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The Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States
Serving our Community for 26 Years!
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The Online Newsletter of PALCUS
May 2018
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Table of Contents
PALCUS NEWS
- Inaugural Portuguese-American National Conference
- PALCUS - SiPN Interns Announced
- PALCUS National Scholarship Program
- PALCUS Mixer in Reston, VA
- Save The Date: 22nd PALCUS Leadership Awards Gala
- Featured Gateway Business: Columbus Grill
COMMUNITY NEWS
- Portuguese NEWL exam
- XVII PAPS Forum
- Portuguese American PAC
- End of Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program
- Cycling for Peace
- Survey: Portuguese TV and the Communities
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PALCUS, in collaboration with the Embassy of Portugal and with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal and the Luso-American Development Foundation, is organizing the Inaugural Portuguese-American National Conference in Washington, D.C. on June 23rd.
Driven by the PALCUS Index National Survey (2017), community, business, education leaders and public officials will come together to discuss the three topics of greatest concern to the Portuguese-American community: 1) Portuguese-Americans in Public Office, 2) Portuguese-American Organizations and 3) Portuguese Language Education in the U.S.
Welcome:
Angela Simões, Chair, PALCUS
Dr. Vasco Rato, President, FLAD
H.E. Domingos Fezas Vital, Ambassador of Portugal
Opening Remarks:
H.E. Augusto Santos Silva, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal
Featuring Keynote Speaker
| H.E. António Guterres Secretary-General of the United Nations |
Conference: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Washington Marriott at Metro Center, Washington, D.C.
Ambassador's Dinner Reception and Concert: 6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
2125 Kalorama Road, NW, Washington, D.C. 20008
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC / REGISTRATION REQUIRED
To view the full program, to register and to book hotel reservations, please visit
www.palcus.org/inaugural-national-conference
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In collaboration and with the support of:
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Sponsorship Opportunities Available:
Support this historic initiative with your own business logo!
Seeking sponsors for conference items and services
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PALCUS - SiPN Interns Announced
PALCUS has partnered with the
Study in Portugal Network (SiPN) to provide two internship opportunities for Portuguese-American college students for the summer of 2018 in Portugal.
Congratulations and best wishes for an exciting and productive summer internship experience!
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Sabrina Brum
is a junior at Rhode Island College majoring in Modern Languages with a concentration in Spanish and minor in Portuguese. A member of the RIC Sigma Chapter of the Phi Lambda Beta National Portuguese Honor Society and the Dean's List, she is a recipient of the 2017 John A. and Mary V. Lima Scholarship in Portuguese Studies. Sabrina was a 2017 PALCUS summer intern at the Vice-Consulate of Portugal in Providence and will be interning abroad in Lisbon, Portugal this summer . She is of Azorean descent, resides in Bristol, RI. and works as a client service associate at Axis Advisors LLC in East Providence, RI.
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Mathew Estima
is a junior in the engineering program at the University of Florida majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Portuguese. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with an Associates degree in Computer Science from South Florida State College (Sebring, FL) and studied abroad in Brazil during the summer of 2017. His interests are computational linguistics, software development, internet security, and language. A second generation Portuguese-American from Miami, Florida, Matthew's father and grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Fermentelos in northern Portugal.
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PALCUS
National Scholarship Program Now Accepting
Applications
 PALCUS is pleased to announce the opening of the 2018 scholarship application cycle. Five scholarships of $1,000 each will be awarded to Portuguese-American undergraduate and graduate college students. The merit-based scholarships are selected on the basis of academic achievement, recommendations, essay and community involvement.
We are now accepting applications for PALCUS Scholarships
Criteria for application:
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Be a PALCUS member. (Young Portuguese American $25 annual) Join here
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Attest to personal Portuguese ancestry of an aggregate of least 25%, i.e. total Portuguese ancestry of the applicant
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Be a full-time student attending a baccalaureate or graduate degree program at an accredited college or university in the United States and have completed at least one full semester.
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Have attained a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of a minimum of 3.0 Official transcript required at time of application.
