I am writing this letter out of gratitude to the Family Counseling Center of the AWCA, as someone who has

seen so many benefits through this program during the past spring season. I first sought out the FCC due to

my child's behavioral issues, but after several counseling sessions, my entire family began attending the

various programs offered by the center.

My child, who was born in the states, had trouble concentrating and demonstrated unfocused behavior,

leading to problems at school and at home. I came to the FCC seeking advice about my child, but through

these sessions I began to realize that as parents, we may be the cause of these issues. I began receiving

individual counseling myself, but my husband, who was usually very proactive when it came to issues

regarding our child, was on the fence about counseling. Perhaps it was a cultural attitude that Korean men

tend to have, saying, "I have nothing to talk about, why do I have to go to counseling? There's already so

much going on at work " But after a few sessions, he began warming up to it. Soon, he was the one

initiating conversation with me, leading to more communication where there had once been none. He began

to understand me more, and accept me for who I am. And as my husband and I changed, my child began to

change as well. My child's behavioral problems, which had been brought on by anxiety, became noticeably

improved through the improved atmosphere at home.

Through our counseling sessions, we were able to break our negative thinking patterns. Through the various

workshops and seminars, we were able to learn how to encourage our child to perform better in school.

Before I came to the FCC, I was depressed and unhappy, unable to see the future. But now, just a few months

later, I am sure of how much I have changed and progressed since then, and that I possess the ability to face

any challenge that comes my way. This is why I strongly recommend the FCC's individual counseling,

groups, mental health seminars, and all their other programs to those around me.

I am so thankful to the counselors at the AWCA for the great programs and counseling sessions that

allowed me and my family to heal.

Vol. 52

Joy Has Come to Our Family A Letter from a Client

* This letter was written by a client of the Family Counseling Center who received individual and family counseling,

attended parenting groups and the FCC Open House, and received MBTI testing. The client wrote this letter in

reflection of how much she and her family have improved since coming to the FCC, in the hope of helping others

in similar difficult situations.

AAWWCCAAAsian Women's Christian Association

SUMMER 2016www.awcanj.orgAAWWCCAA

The Mission StatementPublisher: Sunwoo KimEditor: Mi Kyung Je

"AWCA is centered on the love of Christ, and through our work we provide Asian women and their families the resources to become healthy, contributing members of society. We accomplish this through our counseling, education, social services, and homecare program."

9 Genesee Ave., Teaneck, NJ 07666 Tel. 201-862-1665,1664,1116 , 9111 Fax. 201-862-1662 E-mail: info@awcanj.org

Senior Center - 'Nothing wrong with my age!'

The Asian Senior Centers of AWCA began their respective summer vacations on June 15, 16, and 17. During the spring semester, a total of 240 seniors (Korean, Chinese, and Japanese) registered in the Senior Centers from Monday through Friday, participating in and learning through the many different programs that were offered.

AWCA

October, 2015 - June, 2016

The Korean Senior Center meets Monday through Wednesday, Japanese on Thursday, and Chinese on Friday, and each center begins with a time of worship. The programs for each center is offered in their respective native languages, and the volunteers at each center are also Korean, Japanese, or Chinese, respectively. The AWCA Asian Senior

Center is open five days a week, with programs such as praise and worship, English class, computer and smartphone class, art class, singalong, voice lessons, line dancing, chair yoga, and praise dance.

AWCA Hope Bazaar

On May 14, the AWCA held its Hope Bazaar at its main office location in Teaneck. More than 150 members of the community and AWCA program members attended this event, which had various clothing items, jewelry, and food items for sale. The AWCA raised $12,000 through this event.

Mothers' Day Event

The AWCA held a special Mothers' Day event on May 4, 5, and 6 in remembrance and celebration of mother's love. The AWCA board members and staff pinned handmade carnation boutonnieres at this event.Chinese Senior Program

Korean Senior Program

Japanese Senior Program

Smart phone Class

AWCA

Angel School Summer Picnic

The AWCA Angel School held its annual picnic on June 4, 2016, at Milton Votee Park in Teaneck to celebrate the end of another successful semester.

