Empowering Asian American Families
KCSC provides services to low to moderate income Asian community members living in the metro DC area including: 1) Social Services, safety net & emergency support, jobs readiness & English for work project, and youth internship & job shadowing project; 2) recognized by the DOJ’s Executive Office for Immigration Review in 2017, KCSC’s Immigration Legal Services provides free/low-cost immigration services and citizenship interview preparation classes through our accredited representative; 3) Family Enrichment Program, including DHHS’s five-year federally-funded healthy marriage and relationship education program; 3) Victim Services Program, including comprehensive domestic violence survivors assistance and services and services for victims of elder abuse and financial exploitation; 4) Senior Empowerment Programs, including the Senior Academy continuing education program for seniors and "Blue Bird" friendly home visitation services; and 5) Health Promotion Programs, including health education, Annual Health Fairs, affordable health and psychiatric services through two community health clinics, a breast cancer early detection program, mental health counseling, and alcohol and substance abuse education/counseling.
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May marks Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and we want to recognize AAPI organizations advocating for equitable rights for the Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Organizations like National Organization of Asian Pacific Islander Ending Sexual Violence and Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington-Kcscgw dedicate their time and efforts to combatting structural inequalities for AAPI survivors of sexual violence.
MCASA honors these AAPI organizations for the essential role they play in making survivors' voices heard through advocacy, community building, and service delivery.
If you're a survivor of sexual assault in Maryland, help is available. To find your local r**e crisis center, visit our website (
https://mcasa.org/survivors/find-a-r**e-crisis-center) or call 211 to be connected with local resources. You can also call MCASA's Sexual Assault Legal Institute - SALI for legal support: 301-565-2277.
Cancer is the #1 cause of death among Asian Americans, yet health research does not represent them. Health equity requires all of us to join forces.
Working together for a healthier, whole community, Asian Women for Health and their four regional partners are working with the All of Us Research program, a historic initiative by the National Institutes of Health, to help build a diverse health database:
https://allofus.nih.gov/
Recently, we led a workshop for their regional network on coalition building and our Social Impact Storytelling™ framework to support their collaborations over this 5-year grant.
A special thank you to Asian Women for Health Center for Southeast Asians - CSEA, India Home Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington-Kcscgw, & Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center.
Youth leaders take center stage in this breakout session! 👏 Join youth leaders from Living Well Kent and Korean Community Service Center at the #BSKsummit to hear how their work has shifted in the context of COVID-19, George Floyd and the demand for racial justice.
Participants will also have the opportunity to break out into groups and collectively share, learn, and create strategies that push for transformative change 🙌
Register & meet our speakers and breakout session partners:
https://bit.ly/3sxTfGQ
Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington-Kcscgw Living Well Kent
Photo: KCSC YouthKan youth
#BSKSummit
Watch my remarks here:
https://youtu.be/9b3-2nKvcg8
Alongside my Montgomery County MD Council collegues, County Exec. Elrich, Office of Community Partnerships, and leaders of our Asian American and Pacific Islander Community #AAPI: Asian American Health Initiative, Vietnamese American Services, CCACC, Montgomery County Progressive Asian American Network, Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington-Kcscgw and more we are taking a stand in solidarity during what is clearly one of the most hate-filled periods of our country’s history. Let me be clear, an attack on one community is an attack on every community. We are one family and we must care for each other.
2020 saw the flames of hate fanned by those who were elected to lead this country. You can draw a direct line from the rhetoric which attempted to place the blame for the spread of this pandemic squarely on the shoulders of those of Chinese origin to the fear and anguish felt today by members of our #AAPI Community. Words have power, and it is our national shame that we have to be reminded of this truth again and again.
El Paso, Poway, Pittsburgh, and now #Atlanta. How many more of these heinous crimes must be committed before we as a country decide that enough is enough? Simply expressing condolences isn’t enough, we need to stand together and actively push back against this wave of hate, we need to actively work to promote once more that American Diversity is American Exceptionalism.
It breaks my heart every time I participate in one of these events, because I know we are better. Stop the hate, stop the violence, and remember what drives people from around the world to make the journey to our shores-- freedom, hope and inclusion.
#StopAAPIHate #NoHate #Racialequity #socialjustice #StopAsianHate
CKA has been partnering with #KoreanAmerican leaders and organizations across the country who are tirelessly supporting the Korean American community during the #COVID19 pandemic.
🎥 In this third video, we interview Roger S. Pyon, Chairman of the Board at Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington-Kcscgw; Linda Lee, President and CEO of the Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (KCS); Connie Chung Joe, Then Executive Director of the Korean American Family Services; Charles Yoon, President of Korean American Association of Greater New York; and Kee B. Park, Paul Farmer Global Surgery Scholar at Harvard Medical School.
📮 Watch Here:
https://youtu.be/mX-UCQfsMQM
We would like to thank these Korean American heroes for their inspirational leadership. They are on the front lines, providing direct aid and services to communities in need.
