HANA Center

Based in Chicago, IL, HANA Center represents the unified vision of two pioneering organizations that merged in February 2017 to create a stronger force for community empowerment. The name HANA—meaning "one" in Korean—reflects the organization's core philosophy that communities are more powerful when united. HANA Center emerged from the merger of Korean American Community Services, which since 1972 has responded to critical community needs, and Korean American Resource and Cultural Center, which since 1995 has championed powerful community organizing and cultural celebration. This intentional combination brought together complementary strengths: KACS's deep history of direct service and community responsiveness with KRCC's track record of advocacy and cultural preservation. Today, HANA Center operates with a mission to empower Korean American and multiethnic immigrant communities through interconnected social services, education, culture, and community organizing that advance human rights. The organization's commitment extends across the full spectrum of community diversity—serving immigrants, women, youth, people of color, low-income families, older adults, LGBTQ+ folks, and adoptees. Operating from locations in Chicago and Prospect Heights, HANA Center believes that shared history and culture are sources of strength. By combining resources and working collectively, the organization demonstrates that communities accomplish far more together than apart, building lasting power toward systemic change in the Chicago area.