Asian and Pacific Islander
Heritage Month


May 2016 

In This Issue
Events / Opportunities
 
Cheer on the AACS

May 22, 2016
9am to 4pm
Scioto Audubon Park
400 W. Whittier St.
Columbus, OH 43215

May 28-29, 2016
Saturday 10am to 8pm 
Sunday10am to 6pm

Franklin Park:
1755 E Broad St, Columbus OH 

 
Sign up to volunteer at the AACS Booth at Asian Festival
on May 28 and 29! 
 
Opportunities for:
*Community Outreach* 
*Education* 
*Voter Registration* 

If you would like to volunteer at the Asian Festival, or have additional questions, please contact Kelly Hill at khill@aacsohio.org


Volunteer Court Advocate/ Criminal Justice Training

June 7th
11am-1pm

AACS Offices
4700 Reed Rd. #B
Columbus, Ohio 43212

If you would like to volunteer or have additional questions, please contact Kelly Hill at khill@aacsohio.org
 
Women's Wellness Group

We want YOU to join us!
 
Tuesday, May 10th, 2 to 4pm
Thursday, May 19th, 1 to 3pm
Thursday, May 26th, 1 to 3pm 
  
The AACS Women's Wellness Group seeks to empower women through self-reflection, conversation, building community, and creating community connections.

Topics include immigrant women's issues, cross-cultural issues, family, children, and relationships, arts & crafts, yoga & zumba, civic engagement, volunteering, and health and mental wellness.
 
The Women's Wellness Group is free and open to women of all ages and backgrounds.

If you would like to join, volunteer, or have additional questions, please contact our program coordinator, Kelly Hill at khill@aacsohio.org.    
API Youth Leadership Conference
Cleveland, Ohio

June 4

More Details TBA

If you are a youth who would like to attend this conference or would like more information, please contact Asafu Suzuki at asuzuki@aacsohio.org   


If you have questions about:

-Medicare Part A, B, & D
-Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs)
-Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
-Food Stamp Program (SNAP)
-Where to go for help
-Other related questions

Please contact Chin-Yin Shih:
614-220-4023 x 224
cshih@aacsohio.org

  Check out this story by WOSU Public Media on the Healthy Asian Youth program, featuring Program Manager Danny Nam and several youth in our program!


The Ohio 2016 Recovery Conference will offer training on topics such as advocacy, empowerment, job skills development and employment readiness; peer supports and services; community involvement; cultural competency; self-care; wellness; and more. There is no charge for this conference, but you must register to attend.   

If you have information regarding an upcoming event or community resources that you would like to share in monthly AACS newsletter, please email Kelly Hill at khill@aacsohio.org for more details.

Asian Gala
Friday, November 11, 2016 
      
 
From the Director
 
 
Greetings, AACS Family!

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month - a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
 
The month of May was originally selected to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the U.S. in May 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad which was built by a majority of Chinese immigrant workers in May 1869.
 
In Columbus, Ohio, we have a thriving Asian immigrant community. Asian Indians comprise Ohio's largest Asian community (29%), followed by Chinese (23%), Filipino (9%), Korean (9%), Vietnamese (8%), and Japanese (5%). Our community also includes APIs from refugee backgrounds including the Cambodian, Laotian, Burmese, and Bhutanese-Nepali communities. Our community is diverse, including established API communities and family who have been in the U.S. for generations, and new immigrants and refugees who are arriving to Columbus each day.
 
This month, AACS will take the time to celebrate our heritage and community as Asian-Pacific Americans at various events including the Asian Festival and the Dragonboat Exhibition Races. We also honor our heritage by raising visibility of the varied stories in our communities through our efforts with Voter Registration Engagement Project funded by the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund.
 
We hope you will join us in honoring our immigrant and refugee stories, our stories as Americans, and most importantly, the stories that you bring to life each and every day!
 
Sincerely,  
 

Hightlights from April 2016 
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AACS staff attended a Senior Benefits (Medicare) training at Jonathan Yu Insurance Agency - State Farm Insurance.  

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AACS hosted a Cancer Disparities Community Workshop facilitated by Dr. Moon Chen and Dr. Darrell Gray for Minority Health Month. The speakers spoke on the s ocial determinants of health that contribute to higher rates of cancer deaths among Asian/Pacific Islanders (APIs).

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AACS staff, volunteers, HAY youth, and students with Asian American Association at OSU participated in #APIConsent, a social media campaign to bring awareness to sexual assault, and build a culture of consent in Asian and Pacific Islander communities for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.



 
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AACS Youth Ambassadors hosted an Anti-Trafficking Event at Ohio State University, funded by the Ohio Children's Trust Fund.

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Youth engaging in arts and crafts during HAY After School Programming!



Youth learning during a Metro Parks Nature Workshop at HAY After School Programming


HAY Youth performed at
"Bridging the Gap," a Anti-Trafficking Event
co-hosted by Fraternal Order of Police
at Ft. Hayes High School