Table of Contents

Members of the Board 2006
Mission and Goals
Brief History
Remarks by President of the Board
Executive Director’s Report
The Story of Our 2006 Site Renovation
Financial Report
Report on the Adult English for Speakers of Other Languages [(AESOL) Program]
Report on the Enrichment Program (EP) [After-school Enrichment Program, Summer Enrichment Program
Report on the Mothers' Group
Report on ESOL Classes for Mothers (MESOL Program)
Report on the Volunteers for Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Service
Report on the College Scholar's Award

Report Coordinator: Mei Kee Wong
Administrative Assistant: Sue Cheung
Editor: Lucinda Zehr White
Original Paper Layout: Florence Yong
Adapted Online Layout: Alan Siu

Members of the Board 2006

Cliff Chuang
President

Sylvia Leung
Clerk

James Lam
Treasurer

Mei Kee Wong
Executive Director

Sau-Fong Siu
Committee Chair

Danny Tao
Committee Chair

Connie Yeh
Committee Chair

AMERICAN CHINESE CHRISTIAN EDUCATIONAL & SOCIAL SERVICES, INC.

MISSION: To empower Chinese families in and around Boston, with a focus on immigrant communities, bridging cultures and generations with a holistic Christian approach.

GOALS:

• To enhance family life
• To increase Chinese immigrants' understanding of American culture
• To encourage communication between cultures
• To communicate the Gospel through active caring and integration of Christian values into the curriculum

A Brief History of ACCESS

1990

JAN: Christians from Boston Chinese Evangelical Church start weekly prayer meetings regarding how to minister to immigrant working class people in Boston's Chinatown

SEP: Agency focus articulated: a holistic Christian approach that strives to bridge generation and culture gaps within families

DEC: First board of directors formed; Mei Kee Wong becomes Executive Director

1991

JAN: Incorporates as "The Bridge - Chinese American Christian Community Services Inc."; 501(c)3 status granted by IRS

JUN: Name change (due to duplication with existing group) to American Chinese Christian Educational and Social Services, Inc. (ACCESS)

1992

FEB: First program starts: Adult English as a Second Language (AESL) classes Dedication of facility at 220 Harrison Ave.

JUL-AUG: Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) starts

1993

SEP: After School Enrichment Program (ASEP) starts

1994

JAN: Information, Referral & Interpretation Service (IRIS) starts First annual training conference: "Competent Helping" [Program ends in APR 1997]

1995

MAR: Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program starts

SEP: Chinese Culture Corner (CCC) starts [Program ends in 2005]

1996

MAR: First grant received

1999

AUG: Re-dedication of the space, renovated in summer 1998

AUG-DEC: TOEFL tutoring run by MIT volunteers

2001

MAY: Seekers’ Group starts [Program ends in 2004.]

OCT-DEC: Mother’s Group starts

2002

APR: 10th anniversary celebrated; first public fundraiser; first informational CD produced

SEP-NOV: China Pearl ESOL pilot classes start [Program ends in 2003]

2003

JAN: ACCESS website is up on the Internet

SEP-DEC: Mothers’ ESOL (MESOL) classes start

2005

JUN: First College Scholar’s Award given

SEP: Strategic Planning Committee formed

2006

MAY: Dedication of new site at 244 Harrison Ave.

Remarks by President of the Board, November 2006

Dear Past, Current, and Future Supporters of ACCESS:

Greetings on behalf of the ACCESS Board of Directors! The past year was one of great progress and growth for ACCESS. In the spring, the Board of Directors along with a staff leader and a volunteer completed a strategic planning process that laid out goals and dreams for the agency for the next 5-10 years. During the process, we voted to revise our mission statement to publicly commit the agency to focus on serving recent immigrants who have the most limited access to services and opportunities:

• To empower Chinese families in and around Boston, with a focus on immigrant communities, bridging cultures and generations with a holistic Christian approach.

The board has formed several active committees to carry on the work of realizing our strategic goals as we move forward. These goals include:

1. The ACCESS Board will effectively set vision for and support the work of the ministry and staff.
2. Each ACCESS program will effectively serve its constituents and improve the delivery of services.
3. ACCESS will achieve financial and programmatic stability and be well resourced without sacrificing our mission.
4. ACCESS will be the “go-to” educational/social service ministry referral for area Chinese churches.