Family Counseling Center Open House

On May 2, the FCC hosted its first Open House event on the topic of 'Successful Parenting Skills' for parents with school-aged children. During the Open House, the FCC held a 20-minute lecture on parent-child conversational method, tested the participants for their parenting types, and provided 20-minute consultations on the test results. A total of 16 participants attended the Open House, of which 12 people received the free testing and consultation services.

AWCA receives award for community service

On May 4, the AWCA received the Norman Vincent Peale Award for Positive Thinking from the Blanton-Peale Institute and Counseling Center. This award was in recognition of the AWCA's 35 years of service to the community. Sunwoo Kim, president of the AWCA board of directors, attended the award ceremony, along with AWCA board members and executive director Mi Kyung Je.

FCC Mental Health Workshop

During the first half of 2016, the Family Counseling Center of AWCA held two mental health workshops: "How cultural differences influence adolescents: depression and identity crisis" with clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Dong Soo Kim, Ph.D, and "How to help my child succeed in school" with

Mr. Edward C. Conlon. A total of 55 participants attended these workshops, which were made possible by NY Nanum Foundation.

AWCA-Microsoft Computer Classes for Seniors

The AWCA was the first Korean Senior Center to partner with Microsoft to provide 15 weeks of computer education to its members. This partnership was arranged by the Bergen Volunteer Center, through which Microsoft provided its employees as well as 10 laptop computers for the senior members. The seniors showed much enthusiasm for learning how to use their computers.

AWCA

Lunar New Year - Hanbok Fashion Show

On February 8, the AWCA board of directors hosted a hanbok fashion show in celebration of Lunar New Year for the senior center members. After the show, the seniors enjoyed a feast of rice cake soup (dduk-gook) and rice cakes. The hanbok were sponsored by The Hanbok.

AWCA's 35th Annual Gala

"We will continue to deliver love and hope to the community." This is the promise that the AWCA made in front of all its guests at its 35 th annual fall gala held at The Terrace in Paramus on November 6, 2015. The Leadership Award was awarded to Joon L. Chung, councilwoman of Harrington Park, and the AWCA Family Counseling Center's Grace Hotline volunteers along with World of Wings Museum in Teaneck were recognized for their service with the Community Awards. Approximately 350 Koreans and others were in attendance at this event to show their support for AWCA and their community service.

Dr. Hwain C. Lee, founder of AWCA, receives Distinguished Service Award from Drew University

On October 12, Dr. Hwain C. Lee, founder of the AWCA, was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from her alma mater Drew University.

'Box of Love' Distribution

On December 22, the AWCA and 1004 Foundation delivered 'Boxes of Love' filled with household items, gift cards, and more to over 40 locations in New York and New Jersey, including homeless shelters and Hispanic laborer support groups.

Social Services

The AWCA provides free social service counseling for government services and programs, such as Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, citizenship, residency, and more for all eligible recipients.

AWCA

1. Dr. Anderson Sungmin Yoon, DSW, LCSW-R, CASAC, RPT-SDr. Yoon became the director of the FCC on February 1, 2016. He manages the overall administration of the FCC, supervises counseling cases, and implements various programs such as MBTI, STRONG, and other psychological tests. Dr. Yoon is a licensed Clinical Social Worker in New York and New Jersey, with a doctoral degree of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. He received his master's degree in Social Work from Hunter College, and B.A. in Social Work from Yonsei University in Korea.

2. In Young Sohn, MS, MDivMs. Sohn began working as the intake coordinator at the FCC in January of 2016. She assists with the overall operations of the FCC and conducts intake processes for all new clients. She also oversees the operations of the Grace Hotline. Ms. Sohn received her master's in education from Queens College in New York, and her master of divinity from New York Theological Seminary.

3. Tracy S. Chung, LSWMs. Chung began working at the FCC as a clinical social worker in March of 2016. She provides mental health counseling and conducts parenting groups. Ms. Chung is a licensed social worker in the state of New Jersey, and received her master's in social work from Rutgers University.

