In 2009, Colorado Asian Culture & Education Network (CACEN) was established by mother-daughter duo Yutai (Christina) Guo and Annie Guo VanDan. Their family immigrated to Denver from Taipei, Taiwan in 1987, when Annie was almost two years old. After 20 years in Colorado, they saw a need to uplift and empower Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) to share and celebrate their cultural roots.

In 2006, they initially formed Asian Avenue Magazine together as both Christina and Annie had studied journalism / communications. Christina had been a reporter in Taiwan, before giving up her career to bring her three children to the U.S. After Annie graduated with her journalism degree from the University of Missouri, she moved back to Denver. Her mom approached her with the idea to start the magazine. Since then, the monthly print publication has never missed a single month!

The goal of the magazine was to shine a light on the AANHPI community in Colorado that often felt unseen or invisible. Through the sharing of stories and experiences, cultural exchange and education began connecting people in the community. In addition to writing about the community, they were organizing many programs and events for the AANHPIs (such as student leadership conferences, study abroad programs, and award ceremonies), which led to them formalizing the nonprofit 501c3 CACEN in 2009.

Today, Annie continues to run the organization as the Founding Executive Director, while Yutai serves in an advisory capacity. CACEN has evolved to being an important pillar in Colorado's AANHPI community -- providing health and wellness programs, leadership development, and spaces of belonging!