In addition, due to generosity of many volunteers and supporters, we signed a ten-year lease for our new Tai Tung Village home at 244-246 Harrison Avenue, and celebrated the complete renovation of the space (double the size of our previous storefront) during a wonderful ceremony in May.

We are especially grateful to God for the ministry of our faithful board, staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to provide the highest quality programs for the Chinese families of Chinatown and Greater Boston.

We look forward to your partnership and support as we continue to share God’s love through the ministry of ACCESS in the coming year.

Blessings,

Cliff W. Chuang
President, 2006 Board of Directors

Update From the Desk of the Executive Director, Mei Kee Wong

The God we serve is the Creator and Sustainer, a faithful Lord. He is the One who takes the initiative to reveal Himself and pursue those who are lost. Since 1992, the founders, board members, staff, volunteers, and prayer warriors of ACCESS have been a part of God’s work of pursuing the lost in Boston’s Chinatown. We have been privileged to experience His guidance in the areas of service direction, team gathering and building, provision of space and financial support.

God’s Provision Past and Present

ACCESS started with a vision: to empower Chinese families in and around Boston, with a focus on immigrant communities, bridging cultures and generations with a holistic Christian approach. After more than a year of prayer and study, the founders boldly started ACCESS. God has been working out the details ever since. Throughout the years, He has called gifted board members to develop ACCESS, making long-term plans and refining policies. With limited financial resources, almost all of our staff works part-time; therefore, there has been large turnover. However, our faithful coordinators and administrative assistants have been able to train and lead our staff and volunteers joyfully and faithfully, providing high quality programming and service for the community. More than once I have been asked, “Where do you find such dedicated and excellent staff?” “God only gives us the best,” I responded. Our staff has included many volunteers contributing critical services, among them lawyers, accountants, computer experts, workshop speakers, translators, and testers for our ESOL program. They have not only saved ACCESS a lot of money; but their loving service has been a great support and encouragement to those of us serving on the front lines.

Even our location has been a huge blessing. God has placed ACCESS in Tai Tung Village, close to the immigrant families we serve. He brought us a group of volunteers to do our first renovation, and gave us the financial support for the following two. Most importantly, a group of prayer warriors has been praying for us and helping us spread the good news to our students and parents. Many students and parents now attend church. We strongly believe that our God who pursues the lost will continue to work in their hearts, to allow the seeds that were sown to grow and bear fruit.

Historically, our financial resources have been uncertain, but the Lord has always provided. We have indirectly heard an elderly supporter say, “We don’t need to go out for dim sum. Let’s save the money for ACCESS.” With such people supporting us, how could we not be careful to put God’s resources to the best use?

We have worked hard to keep tuition affordable to our students. As a result our tuition income can never cover our cost. In fact, the more our programs grow, the greater our financial need. Our children’s Enrichment Program is one of the most financially demanding programs because we need to hire enough staff to meet the guidelines of the state’s Department of Early Education & Care (EEC). We offer families our own sliding fee scale, and most of our students pay less than 30% of the full fee. To ensure the budget will be balanced, most other agencies keep a cap on the number of low-income slots. However, to serve our community, we have never had a cap: we rely on the Lord to supply our need. We thank God for our ability to secure an EEC contract for 14 children since September of 1998, anchoring this program financially for us.

God’s Guidance for the Future Now that we are settled in our new site, we can concentrate on planning our direction for the next ten years. After fourteen years, we are now well established as a strong educational agency in Chinatown. Both our ESOL program and our Enrichment programs enjoy high reputations in our community. Now we would like to put more of our energy into our service to families. Our Mothers’ Group has been the most successful program for evangelism and it has significantly enriched the participants’ view on parenting. This has inspired us to increase our outreach to parents. We are re-establishing our parent meetings in our After School Enrichment Program, meeting monthly to discuss parenting issues. We are planning to write curricula on cultural integration and family issues for both the ESOL and Enrichment programs. For the last decade, we have been serving as Mental Health Consultant for Chinese Church Head Start; therefore, we have opportunities to influence their children, parents and staff.

