Essence of MANA

12/30/2025

Journey to Empowerment warmly Invites you to join us in community for the FIRST J2E of 2026!

Come kick off the new year with Heal & Paint, a community-centered and creative healing space held in loving honor of Aunty Nani on her birthday!
This Heal & Paint is both a celebration and a continuation — honoring our beloved Heartwork Queen's legacy that gave life to J2E and the heartwork that continues to live on.

Together, let us paint and connect! No art experience is needed!
Materials are also provided, but limited so be sure to come early!

As always, Journey to Empowerment (J2E) is FREE with all ages and families welcomed!
📅 When: Friday, January 2, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Where: 1115 Mission Road, South San Francisco, CA 94080 (AARS OFFICE.)

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me by email or phone at lmasina@aars.org or (415) 243-6328.

12/26/2025

As the year comes to a close, the Asian American Recovery Services and Essence of MANA family sends so much gratitude to the community.
May your homes be full, spirits lifted, and hearts feel held.
Thank you for being part of our village and walking this journey with us.

From our AARS family to yours, we wish you all and loved ones a beautiful holiday season and a new year filled with hope.

12/05/2025

🌊 Journey to Empowerment presents: GRIEF 2 GROWTH 🌺
A space to honor our loved ones, share stories, and find healing together.

Join us TONIGHT for an evening of mental wellness, creative expression, and community as we reflect on the past and envision our future.
Bring a cherished photo of someone who has journeyed with you, and let’s hold space for each other through storytelling, memories, and breaking bread as a community.

✨ FREE + Open to all ages
✨ Food • Raffles • Good Vibes • Great Company

📅 Friday, December 5th, 2025
⏰ 6:30pm
📍 Asian American Recovery Services
1115 Mission Rd, South San Francisco, CA 94080

For more information, contact Lu Masina @ (415) 243-6328 | lmasina@aars.org

🌊 Journey to Empowerment presents: GRIEF 2 GROWTH 🌺
A space to honor our loved ones, share stories, and find healing together.

Join us for an evening of mental wellness, creative expression, and community as we reflect on the past and envision our future.
Bring a cherished photo of someone who has journeyed with you, and let’s hold space for each other through storytelling, memories, and breaking bread as a community.

✨ FREE + Open to all ages
✨ Food • Raffles • Good Vibes • Great Company

📅 Friday, December 5th, 2025
⏰ 6:30pm
📍 Asian American Recovery Services
1115 Mission Rd, South San Francisco, CA 94080

For more information, contact Lu Masina @ (415) 243-6328 | lmasina@aars.org

12/05/2025

Join us tonight!!

🌊 Journey to Empowerment presents: GRIEF 2 GROWTH 🌺
A space to honor our loved ones, share stories, and find healing together.

Join us for an evening of mental wellness, creative expression, and community as we reflect on the past and envision our future.
Bring a cherished photo of someone who has journeyed with you, and let’s hold space for each other through storytelling, memories, and breaking bread as a community.

✨ FREE + Open to all ages
✨ Food • Raffles • Good Vibes • Great Company

📅 Friday, December 5th, 2025
⏰ 6:30pm
📍 Asian American Recovery Services
1115 Mission Rd, South San Francisco, CA 94080

For more information, contact Lu Masina @ (415) 243-6328 | lmasina@aars.org

11/27/2025

🌊 Journey to Empowerment presents: GRIEF 2 GROWTH 🌺
A space to honor our loved ones, share stories, and find healing together.

Join us for an evening of mental wellness, creative expression, and community as we reflect on the past and envision our future.
Bring a cherished photo of someone who has journeyed with you, and let’s hold space for each other through storytelling, memories, and breaking bread as a community.

✨ FREE + Open to all ages
✨ Food • Raffles • Good Vibes • Great Company

📅 Friday, December 5th, 2025
⏰ 6:30pm
📍 Asian American Recovery Services
1115 Mission Rd, South San Francisco, CA 94080

For more information, contact Lu Masina @ (415) 243-6328 | lmasina@aars.org

11/25/2025

Kelera W. Vuiyale is a storyteller and community advocate guided by ancestral tides. Her journey is shaped by her experience as a first-generation Fijian American Vakasalewalewa and her work with the Samoan Community Development Center’s Pacific Islander Youth Alliance (PIYA), Samoan Solutions, and Pacific Islanders Organizing Nurturing Empowering Everyone to Rise and Serve (PIONEERS). Across these spaces, she has helped nurture the Va between Pasifika youth in the diaspora and their cultural roots through Love, Respect, and Optimism.
She continues this calling through the PIONEERS Leaders in Training Council, where she cultivates leadership, engages in self-healing practices, and serves the Pacific Islander community through collective action and service. In every space, Kelera offers what she, too, is learning: that in healing others, she continues to heal herself. Rooted in the wisdom of her bloodline, she carries a grounded, poetic presence—reminding others that transformation is a tide we rise with, not against.

Tune in to Essence of MANA at 7:00 PM PST as we welcome the amazing Lela to the Talanoa Tuesday virtual fala!

11/18/2025

Talavou "Vou" Aumavae is a USC Price School public administration graduate student and newest member to join the Asian American Recovery Services family as Case Manager, supporting the PIONEERS program through outreach, education, prevention, and referrals for NHPI youth and young adults. With over a decade of experience in civic engagement, nonprofit leadership, and Pacific Islander advocacy, he also serves on the Board of Directors for Samoan Solutions, strengthening organizational development and culturally rooted community initiatives. His work centers relational leadership, cultural grounding, and building healthier pathways for Pacific Islander communities.

Tune in at 7:00 PM on Essence of MANA, as Talanoa Tuesday welcomes the amazing Vou to the TT virtual fala to share more about his heartwork!