1st Annual Fundraising Event
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Program
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1:30pm Resources and Silent Auction
 Music by Jarell Barton
Silent auction begins
Children’s activities
2:00pm Emcee: Satoru “San” Asato
Japanese adoptee and adoptive parent
2:15pm Jarell Barton
A self taught musician of the Guzheng (古箏)
- 16-26 stringed zither with movable bridges
2:30pm Introduction: Aron Spiess
Secretary of AdopSource
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2:45pm Special Music
Lisa Gutsche and Song-Un Lee
3:00pm Key Note Speaker: Tou Ger Xiong
Comedian, Story Teller, and rap artist
4:00pm Closing Remarks: Sarah Pradt
Adoptive parent of a Chinese adoptee daughter and Vice President of AdopSource
4:15pm A Taste of Asian Cuisine
5:00pm Auction Closes |
Speakers and Performers
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 Tou Ger Xiong is a thought-provoking comedian, rap artist, and Hmong storyteller. He is well known as “the Hmong version of Chris Rock, Jim Carrey, and Snoop Dogg—all stir fried into one,” Tou Ger has a unique ability to transcend cultures, promote diversity, and expose racial stereotypes to help educate, while all being tremendously energetic, humorous, enthralling, entertaining, and musical.
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 Jarell Barton lived in Salt Lake City with his Grandmother when he first heard the Chinese instrument, the Guzheng. Once he heard it played, he was determined to learn it. He even made his first out of an old guitar.
After receiving his first real Guzheng, a present from his Grandmother, he had, in just a year and 1/2, worked hard to reach a high level in performance. He now publicly performs and has been playing for years. “It’s not only the sound of Guzheng that appeals to me it’s also the way every little detail [about it] stands out from other instruments.”
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Satoru “San” Asato is a Certified Financial PlannerTM, a Principal and Financial Advisor with McNellis & Asato, Ltd. McNellis & Asato is a Bloomington, Minnesota based, independent wealth management firm founded in 1971 that specializes in personal retirement planning and investment management.
San is married to Sheila Asato. They have two sons. The oldest is their biological child, and the youngest is adopted from Japan. San himself is an adoptee.
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 Aron Spiess serves as the Secretary of AdopSource. He received a B.A. in Secondary English Education and a minor in Technology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Spiess serves as a board member on the long term planning committee of the Dragon Festival. He volunteers for the Asian Pacific Cultural Center as the Web Developer and Master. He is a Senior Technology Support Analyst in Information Technology at United Health Group.
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 Lisa Gutsche serves as a volunteer on the Events committee. She received her B.A. in Business and Spanish with a specialization in International Business from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. In the past, she has spent her time networking and volunteering for various adoptee organizations within the Twin Cities. She currently works as a Senior District Manager for ADP.
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Song-Un Lee came to the United States with his family when he was eight years old from Seoul, South Korea. He sang in church choirs and loves Sinatra tunes.
He has been an active participant in past Korean adoptee organizations such as MAK (Minnesota Adopted Koreans), KAM (Korean Adoptee Ministry), Korean Culture Camp, and AK Connection and is a regular contributor to the Korean Quarterly as a film reviewer and essayist.
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Sarah Pradt, formerly on the faculties of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and Macalester College, works at HECUA, a consortium of liberal arts colleges and universities offering off-campus study programs focusing on social justice.
She serves as the Vice President of AdopSource. She holds a Ph.D. in East Asian Literature from Cornell University, and was a Fulbright researcher in Japan in 2002-03. Sarah is parent to a daughter adopted in China.
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