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FOR AAPI‚ A MAY CELEBRATION

Culturally relevant events planned

Julie Halpert,

AARP

Older Asian couple having a good time laughing while sitting on a couch.

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In the mid-1990s, Susan Wang helped cofound the Asian American Employee Resource Group at AARP to help the organization better serve and engage Asian American communities around the country.

In 2002, she became a volunteer for an all-Chinese chapter in Los Angeles, and in 2012 a volunteer for AARP, helping to review resource materials translated into Chinese languages and giving numerous community outreach presentations in Mandarin Chinese.

She sees AARP as an organization that “cares about its diverse members” at the community level.

This year, Wang, 62, who lives in Arcadia, plans to be involved in activities spearheaded by AARP California in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. The goal is to engage and support AAPI older adults; other audiences are welcome to participate as well.

Shea Zerbino, AARP California’s communications manager, says AARP will offer a range of virtual and in-person culturally relevant events that are free and open to the public. Events include topics such as caregiving, as well as film screenings, cooking demonstrations and conversations on scams targeting the AAPI community.

For last year’s AAPI Heritage Month, Wang presented in Mandarin on an AARP program called HomeFit, intended to teach participants how to make their homes safer and more comfortable as they age. As a survivor of polio, which left her with impaired mobility, this program particularly resonated with her.

“I’m a polio survivor since age one,” she says. “I have a lot of commonality with people, older people.... We need safety and comfort.”

BILINGUAL EVENTS

Wang is also trained to deliver AARP caregiving and brain health presentations in English and Mandarin. For community-outreach events, she usually partners with Rachel Stone, AARP California’s associate state director for advocacy and community engagement. Wang presents in Mandarin, and Stone speaks in English.

Wang says that a lot of AARP resources are available in multiple languages, including information about fraud prevention, making your home more comfortable and caregiving.

“As I’m getting older, I feel that what AARP is doing—promoting the independence and well-being of the 50-plus population—is really helpful to me personally.”

Another AARP California volunteer, Jeanne Wun, who first volunteered in 2017, is a founding board member of the 20-year-old Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care. “We’re trying to build a community where Chinese Americans can face the end of life with dignity and meaning,” says the 76-year-old who lives in Santa Clara County.

As part of the AAPI programming, Wun will be teaching the Cantonese/Hong Kong version of Mahjongg, a tile game. She expects the virtual session to draw more than 200 people. Wun grew up playing Mahjongg and says it’s become a popular game that provides opportunities for people to socialize and share.

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“I enjoy seeing the delight in someone who has learned how to play actually get their first Mahjongg,” she says.

Jennifer Berdugo, strategic planning director for AARP California, says that AARP aims to serve multicultural audiences, and that its programming has continued to evolve. With the significant growth in AAPI populations in the state, Berdugo says AARP wants diverse communities to see themselves in the programming.

“It’s really listening to and learning from our volunteers and community partners to help us understand what may be most relevant in a particular community,” Berdugo explains.

FOCUS ON FRAUD

Education on fraud prevention will be an important focus of AAPI Heritage Month events. Berdugo notes that fraud and scams are a growing concern in the AAPI communities, with many reporting that they have been victims. A late 2025 AARP report found that 54 percent—or about 8.4 million AAPI adults—reported having scant knowledge of scam tactics. And 64 percent—or 9.6 million of them—say they cannot easily recognize a fraudulent pitch.

Lester Kwok, a retired law enforcement investigator in his 50s who lives in the Bay Area, is now an AARP California fraud prevention volunteer. On May 28 from 6 to 7 p.m. PT, award-winning journalist David Louie will interview Kwok about scam prevention in a virtual event on Zoom that anyone can join. The event will conclude with a live Q & A, giving the audience a chance to ask questions directly to Kwok. You can register at events.aarp.org/event/AAPIFraud/summary. AARP provides Fraud Watch Network resources that are available in Chinese languages (and Spanish) to further access to these materials.

Wang has appreciated the chance to witness the expansion of AARP’s outreach to diverse communities over the years.

You can learn more about AARP California’s work at aarp.org/states/california/, including a list of events in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month.

“It is very gratifying to see the realization of what we say at AARP: ‘What we do, we do for all,’” Wang says.

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Julie Halpert is a journalist based in Michigan who has covered the auto industry for more than three decades. She has also written for The New York Times, Newsweek, Automotive News and Advertising Age.