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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF RETIRED ASIANS
WHEREAS, the month of May is recognized as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month; and
WHEREAS, Cook County celebrates the vast contributions made by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in our communities; and
WHEREAS, the American Association of Retired Asians is a non-profit that was specifically established to address the complex needs of the underserved South Asian Older Adult population; and
WHEREAS, this population is underserved due to various cultural and linguistic barriers that have prevented access to public and private resources; and
WHEREAS, AARA strives to overcome these barriers by providing cultural and linguistically compatible services or assistance to seniors to access available public resources and private service providers; and
WHEREAS, everyone at AARA provides services on a pro-bono basis and are volunteers; and
WHEREAS, AARA has worked with AgeOptions, to secure grant funding for its meal program, which now runs five days a week at four suburban eateries including in Hanover Park in the 15th District of Cook County; and
WHEREAS, the lunch program now serves roughly 250 to 300 people weekly; and
WHEREAS, AARA helped launch a Memory Cafe at Mumbai Cafe in Hoffman Estates to help South Asians with Alzheimer's, dementia and other diseases involving memory loss to come together each month; and
WHEREAS, AARA worked with Hanover Township, in the 15th District, to establish a Women's Empowerment Group creating a network of women helping each other with financial literacy, coping with grief, and becoming independent; and
WHEREAS, AARA also provides other services, such as stress management through yoga and meditation every other Saturday at Hanover Township, Medicaid/Medicare counseling through the Illinois Department on Aging's Senior Health Insurance Program, and immigration counseling; and
WHEREAS, Cook County's strength is in its diversity and the Am...
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