Dear Friends,

It is hard to believe that today, March 22nd, marks one year since New York State ordered all non-essential businesses to close. For the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), we had to transition most of our in-person services to be remote and had to continue operating our essential services in-person to support our most vulnerable community members. We have all been through so much in the past year, but your support and generosity have remained steadfast. Because of you, CPC has been able to provide relief and hope to Chinese American, immigrant, and low-income New Yorkers during these uncertain times.

In the weeks leading up to March 22nd, 2020, CPC continued to provide all of our services in-person while making sure to do so in a safe, healthy way. While it was a challenging time with the increasing COVID-19 cases and rising incidents of anti-Asian harassment, our Board and staff felt strongly that we must continue to serve our children, youth, adults, immigrants, seniors, and families. We carried that sentiment throughout the past year as we considered how to respond to our community’s needs during such an unprecedented time. From the beginning, our priority has been to keep staff and community members healthy while providing services in a safe way.

As I reflect on the past year, I am proud and humbled by the way that CPC has lived our values – we are our community, we embrace our community, and we empower our community. When New Yorkers were told to stay home, we were out in the community providing essential services like home care, home delivered meals, and residential care. When our community members needed support, we modified our services so that we could engage with students, adults, seniors, and families remotely. When essential workers went back to their jobs, we opened a Regional Enrichment Center to take care of their children. When community members struggled to make ends meet, we distributed $1.25 million in financial assistance to over 1,500 families. When seniors were hungry, we provided often their one hot meal of the day. When Asian Americans were experiencing hate, we stood up for our community’s rights. When funding for human services was being cut, we held the State and City accountable to prioritizing our staff and community members. When New York City opened back up, we ensured everyone’s safety by providing resource navigation and vaccine outreach.

The impacts of the pandemic are devastating. Over 30,000 New York City residents have died and over 578,000 New York City residents have lost their jobs. Unemployment among Asian New Yorkers has increased 6,900%, and over 500 bias incidents against Asian New Yorkers have been reported. While there has been so much devastation, I want to acknowledge that I also see hope and optimism. Neighbors are creating mutual aid groups to help strangers. Individuals are donating to community based organizations that they have never heard of. Communities are standing together to rally for Black lives and to #StopAsianHate. Institutions are holding up a mirror to themselves and aiming to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

Most importantly, the CPC Board and staff have been all hands on deck serving and empowering our community members. Because of you, we have never wavered from prioritizing our community members during this turbulent year. We are extremely grateful for your partnership and commitment to CPC, helping us to continue making a difference in the lives of our community members.

Please take care of yourself and your loved ones. Thank you for advancing our community.

Sincerely,
Wayne

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。