Center for Empowering Refugees & Immigrants (CERI)

May is AAPI Heritage Month and also Mental Health Awareness Month. CERI and our team work to address this intersection in our communities.  AAPI individuals are least likely to seek mental health support services because of cultural stigma and often deal with conditions such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety on their own.  

This year is also CERI’s 20th year of service! Our goal is to raise $20,000 this month to support AAPI Mental Health. This is what your support can do:

• $25 helps provide a safe and welcoming space where survivors can gather for healing, connection, and mutual support.
• $50 supports wellness activities that reduce isolation and nurture emotional and physical healing for refugee and immigrant community members.
• $75 supports interpretation and language access so participants can fully engage in support groups and community programs.
• $100 helps sustain one culturally responsive support group led by trained facilitators who understand trauma, displacement, and resilience.
• $150 helps create intergenerational healing spaces where elders, parents, and youth can share stories, culture, and resilience.
• $250 supports three months of ongoing healing circles and support groups for a trauma survivor rebuilding safety, trust, and community.
• $500 helps sustain culturally rooted mental health and wellness programming for refugee and immigrant families. 

Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants (CERI) is a nonprofit organization based in Oakland with a mission to cultivate the healing, advocacy, and empowerment of refugee and immigrant communities affected by war, torture, genocide, and other life-altering traumas. CERI has grown into a lifeline for diverse refugee and immigrant communities. Cambodian, Burmese, Vietnamese, Nepali, Tibetan, Eritrean, Afghan, and Iranian voices find recognition and care at CERI. Based in Oakland, we serve approximately 1,200 refugees and immigrants each year across the Bay Area region.