Essence of MANA

11/26/2025

11/26/2025

Talanoa Tuesday with Kelera!

11/26/2025

Tap in with us!

11/26/2025

Talanoa Tuesday with Kelera Vuiyale

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!

11/19/2025

11/19/2025

Tap in with us’

11/19/2025

Happy Talanoa Tuesday with Talavou Aumavae!

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!

11/06/2025

If you’re in need of a space to unwind and decompress, join us tomorrow for Journey to Empowerment!

‼️New Location‼️
AARS Office - 1115 Mission Rd, SSF, CA 94089

Come through for some wellness, good food and great company!
All ages & families welcome AND it’s FREE!!

For more information, contact our page via Messenger, OR contact Lu Masina at 415-243-6328!

🌱 Journey to Empowerment Presents: GROW WITH ME 🌻
Join us for a hands-on wellness workshop with the Pacific Islander Initiative of San Mateo County!
Together, we’ll explore growth and self-care through a fun, interactive experience for all ages.

🗓 Friday, November 7, 2025 | 6:30 PM
📍 1115 Mission Road, South San Francisco, CA 94080

✨ Enjoy FREE food, raffles, and great company!
Let’s grow together — mind, body, and spirit! 🌿

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

11/05/2025

This year, we are deeply moved to see our Beloved HeRtwork Queen’s legacy live on through The Lumana‘i Education Gift Fund, chosen by her family as the beneficiary for Samoan Solutions’ 15th Annual 5K Turkey Trot for Charity.

Aunty Nani believed in the power of education and the importance of investing in our Pasifika youth. As shared by our Samoan Solutions family, Aunty Nani has stood behind the Lumana‘i Gift from the very beginning — using her voice and time to ensure it would continue blessing generations to come.

We are grateful to Samoan Solutions and the Naha-Wilson aiga for honoring her life’s work in such a meaningful way.

To learn more or register for this year’s Turkey Trot, visit:
www.samoansolutions.org
www.tinyurl.com/ssturkeytrot