AALEAD Family Day
By: Ha Nguyen, Development & Communications Associate
Photos courtesy of Kaitlyn Jue
AALEAD hosted its first Family Reunion Day a year ago in celebration of its 20th anniversary, and reunited with a supportive community of peers, staff, mentors, volunteers, board members, donors, and supporters. This year, AALEAD continued to ignite this spirit by hosting another Family Day on this past Saturday, September 22, 2019!
We invited our youth & their families to come out to Woodrow Wilson High School and enjoyed a Saturday filled with fun activities. Our youth started the day being drawn instantly to the slime making station. Slime provides a tactile joy, one that comes from holding something squishy, cool, colorful, and textured.
AALEAD Youth previously learned to make slime at their After School program to practice mindfulness, and this time at the Family Day, both youth and volunteers were able to spend time exploring and creating their own sticky, slick, and slippery slime! Some friendly competitions also quickly took place: face pie challenges filled with much suspense and whip cream, ping pong tournaments and football tossing practices.
In addition to all the activities and fun, AALEAD Family Day this year also provided information on the upcoming Census 2020 and resources from the community such as free health screening from HBI-DC, whose mission is to mobilize communities to prevent liver disease caused by hepatitis B & C among high risk populations, as well as job training programs and ESL classes from the Mayor’s Office on Asian & Pacific Islanders Affairs, whose mission to improve the quality of life for District Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through advocacy and engagement.
AALEAD sharing information on the upcoming Census 2020 and why it is important for Asian Americans to participate in the Count 
Resources provided in multiple languages
from the Mayor’s Office in Asian Pacific Islanders Affairs
HBI-DC staff provided information on the importance of health screening
This year AALEAD’s Family Day wouldn’t be complete without the support and dedication of AALEAD Board Members, the majestic Dragon Dance by the youth from the Chinese Culture & Community Service Center, the participation and enthusiasm of AALEAD Program Staffs, and the delicious food and beverages from Siu’s Asian Bistro. A special thank you to Woodrow Wilson High School for hosting our Family Day and the alumni from the College of Wooster, who spent the day volunteering their time with AALEAD!