We have established a Program Development Committee, which will give other recommendations to the board for the future direction of ACCESS.

Please pray with us. May the Lord continue to use us to be His hands extended to the Boston Chinatown community.

The Story of Our 2006 Site Renovation
by Mei Kee Wong

The Lord has brought us on quite a journey, from the time our 2004 Board voted in June of 2004 to address our long-term space needs, to April of 2006 when we actually moved into our new site. We are now thankfully housed at 244-246 Harrison Avenue in Tai Tung Village, just across from our former site.

When ACCESS opened its doors in 1992, we were very thankful to the Lord for placing us inside the Tai Tung Village housing complex in Chinatown so close to the people we wanted to serve. That single storefront had only three small classrooms, and we quickly outgrew our space. Thanks to the generosity of our neighbors, Tufts University Medical School and Boston Chinese Evangelical Church, we were able to expand our programs into borrowed space. However, Tufts and BCEC were also expanding and our borrowed space became less secure. The Board decided to plan proactively regarding our long-term space needs. At just that time several storefronts became available in Tai Tung Village, and our 2004 Board knew that it was a rare opportunity for us to expand our space while staying in the same housing complex.

Knowing that our rent, utilities and insurance would soon double, the Board started a fundraising drive to raise money for the anticipated increase. We thank all those who responded so generously.

We still weren’t sure where we would end up or what our financial situation would be. As we negotiated our options with Tai Tung, the complex asked us if we would consider giving up our site at 220, which had been renovated fairly recently, and taking two adjacent sites at 244 and 246. Although we were giving up greater street exposure, we decided that the long-term advantages of a large, connected space were worth it. To assist with the move, Tai Tung was willing to give us a $70,000 no- interest loan, to be paid back in 10 years time coinciding with the expiration of a 10-year lease. They were also willing to keep our rent at the rate that we had been paying, significantly lower than market rate. To compensate for the loss in our leasehold improvement at 220 due to our 1998-1999 renovation, Tai Tung lowered the annual increase in our new lease. We now knew where we would be and were grateful for terms that would make it possible.

Because of a delay vacating and prepping our new site, our renovation project did not commence until early 2006. We sent out another fundraising letter around Chinese New Year in 2006, and we extend our thanks to those who responded.

We were also blessed with the help of many excellent Christian professionals along the way. Our volunteer lawyer Gerard Fong worked extremely hard to help us secure the lease. A Christian architect and another Christian engineering firm helped us modify the original 2004 drawing to cover two storefronts. We found a Christian general contractor who was able to complete the renovation in less than three and a half months at a reasonable cost. And to keep it all going, we had volunteer project manager James Chan, whose expertise and tireless commitment guided our every step.

We thank God for additional financial provision that made a full renovation possible. We successfully secured three grants for this renovation: the Chinatown Trust Fund awarded us $75,000, the Ronald McDonald House Charities awarded us $20,000 and the Harvard University Memorial Church awarded us $1,800. From individual supporters, we received $9,930 in designated donations. ACCESS only had to come up with 9.2% of the total cost for the project this year.

With wonder and excitement, we moved into our new site on April 12, 2006, and held a dedication celebration on May 21, 2006. The Rev. Thomas Pang of Boston Chinese Episcopal Church offered prayer for our community and the Rev. James Tan of Boston Chinese Evangelical Church offered a dedication prayer.

Our new space has five classrooms, a computer lab, five small offices, three restrooms and a kitchenette. We are still holding classes at Tufts and BCEC; however, we are less reliant on them.

Please pray with us that we will be able to utilize this space wisely for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God and the blessing of many.

