1997 - Winter. Ithaca Area Asian Association was founded. It is the first association representing all Asians and Asian Americans in the Ithaca area.

2003 - Spring. Victor Loo is appointed the Police Chief of the City of Ithaca. He becomes the East Coast's only Police Chief or Sheriff of Asian American descent. Local community leaders William and Angie Chen hosted a pan-Asian dinner at their home to welcome Chief Loo. People at the event decide to join together in a pan-Asian organization.

2003 - Summer. IthacAsian Golf Tournament was held at Trumansburg Golf course. Many local businesses sponsor the event for local charities.

2003 - August. Several Ithaca Asian Americans met to relaunch IAAA. They decide to call a general meeting of local Asian American community leaders. Soon afterwards, many former members of the original IAAA and many new members joined and rename the organization the Ithaca Asian American Association.

2003 - November. IAAA board members work together to file our papers for non-profit status with the State of New York.

2003 - November. Boynton Middle School International Day. Board members Satomi Hill and Sun Shinagawa, accompanied by Sun's daughter, Chibo Shinagawa, demonstrated origami to middle school students. Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding.

2003 - November. Katherin Flower Kim lectured at our first public lecture event. Dr. Kim, an assistant professor of sociology and a faculty participant of the Center for the Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity (CSCRE) at Ithaca College, lectures on the topic of Asian transracial adoptees and the process of "doing the family." The event was a great success, with over thirty people attending the late night talk. It was co-sponsored by the Cayuga Kiwanis Club, Multicultural Resource Center, and CSCRE.

2003 - November through December. IAAA fundraising items arrived --- beautiful dinner plates, teacups, trays, sushi plates, and glasses come directly from Japan. Revenues raised from selling these items will help IAAA with the planning for the Asian New Years Dinner.

2003 - December. Board members were invited by fellow board members Mimi Melegrito, Cynthia Santos, and Mario Salazar to attend the Cornell Filipino Association's (CFA) annual cultural night and dinner. The event was a great success, and all agree that CFA and other Cornell Asian American student clubs will help with IAAA activities and events.

2003 - December. Julie Lam, incoming President of Asian Cultural Club (ACC) of Ithaca College, representing the ACC, stated that ACC will volunteer for the Asian New Years Dinner and will participate in the Saturday Asian Cultural Program for children. Janning Chow, another ACC e-board member, agreed to be ACC's the other board representative for IAAA.

2003 - December. New members joined the IAAA. We launch our website, www.watchthedancers.org. We start organizing for the Asian New Years Dinner.

2003 - December. We asked Ms. Mai An Rumney, a global history and social studies high school teacher at Ithaca High School, to join our board. We also asked, in her capacity as the faculty advisor of the Ithaca High School Asian American Club, for the student club's participation in the Asian New Years Dinner and for them to co-sponsor the dinner at Ithaca High School. The students enthusiastically agree to help on the Asian New Years Dinner.

2003 - December. We invited Mr. Jagat Sharma to join the board.

2003 - December. IAAA members will attend the Latino Civic Association's Winter Holidays Latino Night.