Saffron Circle’s 2011 grants totaled $20,000 and funded a range of creative and innovative projects focusing on the underserved Asian communities throughout Massachusetts. The recipients were:

Asian Outreach Unit (www.gbls.org), Boston

Every year, more than 15,000 poor people turn to GBLS when no one else can help. GBLS’ attorneys are among the best poverty law practioners in the country. AOU is part of GBLS, and serves the legal needs of indigent Asian immigrant clients in Massachusetts. AOU’s model is unique in that legal assistance is provided by bilingual staff who have strong ties to the communities they serve. In this way, AOU helps clients overcome cultural barriers to accessing the legal system. AOU provides representation in the areas of immigration, employment, family, housing, and welfare law. Recipient of a 2011 Saffron Circle grant for the Harry H. Dow Legal Assistance Fund Challenge Grant.

Asian Breast Cancer Project, Boston

Asian Breast Cancer Project weaves three key components together into a comprehensive community based program: 1.) Survivor networking and peer leadership development; 2.) Provider cultural competency training; and, 3.) Peer breast health/breast cancer education. This three-prong grassroots strategy uses evidence-based interventions to forge a powerful partnership between Asian American survivors, providers, and the community. Recipient of a 2011 Saffron Circle grant for general operating cost.

Coalition of Asian Pacific American Youth (www.capay.org), Boston

Coalition of Asian Pacific American Youth ( CAPAY) is a space for youth to develop leadership and community organizing skills and put those skills into action. We are youth run, youth led, which means that although the staff provide workshops and advice, youth make the decisions that guide the organization. Recipient of a 2011 Saffron Circle grant for general operating cost.

Springfield Vietnamese American Civic Association, Springfield

Springifield Vietnamese American Civic Association (SVACA) mission is to serve the Southeast Asian (Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian) immigrant- and refugee- communities of Western Massachusetts. Our goal is to empower immigrants to become self-sufficient and to help them adjust to American society through community support and education. Recipient of a 2011 Saffron Circle grant for the Family Empowerment Program.

Asian American Resource Workshop (www.aarw.org), Boston

The Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW) addresses the diverse needs and issues of the growing local Asian Pacific American (APA) community through three integrated programming areas: arts/cultural activities, community education, and social justice activism. AARW promotes pan-Asian identity, responds to contemporary community issues, documents diverse APA histories and social experiences, and exposes all generations and community members to APA culture. Recipient of a 2011 Saffron Circle grant for the Asian American Book of Writings Program.