In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, CPC is proud to announce the launch of the “Our Community, Our Stories” campaign to share the personal stories of community members directly impacted by CPC. For over 56 years CPC has transformed thousands of lives by providing trusted and reliable services and support through educational, social, and community services. Through these stories, we celebrate our collective impacts and our community's contributions and resilience.  

Our first community story features the family of Billie and Wendy Chu.
The Chu family has been involved with CPC for three generations.

Billie moved to the U.S. in 1990 from Changsha, Hunan Province, stopping over briefly in New York before joining her husband, Ming, in Kansas City. 

Billie describes the isolation that she encountered during her first months in America as she faced language and cultural barriers: “You come here from China and you just get lost. You don’t know anybody. You feel so lonely.” 

In the early 90s, the Chus returned to New York and moved to the diverse neighborhood of Woodside, Queens where Billie felt more comfortable. At her father-in-law’s suggestion, she started teaching at CPC’s after-school program and serving low-income immigrant families on the Lower East Side. 

She describes CPC as not simply a workplace, but a community where a sense of shared identity helped her adjust to life in a new city:

"At CPC, a lot of us have the same experience, the same background, and the same challenges.

You feel like CPC brings you a family—a kind of belonging—about who you are, where you come from.” 

Billie’s daughter, Wendy, now a lawyer living on the Lower East Side, grew up with CPC as a ubiquitous part of her family’s life.

After working as a CPC development intern while in college, she came to realize the importance of social service organizations that are culturally competent. 

Wendy has chosen to join the CPC Leadership Council as a way to honor her family’s involvement with CPC.  

Share the Chu Family's story on social media using #cpcstories.

Billie and Wendy Chu talk about CPC's impact and involvement with their family throughout the generations.

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。