The 2025 Milan Gala is Here!

Saturday April 19th, 2025 | 5PM

Hyatt Regency, Lake Washington

Join us for a memorable evening of celebration, our Signature Fundraising Gala - MILAN 2025 on April 19th, in support of Indian American Community Services (formerly IAWW), a dedicated community based nonprofit.

Our 40 year journey has been made possible with your generous endorsements. Milan, the fundraiser aims to raise vital funds for IACS and the valuable services it provides.

• Maintaining and enhancing our essential support services.
• Build the IACS Community Center as a vibrant hub for connection, growth, and empowerment.
• Champion transformative initiatives that create lasting, change for the Indian American immigrant and refugee community.

If you can’t attend our fundraiser Milan but would still like to support IACS, you can donate here.

Together, we can build a stronger, more resilient community for generations to come! If you have additional questions email us at: milan@iaww.org

Frequently Asked Questions about IACS Milan 2025

What is Milan 2025?

Milan 2025 is an IACS event dedicated to raising funds for IACS Operations and the IACS Capital Campaign. Donation requests may be specified to IACS Support Services by contacting us at executivedirector@iaww.org.

How often is this fundraiser held?

So far Milan has been a biennial fundraiser. Going forward IACS will host its fundraiser annually.

What services/programs does IACS provide?

IACS serves the Indian American immigrant, refugee community of Washington state through programs, services, and advocacy for people of all ages and life stages. These services address the following needs:

• Early childhood
• Youth
• Women
• Seniors
• Civic Engagement
• Mental Health
• Small Businesses
• Crisis Services - Legal, Housing and Food Assistance; Childcare
  
• Community Centers

What areas do the Community Centers currently serve?

IACS operates and serves the community daily at the various pop-up centers that we have established at the following locations:

• Bellevue (North Bellevue Community Center)
  
• Redmond (Redmond Senior Center)
  
• Bothell (Northshore Senior Center)
  
• Kent (IACS Kent Community Center)
  
• Issaquah (Issaquah Senior Center)
  
• Snoqualmie (Mt.Si Senior Center)
  
• North Bend (Mt.Si Senior Center)
  
• Sammamish (Beaver Lake Lodge)
  

Is IACS moving its operations to Kent?

IACS will continue its weekly-once pop up program (Thursdays) in North Bellevue Community Center and has added weekly-thrice (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays) in Sammamish, as well as monthly-once in Redmond, Bothell and Snoqualmie. In addition, IACS has its main office in Together Center, Redmond where the community can access services 5 days a week. The IACS Community Center in Kent will allow us to provide much needed support services as well as offer a safe, inclusive space for community to connect 7 days a week.

How does IACS support its current operations?

Funding from community fundraising, private foundations, and government entities supports and sustains the IACS services.

What is the IACS capital campaign?

IACS has purchased a physical space in Kent in 2022 to provide a safe, inclusive space for our community's seniors, families, youth and women who can now easily access all support services, and resources. This center will also provide opportunities for small businesses to access technical assistance, training and marketing opportunities. Very importantly, a stand alone dedicated space offers us more effectiveness with urgent crisis services like free legal clinics, mental health services, counseling, support groups, including emergency services like housing, rent, childcare and food assistance.

The space itself needs significant remodeling to begin the community center operations.

These improvements include:

• Community gathering space
• Early learning center
• Small business hub - technical assistance, e-commerce training, relief assistance
• Youth gathering space
• Therapy rooms
• Wellness Studio
• Offices for legal & mental health services
• Teaching prep kitchen, etc.

IACS Community Center Phase 1 improvement budget is expected to be around $7.5M. IACS has raised $5.5M of its capital budget and hopes to raise $2M from the funders and donors in 2025.

Please Note: In order to donate or pledge towards specific spaces and naming rights or to customize your donation, please reach out to executivedirector@iaww.org

Why is Kent chosen for the IACS community center?

IACS conducted a focused two-year feasibility study to understand community needs and IACS’s own growth plan.

While we continue to grow our services in cities like Sammamish (3 days per week), and Bellevue, Redmond, Bothell and Snoqualmie (1 day a week, in all these centers), our study showed that there was a resounding ask from the community for a permanent space that is safe, inclusive and one that addresses basic, urgent and emergent needs for youth, new parents, families, small businesses, workers and seniors. Crisis survivors can reach out in times of need for not only support but also discover community connections.

While IACS operates pop up centers in East and North King County we find that very often our youth and other programs run out of space during weekends, or experience limitations in the use of rental spaces. This points us back to this need for a stable permanent space.

IACS did its due diligence in exploring locations based on access, cost and other important factors. Based on these factors,, we picked Kent as a central and affordable location which is accessible to community members, service workers and our small businesses.

How did IACS impact and serve the community last year?

We are proud of the impact IACS has had through our pop-up centers.

During 2024, IACS has proudly served and supported over 37,000 community members through a variety of impactful initiatives, including:

• 1,844 seniors provided with support in mental health, wellness, health insurance access, and digital literacy
• 415 clients facing crisis and domestic violence. $325K distributed in emergency rental assistance to income-eligible clients in crisis
• 478 small businesses assisted with technical guidance, credit-building support, and access to relief opportunities

How will I buy tickets for the Milan 2025 event?

• Register for Milan 2025 ( ejoinme.org)
• Select your Table Captain from the drop-down menu, add your credit card information and you are all set!

What are the different ways in which I can participate in and support Milan 2025 and the Capital Campaign?

• Attend the Milan 2025 event on April 19th
• Participate in the Silent Auction / Live Auction / Raise the Paddle and other fundraising opportunities during the event.
• The live auction opportunities will be available for viewing only, starting from April 5th. As a registrant, one can nominate their friend as proxy to bid at an entry of choice in the live auction. The live auction will include art from community artists, personalized chef dinners, curated wines, customized consultations and curated weaves from India brought to you from our master weavers and designers.
• Bidding by proxy is allowed as long as the proxy bidder is registered and present for the in-person event.
• Register for free for the Silent Auction online and bid on wine, sarees, experiences and assorted gift baskets starting April 14 at 8 am and ending on April 19 at 6.30 PM sharp - the day of the fundraiser.
• Consider Monthly pledges.
• Multi-year donations – spread across 2 to 4 years – please contact executivedirector@iaww.org for more information.
• Opportunity to honor, name your family or a loved one at the new community center. Please contact executivedirector@iaww.org for more information.