ACRS’s new CEO, Kendee Yamaguchi, announced the relaunch of ACRS’s Legal Clinic this fall in partnership with the Asian Bar Association of Washington (ABAW) and the King County Bar Association (KCBA). (Photo by Charissa Soriano)
More than 350 community members, advocates, and supporters attended the Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) Annual Benefit Gala on Oct. 4 at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue, coming together under the theme “Not on Our Watch.”
ACRS’s new CEO, Kendee Yamaguchi, announced the relaunch of ACRS’s Legal Clinic this fall in partnership with the Asian Bar Association of Washington and the King County Bar Association.
“Too many of our families are living in fear—fear of deportation, separation, and being targeted for who they are,” said Yamaguchi. “That’s why ACRS is expanding our advocacy and services, including the relaunch of our Legal Clinic, to ensure no one faces those challenges alone. Not on our watch.”
The gala included performances by Seattle Kokon Taiko and the Massive Monkees.
Speakers included Shomya Tripathy, ACRS’s Policy and Civic Engagement Director, and Tessa Hulls—Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Feeding Ghosts.
The program also honored ACRS building project director and first legal counsel John Chen Beckwith, who passed away earlier this year; and photojournalist Dean Wong.