~ About Us ~

Our Mission

Our mission in the Chinese American Service Alliance is to perform volunteer services that benefit, improve and promote the overall welfare and culture of the Chinese American community.

Our Vision

The interaction that occurs during community service will serve to develop and strengthen the bonds: among the volunteers who perform the service, among the recipients of the service, and between the volunteers and the recipients, thereby building a greater sense of cohesion.

We seek to provide such opportunities while offering an informal, enriching and fun atmosphere for our participants. By combining the needs of our Chinese American community with the needs of young professionals, we aim to build upon the common cultural and social ties that define the Chinese American experience.

Our Origin

In the summer of 1998, a circle of young Chinese American professionals began to share their concerns about volunteer opportunities in the Chinese American community. Two common sentiments were shared. First, there was a desire to reach out to the Chinese American community and "give back" through volunteer work and service. Second, although such volunteer opportunities existed for young Chinese Americans, they usually involved long-term commitments that did not complement busy professional schedules.

In addition, there seemed to be many existing non-profit organizations that needed volunteers but had little means by which to solicit help from the community.

It was apparent that a communication gap needed to be closed between this circle of friends who wanted to volunteer their time and the organizations who needed volunteers. The effort to bridge this gap resulted in the creation of CASA in August 1998.

Our Commitment

We generally plan one social and one community service event per month, in addition to our general meetings. As part of our goal of accommodating busy professional schedules, we keep our times and places flexible. In the past, our meetings have taken place at members' houses and Chinese eateries.

Join Us

In the time since our beginning, our circle has continued to grow because there are so many who share in our vision. If you share in our vision, we invite you to contact us. To gain more information about the Chinese American Service Alliance, please feel free to email us at info@casa-la.org.