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Be
a U.S. citizen or a permanent legal U.S. resident (proof of I551 card with no restrictions required)
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Submit application, transcript and all supporting materials no later than July 31, 2018
The $1,000 scholarship awards will be presented at the Annual Leadership Awards Gala planned for October 6, 2018 in the Washington, D.C.
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Since 2012, PALCUS has awarded sc
holarships to 22 Portuguese-American graduate and undergraduate college students. The process is competitive with winners representing institutions of higher education across the country in fields ranging from law to clinical services to education to finance and marketing to music.
Read more
The PALCUS National Scholarship Fund is made possible through the generosity of the
Rosa Family and the Graciette M. Simão Rosa Scholarship Fund with matching funds from
Merrill-Lynch, as well as donations from the community such as the
Luso-American Fraternal Association of New Jersey which sponsors a scholarship for a Portuguese-American student from New Jersey.
Please consider creating or sponsoring a PALCUS scholarship in honor of or in memory of someone in order to enable us to provide additional support in the future. Your donation may be eligible for matching funds from your employer. Please consult your Human Resource Office for more information about matching funds.
If you would like to make a donation to the PALCUS Scholarship Fund, please click here.
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PALCUS Mixer for Portuguese Professionals in Reston, Virginia March 31, 2018
PALCUS member and former director, Laurinda Clemente, graciously welcomed members of the Portuguese-American community to a mixer at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Reston, VA on March 31, 2018. Portuguese-Americans residing in the Maryland/Virginia/District of Columbia area gathered together for lively discussion and socialization in an informal atmosphere.
Thank you, Laurinda, for hosting this mixer! Look for upcoming mixers in other communities in the near future.
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Save The Date!
22nd Annual Leadership Awards Gala
October 6, 2018
Washington, D.C.
The application process for award nominations is now open!
A benefit of PALCUS membership is the opportunity to nominate Portuguese-American individuals or organizations who have distinguished themselves by outstanding achievement or community service for PALCUS Leadership Awards.
Learn more
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PALCUS Gateway Featured Business -
T
his month's feat
ured business is COLUMBUS GRILL of Manassas, Virginia
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Columbus Grill Banquet Hall opened its doors in January of 2009. Columbus Grill is a spacious restaurant that has great Mediterranean food and Sunday Brunch. The lounge area offers Appetizers &, Tapas. Live Lounge Music every Friday, DJ every Friday night, Karaoke and or DJ most Saturday nights.
Columbus Grill also offers off-site catering for any type of event.
To look for more Portuguese businesses and organizations throughout the US (or add your own), please visit the Gateway online.
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The "strategic value" of the Portuguese NEWL exam
The National Examinations in World Languages or NEWL
®
is an online proficiency-based language assessment available in several critical languages. The exam is designed to provide a set of measures of functional proficiency in the target language for use as a predictive assessment for continued language study beyond high school and as a placement tool by American colleges and universities for entering freshmen. NEWL is intended for high school students-both traditional and heritage learners-seeking college credit and/or placement.
NEWL is intended to provide students an opportunity to demonstrate their language skills and to earn credit and/or placement into a college level language program. The exam targets students' language proficiency in the Novice High to Intermediate High levels across four skills: Reading Comprehension, Listening Comprehension, Writing, and Speaking.
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XVII PAPS FORUM
PAPS celebrates 20 years since its foundation, and
invites you for a day of exciting and engaging talks and discussions. We will cover diversified topics: from our beginnings, the developments brought about by our founders, the talents of past and current members, to the innovation opportunities that can be implemented by Portuguese in Portugal and North America.
Learn more
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PORTUGUESE AMERICAN POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
The Political Voice of New York Portuguese-Americans
The mission of the Portuguese-American Political Action Committee is to foster political transformation by supporting candidates, at all levels of government, who commit to ethical, accountable and transparent government and to support initiatives that align with the New York Portuguese-American community's vision and values.
The goals and objectives of Portuguese-American PAC are specifically designed to inform and educate the New York Portuguese-American community, allowing them to have a voice that is heard and an opportunity to participate in the political and social advancement, as well as making sure their issues are heard and addressed by public awareness and supporting candidates who share the Portuguese-American PAC's mission.
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IRS Announces End to Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced that Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) is coming to a close. The program, which has been around in its current form since 2014, will officially end on September 28, 2018.
