A Letter from the Executive Director

2011 has been an incredible year at ACDC. We have stayed true to our mission of preserving and revitalizing Boston's Chinatown, while also expanding services to community members beyond Boston. Your continued support has made this possible, and we look to you to help us continue our efforts. Please join us this year with your gift to the Annual Fund.

This year~

We broke ground on Fort Street Apartment, our first project outside of Chinatown, In Quincy. As you are reading this letter, families are moving into affordable, high-quality homes. Nearly 400 families applied for the opportunity to call one of the 34 units "home."

• The program that educates those we serve on the process of buying and maintaing their first home, the Comprehensive Housing Opportunities Program (CHOP), became a certified HUD housing counseling agency. This came after rigorous review, and years of experience in offering tailored, effective, homebuyer education.

• By now you've learned the great news that Parcel 24 received all of the necessary funding to break ground next year to provide 345 new homes, and we are thrilled to restore the fabric of the neighborhoold that existed on Hudson Street. In the middle of these economic times, cranes are scattered about Chinatown attempting to meet the great demand for people to live and work here. This reaffirms the importance of the Parcel 24 project, because we want to be sure that families can afford to remain in their neighborhoold by offering a high ratio of affordable housing.

Our Annual Fund dispenses support to the programs that need it most, such as CHOP, where more classes will keep up with the increased demand. We are also offering additional one-on-one counseling to families at-risk of foreclosure, to make sure that thhose that are in homes, stay in them. Our youth  programs continue to cultivate the culture of Chinatown and the involvement of our youngest citizens. While our work also engages historically- and  linguistically-isolated residents as active members of their community. Your gift to the Annual Fund will immediately help us meet these great needs, and support our overall work.

As we enter our 25th year of service, we hope that you will not only

join us in your support, but join us in celebration. Get ready to save-the-date for our Gala, and join us for what is sure to be a highlight event for 2012. We thank you for your support in the past, and we look to you again to help secure our future by making your gift today. All gifts are tax-deductible, and every gift counts.

Thank you for joining us on this journey to build a healthy and vibrant community, and please accept our warmest wishes for health and happiness this holiday season.

• $250 ensures that a family receives housing counseling to prepare them to buy their first home

• $650 enables ACDC to administer an 8-hour first-time homebuyer class for up to 20 families

• $1,000 empowers ACDC to develop and offer a financial literacy curriculum that educates low-income families to increase and improve their economic self-sufficiency

• Any other amount supports the community programs of ACDC