Interns helped Asian community

While some students spent the summer vacationing, 20 high school interns from Asian Initiatives (AI), a Flushing branch of the American Cancer Society, can say they spent their time making a difference.
“It’s two-fold, we want to develop strong leaders for the future, while building confidence and leadership skills through community service,” said Arlene Chin, Director of Community Health Initiatives and founder of the internship program.
Created by Chin in 2006, she wanted to teach youth the importance of philanthropy while educating them on how to prevent many of the health issues plaguing their community.
“Smoking Cessation,” “Women’s Health” and “the Smallest Winner” weight loss program, were all programs students had a choice to campaign for, while providing free information and resources to Queens residents.
Participants of “Smoking Cessation” took a stance against lung cancer, passing on literature that show its harmful effects and by offering cigarette smokers the opportunity to quit.
“I feel good knowing that we’ve helped almost 200 people to quit smoking,” said Xiang Wang, senior at Bayside High School. Although it was not always easy, he said a moment that made it all worth it was when a father came into the office inquiring about quitting his habit.
“He brought with him his small son, and the kid said, ‘Dad, you gotta get the patch!’”
Another life-saving program AI ran under the internship program was “Women’s Health.”
The students who were bilingual assisted non-English speakers in filling out the necessary paperwork to arrange free mammogram or pap smear appointments to help detect cervix and breast cancer. At AI, the emphasis is put on preventing health problems in the present, before they become more threatening problems in the future, especially for their “Smallest Winner” weight loss program.
“When I look at myself now, compared to when I first came here there is such a difference,” said intern Richie Yung, senior at Bronx High School of Science, who shed pounds by following the advice that the “Smallest Winner” group tries to teach.
For those interested in finding out more about the program or applying for the following summer, the Flushing office can be contacted at 718-886-8890. Applicants submit an essay, are preferred but not required to speak second language, and should be motivated and passionate about community service.