With the #support of these heroes, CKA has served as a bridge to further our #community in the fields of #leadership development, #connectivity, and #mentorship.
We invite you to join us on Saturday, November 21 as we celebrate these impactful leaders and our community’s hard work and dedication.
To learn more, visit
www.ckagala.org.
#CouncilKA | #CKAGala2020 | #Sponsor | #Share | #Donate
This May as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we're highlighting the work of two member agencies offering culturally specific support to Asian and Asian American survivors. While survivors in Asian communities face some of the same struggles as non-Asian survivors, they also have unique considerations related to cultural norms, language access, and immigration status.
Thank you for all you're doing, BPSOS-Falls Church, VA and Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington-Kcscgw!
HoCoRespond has awarded over $200,000 in grants to 13 Howard County nonprofits that are addressing COVID-19 needs.
Community Foundation of Howard County, Horizon Foundation, United Way of Central Maryland, and Women's Giving Circle of Howard County, established HoCoRespond.com in March 2020 and recently exceeded its first goal of raising $100,000 in 10 days to support Howard County nonprofits with emergency funds in response to the COVID-19 crisis. As a result, $205,000 in emergency funds have been awarded in the first round of grants, going to the following nonprofit partners on the frontline of support assisting with food security, housing, childcare and healthcare:
CASA: $10,000 for COVID-related needs of immigrant, Latino and working-class Howard County residents including information and referral hotline services, benefit and loan assistance, employment assistance, and advocacy support.
Chase Brexton Health Care - Columbia : $10,000 to provide urgent access to food and rental assistance to Howard County patients experiencing financial hardship during the COVID-19 Crisis.
Community Action Council of Howard County: $25,000 to support the increased demand for services at the Howard County Food Bank.
Equity4HC: $25,000 to support emergency relief efforts that support disadvantaged students, families and seniors by providing healthy food, hygiene assistance and essential supplies through a partnership with Columbia Community Care.
FIRN (Foreign-Born Information and Referral Network): $15,000 to provide access to food, financial support and culturally appropriate information to foreign-born Howard County residents affected by COVID-related needs.
Friends of Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center: $25,000 to support the increased need for crisis and homeless services in Howard County as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
Hopeworks: $20,000 to assist in maintaining full operations of the 24/7 emergency shelter and crisis intervention support for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, including human trafficking.
Howard County Autism Society: $5,000 to support individuals with autism and their families most in need through the financial assistance from the “Madhu Fund,” a fund providing one-time, emergency assistance to individuals with autism and/or their families who are experiencing an immediate need for financial assistance, and operational support for increased family navigator services.
Humanim: $25,000 to provide food and supplies to Howard County homeless residents sheltering in local motels through the City Seeds program, a social enterprise that provides catering and job training skills for people facing employment barriers.
JustLiving Advocacy, Inc.: $5,000 to support low-income Howard County families with support for child care costs and advocacy.
Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington-Kcscgw: $10,000 to support food security needs with culturally sensitive food options for low- to moderate-income Korean and Chinese American residents of Howard County.
Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland, Inc.: $20,000 to expand the Home Delivered Meal Program and Grocery Shopping Assistance Program serving low-income Howard County seniors.
Neighbor Ride: $10,000 to support the food delivery program partnership implemented during the COVID-19 crisis with the Howard County Food Bank and Howard County Office on Aging & Independence Congregate Meal Program to support the food needs of vulnerable Howard County residents.
"We are facing an unprecedented challenge that continues to require collective action and support for those in our community who are impacted the most, and we are committed to taking steps to address the coronavirus outbreak in ways that include deep considerations of equity,” said Franklyn Baker, president and CEO of United Way of Central Maryland. “We are focused on cultural, racial, ethnic, geographic, and ability diversity in the organizations we are funding.”
HoCoRespond has also launched its second fundraising challenge, with a goal of raising $200,000 in five days. The application process for the second round of emergency grants opens today, and applications are due on Friday, April 24, 2020.
"This pandemic is going to continue to cause many challenges for our residents of Howard County and we're incredibly grateful to have such dedicated organizations to help look out for our most vulnerable," said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. "HoCoRespond has already demonstrated how effective their collaborative effort can be, and I encourage those who are able to support their emergency funds to respond to this crisis."
“We know the short and long-term impact of COVID-19 will continue to have lasting implications and disproportionately affect community members who are earning hourly wages, going without health insurance, needing child care and facing financial hurdles,” said Nikki Highsmith Vernick, president and CEO of the Horizon Foundation. "As we continue to monitor and address the needs of our most vulnerable residents and frontline health care workers, we are proud to be part of a community coming together to show support."
“We know the needs are great, and we are proud to be part of a community of donors and funders that are stepping up to show support in these trying times,” said Barb Van Winkle, chair of the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County. “We are in this together, and will get through this together.”
Those looking to help can find information on emergency efforts at hocoresponds.com.