2006 Year-To-Date Financial Report
by Cliff Chuang
President of the Board of Directors

As noted in “The Story of Our 2006 Site Renovation,” ACCESS successfully completed the renovation of our new 244-246 Harrison Avenue home in Tai Tung Village without needing to dip significantly into the agency’s operational cash reserves. ACCESS Board Treasurer Jamson Lam prepared the following financial graphs providing a breakdown of the agency’s 2006 year-to-date financial activity. As indicated below, in order for ACCESS to balance its operational budget for the first nine months of 2006, we need to raise an additional $28,000 of revenue. This puts our projected additional fundraising need for all of 2006 at around $37,000. In 2007, the Board will be working hard to streamline ACCESS’ operational practices, strategically solicit grant support, and increase our network of church support.

Adult ESOL (English for Speaker’s of Other Languages)
by Erin Cole Shyamji
Adult ESOL Coordinator

1. Goals of the Program
   • Improve the English language skills of adult students in the Chinatown community.
   • Equip students so that they can effectively communicate in English and become valued, contributing members of American society.
   • Enable learners to reach their goals with respect to career, family and other personal pursuits.
   • Expose students to a supportive Christian environment.
2. Special Features
   • English instruction daily, Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
   • Units of study that provide an introduction to American society and culture.
   • Bi-lingual Level 1 instruction for beginners; upper levels taught by native speakers.
   • Computer lab and training for advanced Level 5.
   • Field trips within each level to relevant places, such as the library, the bank, and local supermarkets.
   • A learner-centered, participatory approach to language acquisition: English vocabulary, structures, and functions are presented topically, with multiple opportunities for students to develop their skills through communicative activities.
3. Profiles of Clients
   • Immigrants from China, mostly between 20 and 50 years old.
   • Chinese speakers (The majority speak more than one Chinese dialect, Fujianese, Mandarin, and Cantonese being the most common).
   • Most are low-income restaurant workers who live in Chinatown, Quincy, and Malden.
4. Enrollment
   • Ranges from seven to twenty students, in eight classes.
   • 5 levels of students being served, with our lower level classes having 2 classes each.
5. Staff and Volunteers
   • Eight ESOL teachers, one of whom coordinates the program.
   • Three substitute teachers.
   • One bi-lingual volunteer intake (testing) personnel.

Enrichment Program
by Becky Bailey
Enrichment Program Coordinator

ACCESS has two Enrichment Programs: After School Enrichment Program and Summer Enrichment Program.

1. Goals of Both Programs
   • Increase students’ knowledge and use of conversational and written Eng lish.
   • Assist students in mastering the academic requirements of their grade level.
   • Provide a safe, supervised and constructive environment.
   • Encourage and develop individual creativity and potential.
   • Bridge cultural gaps between students and parents.
   • Nurture moral and spiritual growth.
2. Special Features
   • State licensed program by the Massachusetts Office of Early Education & Care.
   • 1:10 homework assistance.
   • Full inclusion of Special Needs students.
   • Individual Family Conferences, twice a year for each student.
   • Special full day programming for school holidays and professional days.
   • Weekly Bible Lessons.
   • Field Trips to museums, zoos, libraries, parks, etc.
   • Special Celebrations (e.g., Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chinese New Year, Easter.)
   • Physical recreation, including swimming during the summer.
   • Monthly Parent Workshops.
3. Profile of Students
   • Elementary age children in grades K-5.
   • All our students are Chinese Americans.
   • Students are primarily from non-English speaking families that have recently immigrated to the U.S. from China.
   • Most of our students’ parents work in factories or in the restaurant industry due to their limited English and/or education.
   • Students primarily live in Boston’s Chinatown or in the surrounding neighborhoods.
   • Most students in After School EP attend Josiah Quincy School and Harvard Kent School; students in Summer EP also include some suburban children.
   • Most students born in the U.S.
4. Enrollment
   • Ranges from 35-42 students.
   • With our new facility we are aiming to increase our student enrollment to 52, which is our licensed capacity.
5. Staff & Volunteers
   • After School EP: Four teachers, a program administrator, and a parent liaison.
   • Summer EP: Four teachers at a given time, a program administrator, and a parent liaison.
   • Staff are bi-cultural, bi-lingual and all Christians.
   • Volunteers are former staff, college students, young professionals and retired professionals.
   • We have recently started using Junior Volunteers during our Summer Enrichment program. Junior Volunteers are students who have aged out of our Enrichment Program and who come back as either middle school or high school students to assist in the classroom.
   • We have one “big brother” volunteer and a range of classroom volunteers, each volunteering once weekly; the number of volunteers ranges from 2-15 depending on the time of year and program.

