On May 18th, Comcast hosted an Asian Pacific American (APA) Cultural Fair in collaboration with the Asian Pacific American Community Center (APACC). APACC is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving APA families in the Visitacion Valley of San Francisco. The organization mostly serves low- and moderate-income immigrant families with limited or no English proficiency. With the support of linguistically and culturally appropriate programs, APACC’s mission aims to strengthen Asian Pacific American families and uplift the community to be confident, healthy, strong, and safe.
According to data from the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s American Community Survey, the Asian Pacific American community makes up 55% of the population in Visitation Valley. Within the neighborhood, 42% of the population struggles with understanding or communicating in English. Rex Tabora, Executive Director for APACC, recognizes this challenge for the individuals and families in the area, stating, “We’re here to the serve the people who are linguistically and culturally isolated, and we’re here to bridge them with the rest of the community.”
The APA Cultural Fair brought in over 300 people from the area to celebrate the heritage month. The event included a variety of activities and services for attendees, including cultural foods, fun games for children, and important partners such as the San Francisco Library and the San Francisco Police Department.
One of the event’s featured activities, a written essay content, provided an opportunity for students to share stories about their culture and identity. Five winners were selected, and Comcast was proud to provide each of them with new laptops.
“My essay was about what it means to be Asian. I wrote about our culture and how it’s different from other countries’ cultures. I also wrote about needing a laptop because my family only has one computer at home that we share. Having my own laptop is meaningful because I will have a lot of assignments in middle school. Participating in this contest was a new experience for me, and I’m thankful for Comcast and APACC for the opportunity.”
Kitty Xu, Student and Essay Contest Winner
The Asian Pacific American Community Center also serves as a Comcast Lift Zone, providing access to free Internet and digital skills and resources to students and families in the area. Lift Zones are part of Comcast’s ongoing commitment to support underprivileged communities. 40% of consumers and site directors at Lift Zones say that the program is their way to access the internet. Dillon Auyoung, Director of Community Investment at Comcast California, remembers the day when APACC first became a Lift Zone. “Back in the Fall of 2020, Kelvin reached out to me and said, ‘Our internet is down.’ And that same day, October 21, 2020, the day he called, was the day we showed up. And we wired the place with high-speed internet for free, in this community center as part of our Lift Zone program.”
Recently, APACC faced budget cuts from the City of San Francisco. As a small, non-profit organization, the community was heavily impacted and faced with the difficult decision of downsizing the program. Staff would be forced to make pay cuts, and students would have to be let go from the youth programs.
After learning about the budget cuts, Comcast surprised the organization with sponsorship of $25,000. With this sponsorship, the program was able to keep its’ current programming, and continue supporting the local community.
“Support from companies like Comcast means a lot for our community because we are one of the last forgotten neighborhoods in San Francisco. Our neighborhood is very dynamic with immigrants from Asian and Latin America moving in every day. To have Comcast support our AAPI Heritage Month event shows their commitment and respect for diversity.”
Kirstie Dutton, Program Manager for APACC
