Exploring Asian American culture in North Texas

More than three hundred thousand Asian Americans live in the DFW area today. As new immigrants arrive, the Dallas Chinese Community Center (DCCC) plays a big role in welcoming them to their new home with a variety of services. Founded in 1975, the organization also helps low-income Asian Americans through education and social service programs. With commitment to diversity and a diverse base of customers, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas supports the DCCC in its mission. The agency serves more than twelve thousand individuals each year and it continues to expand as well as improve its programs and activities.

Services

The DCCC includes a meeting facility, a library, a conference room, a computer laboratory and two classrooms. The facilities have been used by a variety of organizations for meetings, cultural celebrations, special events, and a wide range of seminars and courses that cover a variety of topics.

Community engagements available at the DCCC include:

• Cultural events: DCCC sponsors and supports events such as Chinese New Year celebration, Asian American Cultural Fair, Chinese opera concerts, Chinese art demonstration and exhibits, art competition, Tai-chi, mah-jong and Chinese chess tournament, etc.
• Social and Community Service: DCCC has increased the number of professional seminars on tax, immigration, finance and law, medical/health care and a wide range of other topics. These are offered year-round with more than fifty attendees for each seminar. The Center has also added election forums, town hall meetings/celebrations and referral services.
• Summer Youth Camp: DCCC collaborates with the Chinese community and runs two youth camps every summer. These camps are becoming the signature activity at DCCC in the summer with over four hundred fifty youth age 8 to 18 participating, 75 counselors and 12 adults involved. There are training sessions on leadership and counseling from February leading up to the summer camps in June and July.

Impact

Through the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas’ Healthy Kids, Healthy Families ® grant, the DCCC has expanded service offerings for the community to include health promotion and wellness. The BCBSTX partnership has provided DCCC both funding and volunteer efforts to offer a series of seminars on health care, prevention medicine and nutrition for both family and kids that have benefited hundreds of people in the community.

We invite you to get involved or simply learn more by logging on to the DCCC’s website: http://www.dallasccc.org