apafss.org  |  March 2019

ON YOUR MARK...

We did it! On March 3, 17 APA staff and Urban Fam young professionals, friends and family participated in the APA/YMCA Chinese New Year Walk/Run to support our cause of "Physical and Mental Well-Being." Baby Joshua, son of our team mate Ina Kwofie and Sylvester, was there for the stroller ride. Our team wore our color - lime green - APA/Urban Fam t-shirts. It was a great way to be out with each other for some early morning exercise of walking, jogging, and running.

WE'RE GRATEFUL AND HONORED

At GBC International Bank's (Guaranty Bank of California) San Francisco branch relocation grand opening on Feb. 25, the bank presented us with a $2,000 check to fund our Behavioral Health program. First image shows GBC's CEO, Board of Directors, and management team getting ready for the ribbon cutting. Second image shows Gayle Chan (attorney, APA's Fundraising Chair) accepting the check on APA's behalf, from GBC's CEO, Dennis Lam. Yvonne Pun, GBC's VP & Commercial Banking Manager is on the left and Angie Khong, APA's Development Manager is on the right. (Images courtesy of Frank Jang Photography)

HSBC Bank USA hosted a Chinese New Year celebration reception on Feb. 28 at the SF City Hall Rotunda, complete with a lively duo-lion dance performance. We were one of two non-profits to receive the bank's $5,000 donations supporting our work for the community. HSBC USA presenters were Senior VP, Wealth Sales Manager, Thomas Jaffee (L); Senior VP, Area Manager, Suzette Reboton (ctr L); and VP, Cluster Branch Manager and APA Board member, Kory Lam (2nd from R). Representing APA were Executive Director, Amor Santiago (2nd from L); Attorney Gayle Chan, Fundraising Chair (ctr R); and Board of Directors Chair, Rose Chung (R).

EARLY LITERACY

National Reading Awareness Month is here, it is a time to celebrate and accelerate children's interest in reading, writing and literacy. Early Literacy-related programs are central to the services provided by APA's family support centers. Early Childhood Literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they actually read or write. Young children need a variety of skills to become successful readers, namely Vocabulary, Print Motivation, Print Awareness, Narrative Skills, Letter Knowledge, and Phonological Awareness.

Chinatown Family Support Center: Activities include weekly reading during our Discovery Land parent-child interactive (PCI) program, and Early Literacy skills are promoted for parents to practice at home. We also provide a similar service for our Helping Hands group on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month. In March, we are kicking off a pop-up Play n' Move group every 2nd Saturday in collaboration with YMCA. We will provide music, books, and snacks for children aged 2-6.

Visitacion Valley Strong Families Family Support Center: Every Wednesday there is always story time during Play & Glow, our PCI group at 50 Raymond Ave., and we have books the children can read. For Reading Awareness month, we are providing a tip sheet to the parents who attend either of our two Play & Glow groups. It shows how 30 minutes a day of Early Childhood Literacy activities can help children excel when they reach kindergarten.

Tip  sheet

5 QUESTIONS  With Our Board Member

Stephen Koh CLF

Stephen has been on APA's Board for 9 years, serving on the Fundraising Committee. He is a VP at MassMutual Northern California. Stephen holds the professional designation Chartered Leadership Fellow (CLF) and has served in the financial services industry for more than 30 years. 

 

He has taught as adjunct faculty at College of Business and Economics, California State University East Bay. Stephen is a Commissioned Pastor of San Francisco Presbytery, and currently serves at First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame on a voluntary basis.

 

Why did you join the Board?

By joining APA’s Board I can better serve the needy families and communities through a very fine organization.

What do you appreciate about the services that APA provides?

APA’s array of services promote healthy children and families by providing family support to prevent child abuse and domestic violence.

What would you like to see APA accomplish for the future?

I would like to see APA get more funding support, grow in size and capacity to serve a larger population in San Francisco.

Tell us about your family?

My wife Amelia is my partner in the same professional field. We have two loving twin daughters, Carisa and Catharina, and two wonderful grandchildren, Callan and Maeve. Our pets Pal (dachshund) and Snoop (Jack Russell Terrier) are an integral part of our family.

What do you do in your leisure time?

My hobbies include music listening, playing and composing. I also enjoy reading, LEGO building, outdoor walking/biking and travels

 

5 QUESTIONS  With Our Associate Director

Herbert Dong MBA

Herbert is the Associate Director of APA, providing oversight for Fiscal & Accounting, Facility, HR and Business Operations as well as Family Economic Success and Car Donation programs, and assisting with the Board Finance, Personnel and Audit committees. He joined APA over 10 years ago, combining extensive management and finance expertise to achieve mission, productivity and delivery of social impacts and goals.

