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Washington, D.C. — State Farm announced more than $217,000 in grant funding on Monday to support OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates in 2022, a move that both reaffirms and strengthens the company’s 38-year partnership with the national AAPI-serving nonprofit.
The awards will be used to sustain a wide range of OCA programming, including core youth and professional development programs and annual advocacy events such as:
- APA Y-Advocate: A half-day interactive training that helps Asian American and Pacific Islander high school youths develop leadership skills, discuss the importance of advocacy, learn about financial responsibility, and investigate concepts surrounding AAPI identity.Â
- APIA-U: Leadership: An interactive college leadership training program for promising changemakers that focuses on self-awareness, team-building, and direct action organizing.
- B3: Build, Breakthrough & Believe: A program launched in 2009 that convenes aspiring AAPI professionals interested in taking their ideas to the next level through leadership development and networking. Participants learn about the importance of personal branding, corporate success strategies, and civic engagement.
- OCA National Convention: Our annual gathering scheduled for August 4-6, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- JACL/OCA Leadership Summit: An annual retreat hosted by OCA and the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) in Washington, D.C. Rising AAPI leaders are trained on advocacy strategies and engage with members of Congress, senior administration officials, and partner organizations on pressing civil rights issues.
“State Farm has stood with OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates as an outstanding corporate partner since 1984. We deeply appreciate their continued support, especially since many of our biggest programs and events have been severely impacted by the pandemic,” said OCA National President Linda Ng. “State Farm’s generosity and dedication to OCA’s signature leadership initiatives have never wavered, and these awards will allow us to cultivate and empower the next generation of AAPI civil rights advocates”
“State Farm’s agents and corporate employees have worked alongside OCA for years even before the partnership began,” said OCA’s Executive Director Thu Nguyen. “OCA and its chapters are able to engage them to facilitate informational webinars such as financial literacy workshops, and many times State Farm agents become incredible volunteers, OCA members, and even OCA board members. I am thrilled by today’s announcement and look forward to strengthening our work together in the year ahead.”
“State Farm embraces the responsibility to give back, volunteer, and work alongside nonprofits and community groups in our neighborhoods,” said Rasheed Merritt, Assistant Vice President of Corporate Responsibility and Public Affairs at State Farm. “We are good neighbors who have and will continue to be there; helping make a better world. As we celebrate our 100th anniversary we take pride in supporting OCA and applaud its longstanding commitment to enacting real change in communities where our employees, agents, and customers live and work.”
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