Mental Health Campaign

During the month of October, the AWCA Family Counseling Center held a campaign at the Ridgefield H-Mart to raise awareness of depression and suicide prevention in the Korean community in honor of National Depression Awareness Month. Grace Hotline volunteers and Family Counseling Center staff participated in this event.

AWCA hosts Bergen County's Health Fair

On December 2, 2015, the AWCA hosted Bergen County's annual HealthEASE Senior Wellness Fair. This event, which was held at the AWCA in Teaneck, provided ten different health examinations, including hepatitis B, blood pressure, vision, hearing, vascular ultrasound, pulmonary function, bone density, oral cancer, dental health, and more.

New Staff

Free Legal Consultation

The FCC provides free legal consultations every second Tuesday and last Wednesday of each month. Consultations are provided by lawyers Julie Kim (family law, criminal suits), Jina Kang (family law, commercial law, injury), Chris Noh (civil law, immigration law), and Sungjin Lee (traffic accidents). During the first half of 2016, a total of 16 people received free legal counsel through this program.

Julie Kim, Esq.

AWCA

Mental Health Programs & Events for the Second Half of 2016

Please direct all mental health related inquires and counseling/seminar requests to:

877.862.1116201.862.1116

Monday through Friday, 9am to midnight

Trained Grace Hotline volunteers are on call from 5pm to midnightAll calls are strictly confidential

1. Parenting Groups

1) "How to understand the emotional language of my child"

This parenting group provides an opportunity to learn the language of emotion, basic elements of child's intelligence development, and helps parents improve parent-child communication skills.

Date/Time : Thursday, Sep 15 - Oct 6, 2016 (4 weeks)

Instructor : Borahm Song, LAC

Limited to 6 participants (first come, first serve)

Location : AWCA 2nd Floor

Fee : $20 per session ($70 in full payment)

2) "Teaching children the skills for success in school and beyond!"

In this group, parents will learn how to teach their children in time management, setting achievable goals, organization skills, and utilizing planners in order to provide necessary help in the child's school life and grades.

Date/Time : Thursdays, Jul 14 - Aug 4, 2016 (4 weeks)

Instructor : Tracy S. Chung, LSW

Limited to 8 participants (first come, first serve)

Location : AWCA 2nd Floor

Fee : $30 per session ($100 in full payment)

3) "Becoming a Better Parent"In this class, parents will learn how to see the world through their child's perspective and how to communicate with their children according to the child's conversational method. Furthermore, parents will learn how to resolve conflicts between children, between parent and child, and amongst the family, and proper disciplining techniques.

Date/Time: Mondays, Sep 12 - Oct 3, 2016 (4 weeks)

Instructor: Tracy S. Chung, LSW

Limited to 6 participants (first come, first serve)

Location: AWCA 2nd Floor

Fee: $20 per session ($70 in full payment)

2. Psychological TestingMBTI, personality testing

STRONG (age of 14-18), career aptitude testing

Other psychological tests and parenting type tests

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3. Mental Health Seminar

1) "How to deal with dementia and Alzheimer's Disease"

This workshop discusses how to prevent dementia, and how to enjoy a healthier and meaningful life even in old age.

Date/Time: Wednesday, Sep 28, 2016, 10am - 12pm

Instructor: Dr. Dong Soo Kim, Ph.D.

in Clinical Neuropsychology

AWCA2nd Floor

Fee: Free (Reservation required)

2) "Child Psychology"Date/Time: Tuesday, Oct 18, 2016, 10am - 12pm

Instructor: Professor Keumjoo Kwak, Ph.D. in Psychology

Location: AWCA 2nd Floor

Fee: Free (Reservation required)

4. Second Annual Depression

Awareness CampaignStreet and mailing campaign to raise awareness

about depression and suicide

5. The 8 th Grace Hotline

Volunteer TrainingDate/Time: Thursdays, Nov 3 - Dec 8, 2016 (total 6 weeks)

Volunteers respond to calls made to the Grade Hotline

once a month

Benefits: The President's Volunteer Service Award for

those who work over 100 hours in a year

Please submit your application form no later than

October 31, 2016.