Percentage presented was the percentage of children in the enrolled EP. All percentages were rounded to the nearest integer. Therefore, percentages presented in the enrolled EP might not add up to 100% due to rounding error.

Mothers’ Group
by Mei Kee Wong
Executive Director

1. Goals of the Program
   • Empower stay-at-home immigrant mothers in raising their children.
   • Provide a forum for information sharing and skill building.
   • Build friendships and minimize isolation.
   • Evangelize and share God’s love.
2. Special Features
   • Weekly hands-on mother-child activities that encourage mother-child bonding and build skills. These activities are carefully chosen to be easily duplicated at home.
   • Weekly Workshop discussions on relevant topics including parenting, marriage, women and cultural issues with a Biblical perspective.
   • Field trips to relevant places such as the public library, Children’s Museum, shopping areas and parks accessible by public transportation.
3. Profiles of Clients
   • New immigrant stay-at-home mothers with children under five. Most are Chinese-speaking.
4. Enrollment
   • Ranges from five to fifteen.
5. Staff and Volunteers
   • One staff member designs the hands-on activities, another one leads the activities, a third provides childcare, and a fourth is in charge of the workshop and the program.
   • Two to three volunteers support the discussions and childcare.

Mothers’ ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)
by Mei Kee Wong
Executive Director

1. Goal of the Program
   • Improve the English language skills of mothers with young children.
2. Special Features
   • English instruction twice a week during the spring and fall season.
   • Special classes on practical language skills such as reading prescriptions and food labels and talking to medical professionals.
3. Profiles of Clients
   • New immigrant stay-at-home mothers with children under five. Most are Chinese-speaking.
4. Enrollment
   • Ranges from five to twenty in one or two classes.
5. Staff and Volunteers
   • One or two ESOL teacher(s), one of whom coordinates the ESOL program, plus a childcare worker.
   • One staff member or volunteer supports childcare.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
Chik Ching Law
VITA Program Coordinator

1. Goals of the Program
   • Offer free tax filing services to low and moderate income Chinese immigrant families.
   • Share God’s love through service and outreach.
2. Special Features
   • Partner with Internal Revenue Service to provide free tax help to people who qualify for the service.
   • Volunteers receive training to help prepare basic tax returns and assist clients with tax questions.
   • Gospel tracts, Christian newspapers and magazines are placed in the waiting area. Christian movies are shown to the clients while they are waiting. Receptionists also take opportunities to share the Good News with clients.
3. Profiles of Clients
   • Low to moderate income Chinese immigrant families/individuals from the Greater Boston area.
   • Some repeat clients.
4. Enrollment
   • Completed 120 Federal and State tax returns this year.
5. Staff and Volunteers
   • Most volunteers are from various Chinese churches in the Boston area. Some have experience in accounting and tax law.
   • 27 volunteers served in VITA this year.

College Scholar’s Award
by Sau-Fong Siu
Committee Chair

1. Goals of the Program
   • Help ACCESS alumni defray the costs of attending college.
   • Recognize the academic achievements of ACCESS alumni.
   • Encourage ACCESS alumni to reflect on their bi-cultural experience.
   • Inspire current ACCESS students to aspire to academic achievement and higher education.
   • Promote understanding across the cultural and generation divides of immigrant families.
2. Special Features
   • Requires a 500-word essay addressing the topic, “Growing up Chinese American: Rewards and Challenges.”
   • Requires a letter of recommendation from a teacher / guidance counselor.
   • One to two awards offered per year ($500 or $1,000).
   • Award recipients invited to read their essays to current EP/SEP students and/ or have it posted on ACCESS’ website.
3. Eligible Applicants
   • Have attended ACCESS’ After-School Enrichment Program, Summer Enrichment Program, or Chinese Culture Corner.
   • Are currently enrolled in, or have been admitted to, a 2-year or 4-year academic institution.
   • Can demonstrate and document financial need.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 at 1:00 pm and is filed under News.