[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 171 (Thursday, November 19, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1662-E1663]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO THE CHINESE-AMERICAN PLANNING COUNCIL (CPC)

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. NYDIA M. VELAZQUEZ

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 19, 2015

  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the Chinese-
American Planning Council (CPC), which today celebrates 50 years of 
service to the Chinese-American, immigrant and low-income communities 
in New York City.
  CPC was founded at the grassroots level and its roots are deep in New 
York's Chinese American community. In the mid-1960s, as immigration 
from Asia began steadily growing, CPC was launched and began counseling

[[Page E1663]]

families referred by local schools. As the agency developed, it began 
providing case management services to help recent arrivals adjust to 
their new homes.
  The organization grew rapidly and started providing important 
educational services to school-age children, including early child 
care. Shortly thereafter, CPC launched Project Reach, which provided 
programs for at-risk gang youth in Chinatown. Today that initiative 
offers services for youth of all backgrounds.
  Today, CPC has blossomed into a critical anchor in our community. 
Over 8,000 people are served every day through more than 50 programs in 
33 locations throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Early childhood 
services provide a nurturing environment that offers young Chinese New 
Yorkers an environment to grow and learn.
  Workforce development initiatives create economic opportunity by 
providing our city's residents with training, new skills and employment 
placement. Through these efforts, over the past year, CPC assisted over 
2,500 clients, enrolling more than 525 of them into English as a Second 
Language classes and training over 200 others in construction, 
hospitality and luxury retail.
  CPC has also become an important safety net for some of our city's 
seniors. Senior centers in Manhattan and Queens ensure we are caring 
for and honoring New York's elderly Chinese. The centers' meals provide 
a popular reason for seniors to come together, while food is brought to 
those who are homebound. Programs focused on music, art and 
entertainment help keep seniors culturally and intellectually 
stimulated and engaged.
  Mr. Speaker, since its founding five decades ago, the Chinese-
American Planning Council (CPC) has become an invaluable and critical 
force for good in our city. Today, it helps some of our most vulnerable 
neighbors, while strengthening our community overall and making New 
York a better place to live. I would ask my colleagues to join me in 
saluting CPC as it celebrates half a century of service to New York's 
Chinese community and to our entire city.

                          ____________________