On November 2, 2017, elected officials, partners, and community members filled JAMS to the brim to celebrate the groundbreaking for APANO’s new community space and affordable housing development in partnership with ROSE CDC. This marked the last chapter of the old furniture store at 82nd/Division, affectionately dubbed the Jade/APANO Multicultural Space (JAMS), which we operated as a temporary community space for the past 3 years. This also marked the completion of the first phase of our Roots to Rise Capital Campaign! With support of the public sector, private philanthropy, and hundreds of individual donors, the project closed in December 2017 with a $1.2 million down payment on our future space.
APANO Board Chair Raahi Reddy opened the event, highlighting how this project is a new model of engaging community: “When this building is built and these families are living here, we can look back and say that’s the kind of partnership that government and community need to have – where we can actually build something for community.” Jade District resident and APANO member Jessica Li, eager for the work to begin, closed out the remarks for the night, saying, “We see this project as a helpful solution to reduce some of our worries about affordable housing. I like this neighborhood and community and I hope the construction of this building goes smoothly and quickly for our families, children, and community to enjoy.”
In 2018, we enter our second phase of the Roots to Rise Capital Campaign with a strong start on reaching the final $2.5 million campaign goal. This target includes some important stretch goals, such as a commercial kitchen for cooking demonstrations or pop ups. Be on the lookout for more ways to support the capital campaign, including at Voices of Change 2018 on May 3, 2018. The building overall is slated to be complete in December 2018.