In her role as CEO, she is responsible for leading the largest health and social services agency in the State of Ohio focused on addressing the needs of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), immigrants and refugees. ASIA’s mission is to empower and advocate for AAPIs so they have access to quality, culturally, and linguistically appropriate information, health, and social services.
History of ASIA Inc.
- ASIA was founded in 1995 by a group of Asian women who wanted to help Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), immigrants, and refugees struggling to integrate in the U.S.
- At the time that ASIA was founded, most of the immigrants and refugees were coming from Asian countries.
- Today, ASIA *also* serves immigrants and refugees from Middle Eastern countries and Africa.
- ASIA welcomes all communities.
- ASIA started as a social services organization performing health screenings and community health promotion.
- ASIA opened its International Community Health Center (ICHC) in 2013.
ASIA’s Programs:
Children, Youth, and Families:
The CYF services department empowers families to grove and thrive through a collection of resources and programs aimed at academic enrichment, advocacy, and parenting support. CYF provides programming for pre-K through 12th-grade development, acculturation, academic support, and enrichment through a culturally competent lens by creating opportunities for positive peer experiences and leadership building. As ASIA’s oldest social services department, they arrange language-specific peer support groups for women, parenting education, and advocacy for refugee/immigrant parents of children and youth.
Sustainability Services Addressing Social Determinants of Health
The sustainability services department empowers clients to become self-sufficient through benefit access, economic development, and financial planning while providing opportunities for community engagement.
- Housing Counseling
- Emergency Food Assistance
- Workforce Development
- Benefits Access
- Transportation Services
- Tax Filing Assistance
Interpretation and Translation Services, Est. 2000
The ITS Department was born out of increased demand from health providers, legal practitioners, and community members served by ASIA.
- Court Interpreter Training
- Medical Interpretation Program
Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault/Human Trafficking
- Basic Needs Assistance
- Legal Services for Survivors
- Counseling
Legal Services
The Legal Department provides comprehensive statewide services and consultation immigration legal services to low and moderate-income immigrants and refugees across Ohio.
- Immigration
- Legal Permanent Residency (aka “Green Card”)
- Naturalization/Citizenship
- Family Law
- Marsy’s Law Representation for Victims of Crime
Healthy Asian Pacific Islander Fresh (HAPI Fresh) Farmer’s Market
- A variety of home-grown vegetables grown from seeds brought to this country from their homeland. Many of these vegetables are not available in our local supermarkets.
International Community Health Center/Federally Qualified Health Center
ASIA-ICHC offers excellent quality healthcare to individuals in Akron and Cleveland, including substance abuse and mental health services. ASIA-ICHC serves all patients regardless of ability to pay.
Apex Fund for Economic Development
- Microloans – Up to $25,000
- Small Business Technical Assistance
Aging Adults bka “Lucky Seniors”
- Pre-pandemic
- Congregate Meal Program
- Civics and Socialization
- Post-pandemic shift •
- Previous in-person programming suspended
- Basic needs and benefits access increased
- Emergency Food, Mobile Meal Delivery
- Wellness checks
- New or increased use of communication platforms
- WeChat
- Teaching Lucky Seniors to use Zoom
- COVID updates
- Testing availability
- Vaccine availability
ASIA’s Impact:
- Culturally and linguistically centered services
- Trusted community members on staff
- Responsive to community needs
- Empowering new arrivals
- Advocacy
