Our Mission
Community Impact Week
Lunar New Year is a celebration of renewal, gratitude, and community, and this year, it coincides with APAMSA’s inaugural event: Community Impact Week 2025! It’s a time when we can come together to embrace the values of giving, connection, and positive action. We invited all chapters to join this APAMSA nationwide initiative that unites our chapters in service and solidarity. While each chapter operates locally, this week presents an exceptional opportunity to magnify our collective impact, showcasing the strength of our national network and our unwavering commitment to promoting the health and well-being of the AANHPI community. Here are just a few of the incredible community events that our chapters have hosted nationally.
Questions? Contact our Fundraising Director, James Chua, at fundraising@apamsa.org.
Indiana University School of Medicine
The Indiana University School of Medicine APAMSA chapter chose to volunteer at the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Indianapolis. This organization provides a multitude of services for the community in addition to their food pantry, which distributes groceries to over 4000 households and 380 homebound neighbors every week. They also provide household appliances, resources for obtaining housing, programs for developing life skills, and medical care and legal counsel. These resources are invaluable to members of the Indiana community, and as a chapter, IU’s APAMSA wanted to help give back and support their work.
California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine
CHSU’s APAMSA Chapter is planning to host a Skin Cancer Screening Event utilizing the APAMSA Skin Cancer Screening Toolkit to screen approximately 100 community members. Their chapter is located in California’s Central Valley, a region where agriculture and farming are the backbone of the community. Fresno’s farmers, many of whom are Asian immigrants and their descendants, have established thriving livelihoods and built a strong sense of community here. With summer temperatures often exceeding 100°F, they recognize the critical importance of supporting our AAPI community members and farmers by offering accessible skin cancer screenings, regardless of their insurance status. They are in the process of tabling at AAPI supermarkets to spread the word and requesting for funding from National APAMSA. Currently, the chapter has received positive responses from Vietnamese, Laos, Hmong, Hispanic, African-American, Caucasian community members.
Medical University of South Carolina
The MUSC Chapter of APAMSA chose to host a health outreach event at Saigon Market as part of APAMSA’s Community Impact week! Saigon Market is a staple Vietnamese grocery store in Goose Creek, SC where locals shop for their favorite snacks or stock up on rice, instant coffee, and sriracha. With this outreach event, MUSC hopes to provide hypertension and diabetes screening as well as informational pamphlets on mental health resources and hepatitis B/C screening.
Drexel University College of Medicine
Drexel COM’s APAMSA is thrilled to host a Community Health Fair during Community Impact Week! They are offering free basic health screenings to connect with our community and bring a little warmth this winter—just in time for Lunar New Year. They’re also excited for the chance to practice their language and clinical skills while making healthcare more accessible.
McGovern Medical School
McGovern APAMSA is excited to partner with the Chinese Community Center (CCC) to host a fun and interactive gardening activity for children, kicking off the CCC garden’s transition to summer crops! Gardening holds a special place in many Asian American communities, serving as a way to stay connected to our cultural roots, gain more control over our diets, and remain physically active. These values are why McGovern APAMSA chose this activity, and they hope the garden will thrive, yielding an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables that can be used to prepare healthy meals for the CCC community!
Binghamton University
For APAMSA’s Community Impact Week 2025, Binghamton APAMSA has decided on a clothing donation with the Chenango Fenton Project Concern Inc. in addition to giving out Lunar New Year candy. Lunar New Year is a time of renewal, reflection, and giving, with many people cleaning out their homes, offering gratitude, and sharing with others. A clothing drive would align with the values of both generosity and community, symbolizing a collective effort in sharing resources with those that are less fortunate. The Lunar New Year candy would be reminiscent of the candies that were handed out when we were younger.