The National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) was founded 40 years ago on November 1, 1979 to address the divide between AAPI elderly and the services they were entitled to. In 40 years, NAPCA has directly served tens of thousands of AAPI elders and indirectly provided assistance to approximately 100,000 more.

To celebrate this milestone, NAPCA is releasing 40 stories of their staff, constituents, and partners to celebrate the impact that NAPCA has had on AAPI older adults across the country. This week, we highlight Carmen Mendones, a participant of NAPCA’s Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). For more stories, visit https://www.napca.org/40-for-40/.

Carmen, originally from Manila, Philippines, shares her story of experience from starting work in the fields of the Philippines to learning new skills throughout life and the hope of new experiences and skills that NAPCA SCSEP (Senior Community Service Employment Program) brought her. “I’m a hardworking woman,” she shares; telling us of the connection and purpose she finds in her work with NAPCA’s SCSEP.

NAPCA SCSEP helps aging adults gain job skills and employment access through community service organizations, giving back and connecting to the communities they live in while learning new skills to succeed in a modern work environment.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Diverse Elders Coalition.