State Farm Awards $217,500 to Support OCA’s 2022 Youth and Professional Development Programs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 24, 2022
Media Contact:
Andrew Peng, Communications Associate
andrew.peng@ocanational.org
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.
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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About OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates
Founded in 1973, OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national, member-driven social justice organization of community advocates dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). Learn more about our work at ocanational.org/about.
About State Farm®
For 100 years, the mission of State Farm has and continues to be to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto and home insurance in the United States. Its 19,300 agents and nearly 55,000 employees serve approximately 86 million policies and accounts – which includes auto, fire, life, health, commercial policies and financial services accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 39 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.