May
– A small group of community leaders discusses
the possibility of establishing an inclusive
community based organization, conceptualized
to serve the community and work together with
other AAPI nonprofits.
1997
January
– Founding Committee begins to develop an action
plan for the alliance, to be called the Orange
County Asian and Pacific Islander Health Alliance
(OCAPIHA).
June
– OCAPIHA receives its first grant from The
California Endowment and becomes a project of
Special Service for Groups (SSG) with Mary Anne
Foo, its first employee and one of the founders,
as Executive Director.
June
– OCAPIHA opens its doors on Lewis St. in Garden
Grove.
June
– OCAPIHA establishes and hosts the first meeting
of the Orange County Breast Cancer Partnership,
AAPI Task Force.
July
– Founding Board of Directors holds its first
meeting. Members include Clayton Chau, Kenneth
Inouye, Michael Matsuda, Lola Sablan-Santos,
Sora Park Tanjasiri, Caroline Uhm, Xuan Vu,
and Alan Woo.
July
– OCAPIHA begins partnerships with UCLA School
of Public Health and other statewide community
organizations to conduct behavioral health research
related to breast cancer prevention among the
Hmong population in the counties of Orange,
Long Beach, Fresno and San Diego.
September
– OCAPIHA Board of Directors holds its first
retreat.
1998
•
March – OCAPIHA changes its name to OCAPICA, the
Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community
Alliance to reflect the expansion of programs
into other areas.
May –
OCAPICA becomes the first Orange County group
to organize the annual statewide legislative
conference, APIsCAN (Asian and Pacific Islanders’
California Action Network).
May –
OCAPICA organizes the first AAPI Heritage Month
celebration in Santa Ana, which is attended
by more than 100 community members. Keynote
speaker is Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. Kuturan
Chamorro Dancers provide lively entertainment.
June
– OCAPICA launches Orange County’s first AAPI
basketball league. More than 100 5th – 8th grade
students participate.
July
– OCAPICA receives its first community economic
development grant from Merrill Lynch & Co.
Foundation.
July
– OCAPICA produces a needs assessment report
on the health care needs of the AAPI populations
in Orange County, and begins to conduct cultural
competency trainings with health care providers.
September
– OCAPICA establishes and hosts the first meeting
of the Orange County AAPI AIDS Task Force.
October
- Mary Anne hires James Lam and Daniel Do-Khanh
as OCAPICA’s first Program staff.
October
– OCAPICA begins an AAPI tobacco control project
focused upon store and bar owners, enforcement
of tobacco control policies, college-age prevention,
and working with health care providers.
1999
•
January – OCAPICA, with instructors Jack Toan
and David Choi, launches the Asian Pacific Islander
Martial Arts program, a free martial arts training
program for youth ages 6-18 years.
March
– OCAPICA joins Asian Pacific American Legal
Center’s California Asian and Pacific Islander
Census 2000 Network, a statewide collaboration
of six key AAPI organizations, and begins outreach
efforts to provide education and support to
the community to improve participation in the
Census.
July
– OCAPICA establishes the first AAPI Men’s Health
Program to address the health needs of uninsured
and underinsured AAPI men and to improve their
access to health care. OCAPICA finds a disproportionately
high rate of uninsured men working in the community.
August
– OCAPICA’s AAPI Men’s Health Program hosts
its first Men-at-Walk Health & Fitness Fair
at Golden West Community College.
October
– OCAPICA moves to a new home at Zitny Plaza
located at 10612 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden
Grove, CA.
November
– OCAPICA holds Orange County’s first AAPI High
School Friendship Games, an annual mini-Olympics
event for AAPI youth at Western High School,
Anaheim.
November
– OCAPICA and Special Service for Groups lead
a unique collaborative of community partners
to begin a five-year breast and cervical cancer
prevention, control and treatment program for
Pacific Islanders and Southeast Asians.
December
– OCAPICA publishes the AAPI Internet Resource
Guide, a comprehensive and easy-to-use directory
of more than 250 AAPI-related and other sites.
2000
•
April – OCAPICA’s Articles of Incorporation are
endorsed and filed by the State of California.
June
– OCAPICA publishes the first edition of TAPIOCA,
Orange County’s first AAPI newspaper entirely
written, edited and produced by AAPI youth.
June
– OCAPICA hosts the first Coffeehouse for AAPI
youth, featuring spoken word, poetry, love performances
and music.
August
– OCAPICA receives its tax-exempt status as
a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization from the
Internal Revenue Service.
August
– OCAPICA organizes an AAPI Town Hall Meeting
with Dennis Hayashi from the President’s Commission
for the Asian American and Pacific Islander
White House Initiative at Westminster Civic
Center.
August
– OCAPICA begins collaboration with Chinese
and Korean community organizations to establish
a five-year planning and implementation program
focused upon cancer prevention and control among
Chinese and Korean community members.
September
– OCAPICA, along with multiple other community
partners, organizes Orange County’s first Asian
American Citizenship Clinic, a citizenship education
and assistance program, at Wintersburg Presbyterian
Church in Santa Ana. More than 100 clients are
served.
October
- OCAPICA and Special Service for Groups collaborate
to begin a four-year program to develop and
implement strategies to improve the cardiovascular
health, diabetes, and immunizations among AAPI
older adults.
October
– OCAPICA receives the Pro Bono Community Partner
Award from the Asian Pacific American Legal
Center at their 15th Annual Awards Dinner.
November
– OCAPICA holds the 2nd Annual High School Friendship
Games at Santiago High School, Garden Grove,
and changes its name to Unity Games.
2001
•
May – OCAPICA joins APALC’s Coalition of Asian
Pacific Americans for Fair Redistricting and begins
the development and submission of Assembly and
Supervisorial Redistricting proposals.
July
- OCAPICA moves to a new home at Cedarbrook
Business Park located at 12900 Garden Grove
Blvd., Suite 214A, Garden Grove, CA.
August
– In partnership with other AAPI organizations,
OCAPICA organizes a Hate Crimes Training for
the AAPI community at Cal State Fullerton, in
response to the hate-motivated killing of Kenneth
Chiu, a high school student from Laguna Hills.
November
– OCAPICA organizes the first AAPI Policy Mixer
called Face-to-Face: Building Bridges. More
than 40 elected officials and 250 community
representatives attend.
November
– OCAPICA holds the 3rd Annual Unity Games at
Santiago High School, Garden Grove.
November
– OCAPICA co-hosts a community forum called
“Common Ground – Mobilizing for Social Change,”
with LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics).
December
– OCAPICA hosts a hate crimes press conference
on behalf of Sundeep, a South Asian American
man who was attacked leaving from a birthday
celebration with his family and friends. In
attendance are representatives from more than
15 community organizations, mainstream and ethnic
press and television networks, along with the
Anaheim Police Department, the Orange County
Human Relations, and the Asian Pacific American
Legal Center. More than $1,200 is raised to
help Sundeep and to post reward money.
2002
January
– OCAPICA partners with UC Irvine and Cal Poly
Pomona to begin research on the needs of low-income
Asian American youth in Orange County.
March
– OCAPICA begins its first financial literacy
program for youth.
