ASIA is pleased to announce that it has received funding from the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Food Banks to place two AmeriCorps volunteers at ASIA: one in Akron and the other in Cleveland. The volunteers will be responsible to assist individuals and families to enroll into Ohio’s Benefits Bank and to recruit volunteers to support outreach and enrollment.
To learn more about the Ohio Benefits Bank, visit www.obb.ohio.gov.
The Ohio Department of Public Safety, Office of Criminal Justice Services announced that ASIA has been awarded one of the Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The funding will support Newcomer C-PEP (Crime Prevention and Education Program ), a community-based effort to engage newcomer population to better understand the American criminal justice system and to strengthen community awareness about American law. The project focuses on newcomer community in Cuyahoga County.
The complete list of funded organizations are posted to the OCJS’ website: http://www.ocjs.gov under “Information and Services”.
Allison Arsouzy is a current MSW student at Cleveland State University focusing on refugee resettlement. Her undergraduate degree is in International Relations and Spanish and she is currently studying Arabic. Allison has traveled, studied, and lived throughout Central America, Europe, and the Middle East. She found out about ASIA while researching immigration and refugee agencies in Cleveland. During her internship she will be working with ASIA’s new domestic violence program and also developing a work program that addresses employment issues facing immigrants seeking employment in Cleveland.
Sarah Elswick holds a BA in anthropology and has worked overseas for a non-governmental organization called Sewa International in 2007-2008. She implemented and developed an eco-tourism plan for two remote villages and an agriculture center in Nandurbar, India. Currently, Sarah still works for the local chapter of Sewa, now with Bhutanese Refugees in Shangri-La Job Placement Agency. At ASIA, Sarah is working with the CAM program teaching reading, drug prevention, ESL, math, history, and science. In addition, she will be working for ASIA’s domestic violence program. Sarah is a graduate student, focusing on immigrant and refugee services.
Ohio's first-ever AAPI Legislative Day was held in the Main Atrium of the Statehouse in Columbus. More than 350 AAPIs from across Ohio came together to understand their collective power and learn about each other's communities and the importance of political engagement.
See our webpage dedicated to photos, video and stories from this historic day.