to working closely with government agencies and surrounding organizations to bring awareness about Hmong Minnesota community and to make sure that Hmong people’s voices are heard at both the local and state levels when it comes to social justice, traditional values and practices, and to develop emerging leaders in the Hmong community.
I would like to thank all former Hmong 18 Council, Inc. Presidents, Council Members, Clan Leaders, and Advisors for their leadership and continuous support of the organization. I would also like to thank all donors who have supported and/or continued to financially support this organization. Your donations are greatly appreciated.
A special thank you to all current Council Members and Advisors for your commitment and dedication to the organization and the community. Please do not hesitate to contact me or our team members if you have any questions, concerns, or any comments/suggestions.
Sincerely,
Paul (Kong Patchay) Xiong
President of Hmong 18 Council, Inc.
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