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 | | March Highlights
Where has the time gone? We had an incredibly busy March and first quarter – like many of you! We have individually and collectively worked together to create new community-building opportunities amid a chaotic news cycle with politics, severe weather, and unexpected, everyday life events. This month we were honored to serve in Atlanta, San Francisco, Seattle, and St. Louis while planning events in Minneapolis, New York, and Washington, DC. Here’s a look at our highlights from the month, but we also want to give you some things to mark on your calendar. Hope to see you this spring!
— Michelle Li | Co-Founder, Very Asian Foundation |
| | Seattle: Wing Luke Museum Gala VAF was proud to support the Wing Luke Museum Gala in Seattle on March 22nd. The event raised $560,000 for the Wing Luke Museum. Wing Luke made history as the first person of color elected to the Seattle City Council and would have been 100 years old this year. The Smithsonian Institute affiliate museum is located in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District and established in 1967. It is incredible to see the longstanding work of this incredible organization. Soogi and Michelle were honored to build community among so many trailblazers, check out venues for our AAJA convention celebration in July, and catch up with our friends and partners! |
| | St. Louis: Know Your Rights Community Gathering
In March, the VAF partnered with the St. Louis Pan Asian Collective and Missouri Asian American Youth Foundation to host a ‘Know Your Rights’ workshop. This session kick-started the first of many community meeting to discuss various topics affecting the St. Louis Asian American community. Danny Poon led the efforts, and we’re thankful we had so much interest and participation from community partners and immigration leaders. |
| | | San Francisco: Asian Women Are Strong Asian Women Are Strong Summit made history on International Women’s Day by becoming the largest Asian American Women focused celebration in the world!
VAF was proud to support with our co-founder Gia Vang at the forefront.
We donated over 250 books to 5 different schools (elementary through high school) in the Bay Area as part of the May Book Project (MBP). Special thanks to our sponsors and volunteers from our national sponsor Avalon Bay, who has an office in the Bay Area. We also got to work with our Act to Change Youth Ambassador, Mia Fung!
As journalists, Gia and Michelle worked to take part in programming — Gia had the honor of being the conversation partner for Amanda Nguyen, who is a trailblazer out with a new book, Saving Five. Michelle emceed the main stage and helped navigate the day’s performances and panels. Soogi ran our tabling and volunteering efforts, and she met with so many wonderful people who had questions about MBP. |
| | Mark your calendars
Vicky Nguyen book tour event and school visits | St. Louis | April 11 Mark your calendars for the upcoming book talk with NBC Today Show’s Vicky Nguyen. Vicky is releasing her new book Boat Baby: A Memoir with Michelle Li serving a conversation partner on April 11th at the St. Louis County Library’s Clark Branch.
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|  | Dr. Grace Lee, who co-leads the May Book Project committee, has coordinated two book donations and speaking events at different schools in St. Louis during Vicky’s visit. And, we want to thank our partners at the St.Louis Vietnamese Community, OCA-STL, and Gateway Korea Foundation for hosting a reception before Vicky’s book event. The reception and library book talk are free and open to the public, but registration is required for the reception. Click here to register *** CAPI: AAPI RISING: Identity, Resilience, and Leadership Summit | Minneapolis | April 21 Join VAF as we support this CAPI summit and meet some of our May Book Project authors. Unpack the intersectionality in identity, understand histories of resilience, and become a bold leader! Click here to register *** Pulse Check: Health Summit | St. Louis | April 25 Join us on April 25th for the AA and NHPI Pulse Check, a premiere summit dedicated to creating an AA and NHPI community health plan. This is Part 1 - Evaluating our Health - of a three part summit series that will bring together multi-disciplinary organizations, biological services, behavioral sciences and population research. Come engage in, learn about, and discuss the latest concepts in the AA and NHPI community around health needs and cancer prevention. More info to come but special thanks to the American Cancer Society and other community health partners for taking the lead on this important event.
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| | General Updates
Calling all creatives! The 2025 Very Asian Foundation Creators Grant is now accepting applications.
The award will support a handful of creatives (e.g. actors, artists, authors, bakers, chefs, content creators, podcasters, small business owners, etc.) in making their artistic endeavors a full-time job. Not only do the winners receive funding, but they gain access to our network of other Asian artists and amplification of their work through the organization’s channels. |
|  | New this year, we’ve increased the microgrant and have relaxed eligibility criteria. Five creatives will be awarded a $1500 grant, and applicants have to present a project they would like to complete in 2025.
We welcome submissions from people of all backgrounds. If you or someone you know is a creative based in the U.S. who has an AA and NHPI experience to share, click the link below to learn more about the grant opportunity and how you can apply!
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| | |  | Student Essay Contest The May Book Project has helped supply literature and increase Asian representation in schools and libraries across the nation. Now, we want to hear about your experiences. This year, as an extension of the May Book Project, the Very Asian Foundation is hosting an essay contest to explore what representation means to AA and NHPI students. Whether it is through diverse characters in a book, accurate cultural aspects in a movie, or having government officials who look like you, reflect on representation’s importance and how we can promote it. Be bold, genuine, and authentic.
Click the link below to learn more about the competition and how you can submit your essay for a chance to win a monetary prize and distinction from an esteemed panel of judges. The submission deadline is April 11, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time. We can’t wait to read your essays and learn about the power of Representation together! |
| | | Sunday Funday Luncheon 2025 We are thrilled to announce that our third annual Sunday Funday benefit luncheon will be held on Sunday October 19th at the W Bellevue in Bellevue, Wash. The Very Asian Foundation Sunday Funday Luncheon celebrates our #VeryAsian community, recognizes our 2025 Creators Grant recipients, and celebrates our local Seattle community leaders. Proceeds from this fundraiser will go towards advancing VAFs mission to amplify AA and NHPI voices and stories to help grow our programs.
For more information about sponsorship opportunities and/or questions about the event, please contact Michelle Rigell at MRigell@veryasianfoundation.org. |
| Support our Artists Also check out our new artist merch series, thanks to our creative director Claire Nipper. We’ll be highlighting them here and throughout the year. Support our Artists Series here Hartley Lin is a cartoonist who has illustrated for The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Bloomberg. Purchasing his shirt will support VAF and other projects like this series. |
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| | | | Every dollar counts! We are in unprecedented times, and we are still a startup non-profit run by immigrants, moms, refugees, and adoptees.
A $25 donation will buy one book for a school each month. Will you consider making an impact on our kids? Click here to donate! |
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