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AWCA

The AWCA Homecare Agency held a two-week- long CHHA Training that

began on June 13. A total of 12 participants, including 4 Chinese trainees,

completed the training course and received their certification as part of the 47

th training class, and are currently awaiting approval from the New Jersey state

government.

Those who successfully

comple te th i s 76 -hour

training course are then

certified by the State of New

Jersey to care for homebound

pa t i en t s . Through th i s

training, participants learn

everything from the basics of

patient care to expert nursing

skills, as well as general

knowledge of all diseases

and disorders. The course is

taught by registered nurses

Soo-On Lee, Joyce Koh, and

Sangbum Kim.

The newly trained 47 th

training class resolves to care

for their pat ients with

dedication and the spirit of

volunteerism.(201) 862-9111 (Korean)(201) 862-0006 (Chinese)

www.awcanj.org

We provide carewith a family mind

We provide care to elderly patients who are chronically ill.

We provide care to patients who are discharged fromhospital after surgeries.

We provide care to disabled persons who need assistancewith carrying out daily routine.

We provide free social welfare consultation service.

Medicaid patients receive free PCA service.

AWCA Home Care

The AWCA Home Care is the first Asian-

American organization to obtain the Health

Care Service Firm license, and currently

provides home care services to Korean and

Chinese senior citizens. With the motto,

"Caring for patients like family," the

AWCA Home Care Agency is recognized

by the community as a successful home

care provider thanks to the sacrifice and

hard work of the agency's nurses, staff

members, and home health aides.

Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) Training3/7 - 3/18: 46th CHHA Training6/13 - 6/24: 47th CHHA Training

Inservice TrainingKorean A : 3/10, 6/16, 9/8, 11/3Korean B : 3/18, 6/24, 9/16, 11/4Chinese : 3/25, 6/10, 9/23, 11/11

Home Care 47th CHHA ClassTraining

Home Care 47th CHHA D Training session uring

UPCOMING EVENTS

AWCA 36th Anniversary

Annual GalaDate/Time : Friday, October 28, 2016 at 6:30pmLocation : Pearl River Hilton

500 Veterans Memorial Drive, Pearl River, NY

Keynote Speaker : Rev. Shari Brink, President and CEOBlanton-Peale Institute & Counseling Center

AWCA Gala 2016

AWCA Board

Members

Okwhan Kim

Sunwoo Kim

Susan Kwan

The AWCA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. All operations are funded by contributions and donations. All donations are tax-deductible.

Hwain C. Lee, Yoon Hee Kim, Kathy Lee Chong, Bang Kim, Mia Youn, Anne H. Lee, Heather Choi, Soo Jung Kim, Julie L. Kim, Connie Kim, Youjin Chung, Dong Ryung Kang, Myung Hee Chang, Julie F. Dines, Enrah Baik, Sookang Lee

Mi Kyung Je

Family Counseling Center

Open : Mon. through Fri. (9am - 5pm)

Inquiries : (201) 862-1116

Location : AWCA 2nd Floor

Social Services

Open : Mon. through Fri. (10am - 4pm)

Inquiries : (201) 862-1665

Location : AWCA 1st Floor

Asian Senior Center Fall Semester

Korean : Mon, Aug 15, 9:30am

Japanese : Thur, Aug 16, 9:30am

Chinese : Fri, Aug 17, 9:30am

Location : AWCA 1 st Floor

Bergen County Senior Picnic Day

Wednesday, Sep 14, 10:00am

Angel School Fall Semester

Saturday, September 17, 10am

Location : AWCA 1st Floor

Home Care Agency

Open : Mon. through Fri. (9am - 5pm)

Inquiries : (201) 862-9111 (Korean)

(201) 862-0006 (Chinese)

Location: AWCA 2 nd Floor

Chair

President

Vice President

Board Members

Executive Director

SAT & ACT Scholarship ClassDates: July 5 - 29

Class every Tuesday through Thursday

Practice Test every Friday

Time: 10am - 4pm

Location: AWCA

Kihwa Scholarship Award CeremonyAugust 3, 11am

Location: AWCA 1st Floor