 

Herbert has an MBA degree with experience working for NGOs, start-ups and multi-national corporations, and is fluent in English, Mandarin and Shanghainese.

 

Why did you join the Agency?

As a first-generation immigrant, I understand the needs from the community and the importance of valuable services APA provides. I want to use my business experience and financial knowledge to help our agency to grow and be vibrant and sustainable.

What do you appreciate about the services that APA provides?

APA offers comprehensive levels of services to low- and moderate-income and immigrant families. For many clients, APA becomes a home away from home.

What would you like to see APA accomplish for the future?

Expand and extend APA services in more diversified community through sustainable approaches.

Tell us about your family?

I met my wife, Lihua, at the same college when we both were 18. She's a software engineer. We have two kids, Michael and Maggie.

What do you do in your leisure time?

My hobbies include reading, music, e-business, physical exercises and traveling with family and friends.

FREE and NUTRITIOUS

National Nutrition Month® is celebrated every March, and is sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Nutrition Month focuses on helping people to make correct food choices as well as developing good eating and exercising habits. Do you know that APA runs two year-round food pantries in Visitacion Valley partnering with SF-Marin Food Bank? The Sunnydale Public Housing food pantry at the Sunnydale Community Center serves the housing residents only. Around 100 families come through the line weekly. We also deliver 55 food boxes to seniors and disabled residents. The community food pantry at 66 Raymond Visitacion Valley Family Center is open to residents living within the 94134 zip code. Every week we have 518 participants and food box deliveries are made to twelve, it is the largest food pantry in San Francisco.

With special permission from the Board of Supervisors, two light pole banners promoting the Food Pantry have been installed to create awareness, near the Sunnydale Community Center where the food pantry takes place.

Read more

RECENT EVENTS

The series of Black History Month events held in February at the Sunnydale Community Center aimed to promote unity and community involvement. Each event had a theme that's informative and/or fun.

Read more

During the Chinatown Community Street Fair on Feb 22-23, new and existing families visited our booth. We outreached to over 350 families! A huge thanks to all volunteers and MYEEP interns from CYC.

Photos. . .

We hosted a Community Baby Shower in February for 12 expecting/new moms to learn about our services available to them (support groups, respite care, in-home visitation, parenting, child development classes).

Photos. . .

The Visitacion Valley community celebrated Chinese New Year ​on Feb. 5 at a gathering organized by VVSF and Mercy Housing. Activities included bingo, gift card prizes for winners were put in red envelopes.

The Excelsior family center celebrated Chinese New Year of the Pig on Feb. 7 with 12 families. It was also a birthday celebration. Our staff ordered many favorite Chinese dishes for lunch to welcome the new year.

Our Chinatown family support center at YMCA celebrated Chinese New Year during the Women Support Group with around 20 families. The kids were delighted to receive goodie bags donated by HSBC.

Photos. . .
APA's mission is to promote healthy children and families by providing family support services to prevent child abuse and domestic violence. We also advocate for culturally competent services for Asians and Pacific Islanders through education, community building and leadership development.
 
APA Family Support Services is a 501(C)(3) non-profit agency. Your contribution to support APA is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Donate. . .

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & THANKS

January - February 2019

$10,000 : WSPA

$5,000 : HSBC USA; Preferred Bank

$2,000 : East Star Building Supply Co. Inc.

GBC International Bank; Magenta, Inc. (monthly)

$1,000 : Celia Chang and Cary Chen

Stephen and Amelia Koh/MassMutual

Pang and Yum 2002 Trust

$500 : Rose Chung (Facebook Fundraiser)

$300 : Fanny Lam (Facebook Fundraiser)
$100 : Jake Bordeleau; Rosario Wong
 
 
 
 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair  Rose Chung  Asian America Foundation

President  Cary Chen  Recology  
Vice President  Jacqueline Huie First Republic Bank

Secretary  Julie Hoxie  University of California, Berkeley
Treasurer  Joyce Tso, CPA/ABV  ASAM, LLP

Mai-Sie Chan, M.D.  Private Practice
Van Diep  KTSF-TV, Channel 26

Stephen Koh, CLF  MassMutual Financial Group

Fanny Lam  COMPASS Real Estate

Kory Lam  HSBC Bank (USA)
Susan Sung, Ph.D., Professor Emerita  

San Francisco State University

Dean Yao, Ph.D.  Jinfonet Software

Rick Yuen, Assistant Dean Emeritus, Stanford University 
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR  

Amor Santiago, DPM, MPH

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