The 5^th Annual Together Empowering Asian Americans (TEA) Walk a Success

On Saturday, October 10, 2009, the Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS) hosted its 5^th Annual TEA Walk. 

The event drew approximately 1,200 participants, more than a 70% increase from last year’s TEA Walk.  “Despite the forecast for rain, TEA Walkers were not deterred and came out in unprecedented numbers,” stated Marianne Chung, Associate Director of CPACS. 

The principal theme of this year’s TEA Walk was Census 2010.  “If we don’t get counted for the Census, then we won’t count when it comes to getting federal dollars for our schools, hospitals, libraries and community groups, and we won’t count when it comes to having a greater political voice in DC.  Let’s be sure to say WE COUNT,” said Executive Director Chaiwon Kim during her opening speech.

“$400 billion dollars of federal funding are allocated annually based on Census numbers,” noted Helen Kim, Director of Advocacy and Education at CPACS.  “CPACS has been approached to serve as the organizational lead for the Census Asian Complete Count Committee in Georgia.  We are fully committed to ensuring that all Asians in Georgia are counted for Census 2010 not only for the benefit of our Pan-Asian communities, but for the benefit of every single person that lives in Georgia.”

As always, the TEA Walk was an event that was free to the public.  “We provided light breakfast, as well free Laotian, Korean and Vietnamese lunch boxes for every participant,” stated Judy Yi, Program Director at CPACS.  “Without the generous support of our corporate and community sponsors, we could not have made this happen.”

Platinum sponsors for TEA Walk were Cosmo Health Care, H-Mart, IKEA, Koto Communications, Metro City Bank, State Farm and Yogurberry.  Silver Leaf sponsor was Korean American Association of Greater Atlanta.  Patron sponsors were Accenture, Asian Cultural Experience, Buford Farmer’s Market, Coca-Cola, Hong Kong Supermarket, Lee’s Bakery, Mozart Bakery, National Association of Asian American Professionals, Panera, Wachovia, a Wells Fargo Company, Waste Pro and White Windmill Bakery.

If you are interested in applying the excitement and energy from the TEA Walk into action, please consider:

·        Joining us for a Health Advocacy Training Session hosted by the Georgia Asian
American Pacific Islander Community Coalition (GAAPICC) on Saturday, November 14^th and learn how to promote healthy communities in Georgia

       (www.apihealthadvocacy.eventsbot.com).

·        Joining the Asian Complete Count Committee (contact: Helen.Kim@cpacs.org) and working together to ensure every Georgian is counted during the 2010 Census.

The Center for Pan Asian Community Services is the first, largest and longest-standing service-providing agency focused on Asian Pacific Islanders (APIs) in the Southeast.  CPACS, now in its 29th year, is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to create and deliver linguistically and culturally competent health, social, legal and other services to immigrants, refugees, and racial-ethnic minorities at low to no-cost.  CPACS is also nationally recognized as the leader for API research and policy work in the Southeast, and serves as a central referral and network source for national groups and local grass-roots organizations.  To learn more about CPACS, please visit our website at http://www.icpacs.org.