IMA Committees (L-R) Greta Jacobs, Nancy Cheng, Maria Yousef, Sarah Mar, Sima Ranjbar, (B) Norita Steward, George Faas, Fathi Yousef, Sudershan Jatana, Miriana Blaskova
爾灣多元文化協會委員（左起） Greta Jacobs、陳雅甯、Maria Yousef、馮竹悅、Sima Ranjbar，（ 後排）Norita Steward、George Faas、FathiYousef、Sudershan Jatana、Miriana Blaskova
(The following text is an excerpt from the book Chinese Americans in Irvine 1971-2021.)
The Irvine Multicultural Association (IMA) is a City of Irvine Community Services program whose mission statement is to “PROMOTE HARMONY IN THE COMMUNITY.”
The Irvine Multicultural Association has free ongoing monthly social programs that present and discuss different cultures and international film presentations at the Irvine Lakeview Senior Center. At the same time, The Irvine Multicultural Association has a thriving free English-as-a-Second Language Program offered to non-English
speaking community members.
The Irvine Multicultural Association was started over 24 years ago. Observing the need for intercultural awareness and understanding among the patrons of the Senior Center, City of Irvine staff developed the “The Multicultural Committee” at the Irvine Lakeview Senior Center in 1996. The group was welcomed and embraced by the community and eventually became a non-profit 501(c)3 entity, the Irvine Multicultural Association (IMA).
The group conducted annual festivals that showcased the Irvine community members’ diverse cultural backgrounds. The festivals were so successful and appealing that the City Council decided to adopt and manage the festival. The festival became the City of Irvine’s signature annual event: The annual Irvine Global Village Festival. Eventually, the Irvine Multicultural Association decided to revert to its previous status as a City of Irvine Senior Services program, which is currently being managed by a committee of dedicated volunteers and City of Irvine staff. For more information on how to get involved, contact Lakeview Senior Center at 949-724-6900.
IMA invited Dr. Nelson Mar (3rd from left) to talk about the 56 ethnic groups of China
爾灣多元文化協會邀請馬在莊博士（左三）介紹中國 56個少數民族，並展出相關照片與人偶
2 “Discover Israel”: IMA Discover Our World program with speaker Dr. Roberta Seid, Mayor Beth Krom and committee members and IMA board members at Lakeview Senior Center
「認識以色列」是探索世界系列之一，主講人 Dr. Roberta Seid 及當時的市長 Beth Krom 與爾灣多元文化協會理事，在湖景老人中心的演講活動後合影
爾灣多元文化協會（IMA）是爾灣市政府的社區服務項目之一，其使命是「促進社區和諧」。爾灣多元文化協會每月提供免費的文化活動，安排在爾灣湖景老人中心舉行，採用討論會和國際電影欣賞來展示本地居民所代表的豐富多元文化；同時，爾灣多元文化協會為非英語社區成員提供了免費英語班的教學。
爾灣多元文化協會成立於 1996 年。爾灣市政府注意到經常進出湖景老人中心不同種族的居民之間，需要增進互相理解，因此市政府在爾灣湖景中心建立了「多元文化委員會」，該委員會決定每年舉行一次多元文化節，展示爾灣社區成員的不同文化背景。多元文化節成功吸引居民參與，以至於爾灣市議會決定接手管理，使該節日成為爾灣市最大規模的年度活動：爾灣地球村節慶（Irvine Global Village Festival）。
爾灣多元文化協會受到社區的歡迎和擁護，該組織會員達到三十多個族裔，2002 年正式成為 501(c)3非營利性組織。2013 年多元文化協會決定恢復其委員會（Committee）模式，目前由不同族裔的義務委員會和爾灣市委員會來支持與管理。有關如何參與的更多信息，請致電 949-724-6900 聯繫。