Thursday, December 31st, 2015
We had a wonderful and busy 2015. Our new CEO, Karlyn K. Shorb helped revitalize ASCI and provided a renewed growth in building relationships in the Aurora community. We had hundreds of volunteers help us fundraise and participate in our program activities. Here is a list of the significant activities and other achievements we accomplished in 2015:
- Led an official delegation to Adama, Ethiopia;
- Held a photo exhibit at the Aurora Municipal Building which later moved to the Aurora Welcome Center;
- Launched a new website;
- Sent Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan to our Korean sister city, Seongnam City;
- Revitalized South Korean Sister City Committee;
- Participated in activities at the city of Aurora’s Global Fest 2015;
- Launched a successful book drive and an orphan drive to benefit 76 children boarded at a local school in Adama, Ethiopia;
- Supported Council Member Molly Markert’s efforts to solicit donations and bring eyeglasses to Adama, Ethiopia- Council Member Markert traveled to Adama in November to host an eyeglasses drive together with ophthalmologists from the Adama public hospital and the city administration;
- Received and shipped $18,000-worth of medical (ophthalmological) equipment to a public hospital in Adama, Ethiopia;
- Entered into eight new non-profit partnerships;
- Planned and co-hosted the inaugural city of Aurora Consular Corps Reception;
- Sent representatives to the US-China Sister Cities Conference which will lead to the formation of a China sister city committee in 2016;
- Became a primary strategic partner of the city of Aurora’s Office of International and Immigrant Affairs; and
- Began building foundations for 2016 programming such as the Mosaic of Cultures: Aurora’s Ethiopian Communities exhibit and the Seongnam City Trade Mission.
We are very grateful for the support we received in 2015. We hope to achieve a lot more in 2016 and your continued support will make us even more successful. Happy New Year!