Asian Pacific Islander Public Affairs Association (APAPA) hosts Ohio Chapter Grand Opening and 2018 Ohio Civic Leadership Forum
Sen. Portman sends video message, Rep. Stivers, Gov. Kasich, Ohio Senate and Ohio House extend commendation; Federal, state and local officials to attend;Aims to increase Asian Pacific Islander participation in civic affairs
Columbus, Ohio - The Asian Pacific Islander Public Affairs Association will host the APAPA Ohio Chapter Grand Opening and the 2018 Ohio Civic Leadership Forum on Saturday, June 16th at 1:00 PM. This event will be held at the Dublin Community Recreation Center to commemorate the opening of the Ohio chapter of a respected non-profit organization with close to 40,000 members and 23 chapters across the United States. The APAPA was founded in 2001 by C.C. and Regina Yin and like-minded civic leaders to address the alarming lack of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) representation at all levels of government throughout the United States. Since its founding, APAPA has provided hundreds of scholarships and internships throughout the country at local, state and national levels, registered and educated thousands of API voters, and hosted regular town hall meetings, forums and media programs around the country. Together with many other organizations and individuals, APAPA has helped increase the numbers of API leaders in the government at federal, state and local levels. U.S. Senator Rob Portman has sent a video message, and U.S. Congressman Steve Stivers of Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, Governor Kasich, Ohio Senate, and Ohio House of Representatives have sent commendation letters to congratulate the APAPA Ohio Grand Opening and the 2018 Ohio Civic Leadership Forum. APAPA Founder C.C. Yin, Vice Chair Dr. Albert Wang, and U.S. Congresswoman Grace Meng of New York’s 6th Congressional District and other national leaders will appear at the grand opening. Local leaders including Ohio Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko, Ohio Senate Assistant Minority Leader Charleta Tavares, and State Representative Hearcel Craig will be part of the exciting roster on Saturday. Vincent Wang, Chair of the APAPA Ohio Chapter, said, “The APAPA is a national, nonprofit, and non-partisan organization that is devoted to building a vast grassroots infrastructure to educate the API community about civic engagement and civic leadership. It has established a great reputation with national and local civic leaders and community organizations. A number of federal, state, and local leaders have emerged as a result of APAPA’s efforts. APAPA Ohio is aimed at leveraging the strong support of the state and local leaders in Ohio, and the enthusiasm of the API community to duplicate the APAPA success here, and make our state and our country better.” Michele Young, Advisory Board Chair, said '"this marks the beginning of a new era of inclusion and empowerment for Asian American and Pacific Islanders across Ohio under the dynamic leadership of Vincent Wang. This organization will change the lives of many children who will have scholarships and opportunities to be mentored by leaders on the local and national level. Already leaders like Senator Rob Portman have taken notice of the start of an exciting new era for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans."
