Welcome

For over 30 years, CCAPW has provided a space for Asian Pacific women to gather, network, learn, and get involved in the community. As we continue to grow in our membership and carry out the work of our vision, we are excited at what the coming months and years hold for our organization as well as for our communities. We invite you to join us in our growing efforts and become a member!

Vision

Asian Pacific women in the Central Valley will have access to all possible education, employment and health opportunities while celebrating their distinct heritage.

Mission

To bring together Asian Pacific Women in Central California to share in their commonalities and distinct cultural heritage.
To address the educational, employment, health needs/concerns of Asian Pacific women by promoting the visibility, participation, and representation of Asian Pacific women in the community.
To provide leadership opportunities to empower Asian Pacific women in their education, career and life.

News & Announcements

CCAPW Spring Membership Social
Sunday, March 14, 2010, 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Special Guest: Jane Junn, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science at the University of Southern California, speaking on Asian American Political Engagement: Who is Active in Politics?

Location: Joy Luck Restaurant
7899 N. Blackstone Ave (at Nees), Fresno, CA.
Free event, donations accepted.
Light refreshments will be served.

CCAPW cordially invites you to join us for our annual Spring Membership Social on Sunday, March 14, 2010, 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM. Please RSVP by March 10, 2010 to Michelle at michelleher@gmail.com or 559-286-7942. To view the flyer for this event, please click here.

CCAPW 2010 Scholarships Application Now Available

Applications are now available for the 2010 CCAPW Scholarships! Click here to view the CCAPW Scholarships flyer.

To download an application in Microsoft Word format, please click here.To download an application in PDF format, please click here.

Please contact Rita Bawanan Merzoian at rmerzoian@sbcglobal.net for further questions. The deadline for applications is May 15, 2010.

CCAPW Scholarships 2009

Congratulations go out to the 2009 Scholarship recipients! Scholarships were awarded at our Saturday, July 25, 2009 General Meeting and Scholarship Luncheon at the Vintage Dining Room on the campus of California State University, Fresno. Dr. Ellen Junn, Associate Provost of CSU Fresno, gave the keynote address at the luncheon. CCAPW awarded $10,000 in scholarships to 10 talented and dedicated Central Valley students, the highest amount of scholarships the organization has awarded in a single year during its 30 year history.

Mae Takahashi Scholarship ($1000)
Suzanna Ivy Vang, from Edison High School, will study Physical Therapy at CSU Fresno.

Joan M. Agustin Memorial Scholarship ($1000)
Lee Vang, from Merced High School, will study Child Development at CSU Sacramento

CCAPW General Scholarships ($500-$1000)
Hashroop Kaur Gurm, from Clovis East High School, will study Molecular & Cell Biology at UC Berkeley ($1000).
Maitria Moua, from Edison High School, will study Political Science at UC Berkeley ($1000).
Kaozong Nancy Mouavangsou, from Hoover High School will study pre-law at UC Davis ($1000).
Dao Thao, will continue studying Liberal Studies at CSU Fresno ($1000).
LiAnn Toshimi Ishizuka, from Edison High School, will study International Development Studies at UCLA ($1000).
See Vang, from Sunnyside High School, will study Pediatric Neuropsychology at Brown University ($1000).
Abbygail Wahyudi Williams, from Buchanan High School, will study Political Science and International Relations at UC Davis ($1000).
Chong Yang, from Sunnyside High School, will study Psychology at Brown University ($1000).

Past Activities

2009 Holiday Luncheon & Annual Meeting
December 5, 2009, Thai Lao Palace

CCAPW members and supporters gathered at the Thai Lao Palace to celebrate the holiday season and share our stories. After swearing in the 2010 CCAPW Board of Directors and completing our business meeting, we listened to the leaders among us who shared stories of their families, their work, and their connection to our community. Project Access (Fresno Unified School District) was this year's holiday donation recipient, and was presented with 34 coats & jackets for children & teens, and $200 donated by CCAPW members.

Asian Pacific Islander Leadership Council
July 7, 2009, Fresno City Hall

CCAPW leaders and members participated in the quarterly forum of API voices facilitated by Councilmember Blong Xiong. Councilmember Xiong updated the forum on activities at Fresno City Hall, and members announced community activites and events. Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin addressed the forum, and engaged in discussion with community members on a variety of issues facing API communities.

Pinedale Assembly Center Memorial Day of Remembrance
February 16, 2009,
Pinedale Assembly Center Memorial and Remembrance Plaza

CCAPW leaders and members attended the dedication ceremonies for the Pinedale Assembly Center Memorial. The Memorial was erected at the site where thousands of United States citizens of Japanese ancestry living in California, Oregon and Washington, and family members who emigrated to the States from Japan, were held by government decree following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Assembly Centers like the one in Pinedale served as the first stop for more than 120,000 Japanese Americans on the way to years of forced incarceration at internment camps in Arizona, Wyoming, California and other western states. The outside Memorial is over 7,000 square feet consisting of a fountain and original fountain sculpture, concrete plaza, Japanese landscaping, historical landmark designation plaque, and an interpretive wall of ten storyboards which poignantly illustrate the journey of Japanese American internment and redress. The fountain and remembrance were designed and built by Gerard Tsutakawa, whose father designed two sculptures that anchor Fulton Mall.

An Evening with Kao Kalia Yang, Author of The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir
Wednesday, October 15, 2008

CCAPW held a book reading event welcoming Kao Kalia Yang, Author of The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir, on her visit to Fresno. With over 150 community members in attendance, the event was a testament to the Asian American community's eagerness to support the success of a young, gifted, and inspirational Hmong American writer from Minnesota.

Asian American Leadership Council Mayoral Forum
September 27, 2008

CCAPW leaders and members participated in Fresno's first Mayoral Forum to discuss how mayoral candidates can better meet the needs of the Asian American community and become civically engaged in the political process.

Women Speak Out: Changing the Way Californians Age
September 26, 2008

At the invitation of the Women's Foundation of California, CCAPW participated on a Local Planning Committee to organize a Fresno Speak Out. More than 25% of the participants were API women. This was the first phase of the Elder Women's Initiative, which "aims to build the movement led by elder women and their allies for a California where we can age with well-being, dignity, and economic security."

CCAPW 2010 Board of Directors at the Holiday Luncheon & Annual Meeting at the Thai Lao Palace on December 5, 2009. Front row (from left to right): Wanda Hasadsri, Mai Der Vang, Xee Yang, Maggie Thao, Bernice Kao. Back row (from left to right): Anjali Kapoor-Davis, Ellen Junn, Gena Lew Gong, May Blia Ly, Roberta Barton. Not pictured: Michelle Her, Hiromi Kubo, Marlene Kubota.