The OVDP, allows taxpayers to voluntarily disclose foreign financial assets and avoid potential criminal liability. In its news release, the IRS stated that taxpayers are being alerted now so that those taxpayers with undisclosed foreign assets who are interested in making a disclosure through the OVDP will still have an opportunity to do so.
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Miguel Vilar and Carlos Vieira are "Cycling for Peace" from Canada to Mexico
Miguel Vilar and Carlos Vieira have peculiar life stories. Fate brought them together and during the month of April they will cycle 2800 kilometers, from Canada to Mexico, traveling the West Coast of the United States. The two cyclists departed from Lisbon by plane on March 30th, and arrived in Seattle to begin the journey in Vancouver, on April 1. They will finish on April 28 in Tijuana, Mexico. Their journey is being documented on their Facebook Page.
Read more
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SURVEY - PORTUGUESE TV and the COMMUNITIES
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n a collaboration between NYPALC and our friends at CONSUMER LAB we are looking to ensure that our Communities' voice is heard in regards to Portuguese TV programming shown to the Communities.
Please take a moment to fill this survey and, share it with your family and friends.
Make your voice be heard!
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Are you a PALCUS member yet?
We are stronger together!
Strong membership participation means a stronger voice in the national Portuguese-American agenda. In order to advance Portuguese language education, increase presence in the congressional caucuses, and provide economic opportunities, the collective voice of thousands is needed!
In addition, PALCUS is a member-driven non-profit organization that depends on membership dues and fundraising events to fund its operations.
Members of the all-volunteer board of directors donate their time and personal funds for travel, lodging and tickets to attend networking events and planning sessions so our administrative costs are relatively low but nonetheless critical to doing business on a daily basis.
There are membership categories to suit every budget and level of interest. Please click on our membership webpage and join our voice today!
 PALCUS announces that we are now using
memberplanet, a user-friendly platform that will help us to serve you better. It is an interactive service that will allow you to update your PALCUS member profile, track donations and dues and join PALCUS circles with members of similar interests all with the click of a mouse.
When you become a PALCUS member, you will be prompted to join us on
memberplanet. As always your information is confidential and will never be shared without your permission. Questions? Contact
Graci for more information!
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Help strengthen PALCUS as we continue working for the community!
Please consider including PALCUS in your giving plans in 2018.
Does your employer have a matching funds program? Check with your Human Resources office to double your contribution.
PALCUS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law and will be acknowledged.
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There are more ways than ever to donate to PALCUS!
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Paid advertisement. Does not imply an endorsement or recommendation by PALCUS.
Getting Your Portuguese Citizenship Service with 25% Discount
Portugal ReConnect is offering PALCUS members* a 25% discount on their service to obtain your Portuguese citizenship. If you didn't have a chance to watch PALCUS' webinar, "Getting Your Portuguese Citizenship: Benefits and Advantages" live, you can still watch it by following
this link. In the webinar, Portugal ReConnect's attorneys guide you through the criteria to help you find out whether you're eligible for the citizenship program.
*PALCUS Member in good standing, who has paid his/her 2017 or 2018 dues
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Did you enjoy this newsletter? Do you know about all the programs PALCUS offers our community? Please visit our website and become a member today!
We can't do what we do without your support!
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Jobs for Portuguese Speakers
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PALCUS Mission
In order to create a singular voice to advocate for the Portuguese-American and Luso-American communities at large, the Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States Inc. (PALCUS) was founded in 1991 as a non-partisan, non-profit, organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.
The PALCUS mission is to address domestic and international concerns of the Portuguese-American Community.
The Council conducts an expanding program of educational and public affairs activities on issues of interest to the Portuguese-American community and of salience to the Luso-American Relationship.
PALCUS is committed to serving the community through increasingly active government relations efforts, the promotion of a greater awareness of ethnic accomplishments and encouraging stronger ties between Portugal and the United States. In this role PALCUS advances the community professionally, politically and culturally while working to ensure that issues directly affecting our community are addressed through our network of government and community leaders.
PALCUS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization under the IRS tax code and incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia. Donations are tax deductible to extent allowed by law and will be acknowledged.
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