Julia Williams

Editor-in-Chief

Among Kansas Citians geared up to celebrate the 33rd annual Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month is one Northeast Asian empowerment organization, fresh off its launch. 

 501(C)(3) nonprofit Hella Good Deeds was founded as a sister organization to Columbus Park Vietnamese coffee shop, Café Cà Phê (916 E. Fifth St.) with a mission to elevate the growing presence of Asian culture in Kansas City by celebrating heritage, amplifying narrative and connecting communities. 

Hella Good Deeds Founder and Executive Director Béty Lê Shackelford has worked toward stopping and the prevention of Asian hate since 2021, alongside Café Cà Phê Owner and now Hella Good Deeds Board Member, Jackie Nguyen. 

Its name, “Hella,” Lê Shackelford shared, is a part of the San Jose/ Bay Area, Ca., vernacular — where she is originally from. Café Cà Phê even sports a “Hella Good Latte.” 

“I hear it, it’s a sense of home,” Lê Shackelford shared in an interview. 

The second part, “Good Deeds” is just what it sounds like, as she said she has always wanted to do good for the community and serve others.

While Shackelford said she is originally from the Bay Area, her theatre background led her to Los Angeles County, where she met Nguyen, while working on a musical at the Pasadena Playhouse. 

However, she said it wasn’t until the two had both moved to Kansas City by 2018 that they discovered their shared passion for community. 

“I think of [Nguyen] as a sister in all of this,” Lê Shackelford said in an interview. “I supported her in Café Cà Phê and now she’s here with me in Hella Good Deeds.” 

It is this shared trust and mission between Lê Shackelford and Nguyen and their two organizations, which they feel has contributed to positive relationships fostered with the community beyond their work. 

“Everyone really wants to grow the Asian Community,” Lê Shackelford shared in an interview. “We want to celebrate together, be together and learn together.” 

While this work began four years ago, Hella Good Deeds nonprofit did not officially launch until January 2025 to celebrate both the organization and Lunar New Year. 

The second Lunar New Year Night Market, an event that Hella Good Deeds put on through a sponsorship with Guild KC — an event space within the Crossroads Arts District — received an overwhelming amount of community support, Lê Shackelford said.

With this influx of outreach, Hella Good Deeds was in need of a larger venue to host its events. Now, through a new partnership, the organization will host its Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Fest and Hella Good Fridays events at The Zhou B Art Center (1801 E. 18th St).

AANHPI Fest will be held On May 31 as a part of AANHPI Heritage Month. 

In 1992, 41st U.S. President, George H.W. Bush designated May as AANHPI Heritage Month, according to the U.S. Senate. 

May was chosen for two reasons, which include to celebrate the first Japanese immigrant, who arrived in the U.S. in May 1843 and to honor the anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad — as a majority of its workers were Chinese immigrants, according to the Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition — which was completed on May 10, 1869. 

In addition to AANHPI Fest, the nonprofit plans to host Hella Good Fridays every month at The Zhou B Art Center, which Lê Shackelford said will offer an opportunity for participants to build within their Asian community, enjoy company and to celebrate who they are. The first of these will be its kick-off event on March 7. 

Hella Good Deeds additionally has projects it is actively working on including its “Hella Growth” series, with a focus on Asian mental health, growth and an entrepreneur track to support AANHPI businesses. 

Within this, includes a Hella Good Health plus Community Fair, which the organization hopes to put on in the fall of 2025. Lê Shackelford shared the reason behind this goes back to a hierarchy in Asian culture. At this health fair, translators will be available, so those with language barriers will not have to rely on family members who may be younger than them to communicate regarding medical exams.

The organization additionally plans to focus on different themes based on specific months. In June, Hella Good Deeds will promote resources and education for the LGBTQ+ community and in November, it will do the same for Adoption Awareness month.

Lê Shackelford’s organization works toward carrying on traditions from ancestors, descendants and the community — a few vital elements of Asian culture. 

Lê Shackelford shared she has always loved being around and teaching children. 

And one student in particular, who has accompanied Lê Shackelford throughout this journey, her three-year-old daughter, Mia — who she said has remained an inspiration and source of joy. 

As Lê Shackelford is a first generation Vietnamese American and her husband is from the Midwest, she said it is important to her to share both cultures with Mia, which includes speaking Vietnamese with and around Mia’s Ba Ngoai (Lê Shackelford’s mom).

“She’s been with me through all of this; I’ve loved having her be a part of this,” Lê Shackelford said. 

For more information on Hella Good Deeds, visit: https://hellagooddeeds.org/, or check-out its social media at: @hellagooddeeds. To RSVP for Zhou B’s Hella Good Fridays, visit:https://www.zhoubartcenterkc.com/events/first-friday-open-studios-special-guest.