Asian Pacific Islander Forward Movement (APIFM), a division of Special Service for Groups, Inc. (SSG), cultivates healthy, long-lasting, and vibrant Asian and Pacific Islander communities through engagement, education, and advocacy. We envision a world where all communities of color have full power to access good health and a healthy environment.
We work alongside residents in Alhambra, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, Rosemead, Temple City, and unincorporated Los Angeles County neighborhoods throughout the San Gabriel Valley.
In the San Gabriel Valley, families live with polluted air from freeways and freight trucks, limited green space, hotter summers, and aging water systems.
These issues hit hardest in immigrant neighborhoods where language barriers keep voices out of decision-making. PM2.5 pollution here regularly exceeds safe levels, raising risks for asthma, heart disease, and other health problems.
Too often, projects meant to improve health and safety are designed without input from those most affected. Without a seat at the table, our communities cannot shape the changes that determine whether their neighborhoods become healthier or fall further behind.
Sustainable SGV (SSGV) brings people together to tackle these challenges with solutions rooted in community leadership. We lead hands-on projects that make change visible: installing air sensors outside homes, planting native gardens that conserve water, and showing how safer streets and cleaner transit options can connect neighborhoods.
Through initiatives like clean air monitoring, water conservation education, campus greening, transit-to-trails outings, and youth leadership development, residents gain skills to take action. We host multilingual workshops, connect community members to planning processes, and keep residents engaged through our SSGV coalition.
Every project is an opportunity to turn community priorities into real improvements such as greener blocks, cooler streets, and healthier air for the San Gabriel Valley.
In the past year, we trained 15 youth leaders, installed and maintained air sensors in four pollution hotspots, and shared data in nine languages.
SSSGV Coalition efforts helped advance green infrastructure and active transportation improvements. Residents now have tools to track air quality, advocate for safer streets, and design more climate resilient spaces.
These changes are more than statistics. They mean cleaner air to breathe, shaded sidewalks to walk, and a stronger community voice shaping the SGV’s future.
Help us create a San Gabriel Valley where everyone has clean air to breathe, healthy food to eat, and safe places to live and play. Donate, volunteer, advocate, or share our story. Together, we can build the healthier, greener future our communities deserve.