CMAA hosts Community Exchange
On January 18th, the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (CMAA), under the leadership of the new board chair Bopha Malone, convened a community exchange event at their headquarters in Lowell. The event was designed to foster discussion about the state of CMAA, its future, and its role within the Cambodian community of Lowell.
Despite a midday snowstorm that made transportation difficult, there was a capacity crowd of approximately 50 on hand for the three-hour discussion. The open forum touched on several topics, including collaborations with other organizations, the search for a new Executive Director to replace the outgoing Rasy An, and ways in which CMAA could improve their fundraising after losing government funding with the expiration of federal refugee status for the community.
Most of all the afternoon was an opportunity to exchange ideas and open a dialogue about the community’s needs and expectations. Event organizers pledged to convene more forums like this in the future.
