Serving Milwaukee’s Chinese Community

There may be an additionto Milwaukee’ssummer festival lineup in 2011. Peng Gao,president of the Milwaukee Chinese Community Center (MCCC), says that theorganization is “actively planning” Chinese Culture Fest, a weekend celebrationof Chinese culture on Milwaukee’slakefront. Although it is still in the planning stages, he says that thefestival will aim to entertain attendees while fulfilling one of the MCCC’smain initiatives, which is to contribute to the cultural diversity of the Milwaukee area.

Whatis the mission of the Milwaukee Chinese Community Center (MCCC)?

Our mission is to servemembers and the community through Chinese language education, outreach andsocial engagement.

Whatkinds of programs does the MCCC offer?

We offer a few. One ofour main initiatives is to operate the Milwaukee Modern Chinese School (MMCS).We have a community service program where we, as a community, participate inthe annual Holiday Folk Fair event through the (Milwaukee Modern) Chinese School. We also work with the MilwaukeeCounty Parks system to host the Chinese New Year event at the Mitchell ParkDomes.

Howis the Chinese New Year celebrated at the Domes?

It normally happens atthe end of January or the beginning of Februaryit depends on which days theChinese New Year happens. It is a one-day event where we decorate the Domeslike Chinese New Year. And we have performers and programs, food services, anda marketplace where you can shop. And we have lots of activities for kidsinside the Domes. This year there were 3,000-4,000 visitors who experiencedChinese New Year in the Mitchell Park Domes.

Whenare MMCS classes offered and who may attend them?

Our school teaches twosessions of Mandarin Chinese every Sunday afternoon. We collaborate with Marquette University; they are very kind byloaning the facility to us free of charge. We are very grateful to them. Weoffer different levels of Chinese language classes, for students andgrown-upstwo classes for language education, and then we have a third classfor actual musical activities, and arts and crafts.

Howdoes an interested individual become a member of the MCCC?

We serve whoever isinterested in Chinese culture. So, if someone says, ‘I am a member,’ then youare a member. There is no mechanism for you to claim to be a member…Individuals can go to our website, www.milwaukeechinese.org. They can also goto our school website, www.mmcsweb.com, to learn about our school program.