CPC launched the “Our Community, Our Stories” campaign in May to share the personal stories of different community members directly impacted by CPC. Through these stories, we celebrate our collective impacts and our community's contributions and resilience.  

Our sixth community story features Vanessa Chiu.

Interviewed by Lai Ling Li, Co-Chair of the Leadership Council

Vanessa currently works at Capitol One and is a Board Member of CPC.
 

Vanessa Chiu was first introduced to CPC through our afterschool programs. Her parents immigrated from Hong Kong and worked at garment factories. She recalled watching her parents at work, making games out of whatever she could, “trying not to get injured, get into too much trouble or be too much in the way,” she said.

When her father found the CPC afterschool program at PS 124 in Confucius Plaza, fifth-grader Vanessa took to it whole-heartedly, taking advantage of the athletics, the homework support, and the new friends she made there.

“CPC programs provided me with a safe and fun space to grow, academically and emotionally. It provided me a sense of belonging and a sense of community.

Most importantly, it provided my dad a great peace of mind knowing that his kids were at CPC afterschool and summer school so he can work and make a living wage to provide for his family,” she said.  

During high school, she was a SYEP summer intern at a CPC program. It was her first exposure to a professional office setting. It gave her the opportunity to gain independence and to build self-confidence. 

Fast forward to adulthood and after a few professional years at JPMorgan, Vanessa was first approached to volunteer her technical expertise for a real estate project and later on, to serve on CPC’s Board of Directors. Today, she serves as Chair of the Audit Committee and Co-Chair of the Board Development Committee.

She’s continued to commit time, talent and treasure because as a beneficiary of the CPC programs, she knows firsthand the positive impacts the programs have on families.

“It feels like I’ve come full circle.”

"I know there are many others and I hope they consider coming back and contributing to CPC, especially at this present time in our history as Asian Americans, POC and immigrants to help CPC continue to advancing all in our communities.”  

Share Vanessa's story on social media using #cpcstories.

By sharing the stories of our community members, CPC hopes to inspire and empower all our communities and allies to use their voices to set forth the change they want to see as we rally together to #StopAsianHate.

ABOUT CPC

The Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) is a social services organization that creates positive social change. Founded in 1965, CPC is the nation's largest Asian American social services organization and aims to promote the social and economic empowerment of Chinese American, immigrant, and low-income communities of New York City. CPC is the trusted partner to individuals and families striving to achieve goals in their education, family, community, and career. 

關於華策會

華人策劃協會（簡稱“華策會”）是一個致力於創造正向社會變革的社會服務機構。華策會成立於1965年，是美國最大的亞裔美國人社會服務機構，旨在促進紐約市華裔美國人，移民，及低收入社區的社會權益和經濟賦權。華策會是為實現其教育，家庭 ，社區及職業目標而努力的個人和家庭可信賴的機構。