About

Mission

To support and empower Asian people while sharing our cultures with the entire community through our programs and services.

History


In 1992, under the auspices of the Lincoln Interfaith Council, organization began for the Asian Community and Cultural Center. Leaders in the community from multiple Asian backgrounds joined together, initially meeting in one another’s homes, to envision what the ACCC could become. They wanted to create a community space for education, welfare, recreation, and fellowship, to preserve cultural heritage and promote the well-being of their peoples. They imagined that the Center would serve both long-term and recently arrived immigrants and refugees from Asian countries as well as native born Asian Americans.
On October 1, 1994, the Center opened its doors at 140 S. 27th Street with bi-lingual Vietnamese speaking staff and on October 1, 1997 the Center hired its first Executive Director. In March 1998, ACCC became an Independent 501 (C) (3) Non Profit Corporation. Since its inception, the ACCC has been located near 27th and O Streets and is currently located at 2635 O Street. The ACCC was the home of the Fusion Project for six years, from 2006-2012, and served as a hub for all recently arrived refugee communities in Lincoln. Now after over 20 years of service, many immigrants and refugees still see the Asian Center as “home” regardless of ethnic background and national origin.

Services

The Asian Community & Cultural Center’s services and programs focus on increasing the stability of immigrant and refugee families in Lincoln who face economic and cultural barriers to self-sufficiency as New Americans. While the needs this population faces may be common, no other entity in Lincoln provides culturally specific services for Asians . We also provide culturally sensitive services to Sudanese families. For the larger immigrant community, the Center offers intensive English language classes three times per week with the addition of advanced writing and pronunciation classes, and weekly citizenship classes. Our Asian and Sudanese clients enjoy weekly women's groups, senior computer classes, and services and weekly group meetings for youth and seniors, translation and interpretation services, tax preparation assistance, and support regarding INS documents. The Asian Center also provides support with health care issues, including assistance in making doctors’ appointments and visits; domestic violence counseling and guidance, employment assistance, and this fall we are launching a new program to teach communication strategies for parents and their teenagers with the ultimate goal of preventing substance abuse.

Additionally, the Center hosts cultural festivals and celebrations that bring people together to learn about, recognize, and celebrate their unique cultural and ethnic origins. With our recently formed Cultural Arts Troupe, we provide beautiful performances for the public. We also share our cultures with free tai chi and yoga classes and other educational experiences.