For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Leezel Tanglao
leezel.tanglao@fylpro.org
June 25, 2020
Filipino Young Leaders Program Awards COVID-19 Relief Grants to FASGI and Kawayan Collective
The Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) announces that its COVID-19 relief fund has extended financial support to efforts based in the United States and in the Philippines to provide basic goods to patients afflicted by coronavirus.
The Filipino American Service Group Inc. (FASGI) “BalikBAHAY” Box project features a care package containing essential items that can be most helpful to essential workers and vulnerable community members. FYLPRO has awarded FASGI $2,100 to fund 175 boxes for essential workers and vulnerable community members.
“We’re so thankful to FYLPRO for its generous contribution to FASGI and the BalikBAHAY Boxes Project during this COVID-19 Pandemic. These care packages for the vulnerable of our LA Filipinx American community will not only sustain our recipients with nutritious food, protective masks and hand sanitizer, but will also provide crucial information to stop the spread of coronavirus, dispelling myths that harm our community,” said Program Manager Dr. Antonio Moya (FYLPRO alum 2019).
Kawayan Collective which is based in Negros, Philippines has launched an effort to provide bamboo beds to COVID-19 patients around the Philippines. FYLPRO has awarded $2,000 to fund the making of 30+ beds.
“After processing through the stages of grief during the COVID-19 pandemic, our team has arrived at this prompt: How can we help our community with bamboo? We were inspired by front-liners and everybody else pitching in to help. Whether by donating meals, making face shields, or spreading correct information, there is a lot of work to be done. When we saw these huge overflow isolation centers, we thought of all the imported and processed materials that were needed for these essential facilities,” said Kawayan Collective Co-Founder Ray Villanueva (FYLPRO alum 2017). “We immediately thought bamboo beds would be a much better choice because bamboo is much more sustainable and locally available.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted all aspects of life around the world. In response to this ongoing crisis, FYLPRO formed the COVID-19 task force in April to tackle the needs of Filipinos both domestically and internationally. As part of the formation of this task force, a COVID-19 relief fund was created to support these efforts.
“As our annual immersion trip and Alumni Summit in Washington, DC were canceled due to the coronavirus, we thought ‘what can we do to help our kababayans who are struggling during the pandemic?’ The COVID-19 Task Force was born from our desire to provide assistance to our Filipino and Fil-Am communities,” said FYLPRO President Joshua Ang Price.
Chair of the COVID-19 Task Force Committee and FYLPRO Board Member Leezel Tanglao added, “Our community is on the frontlines of this crisis. It is vital that we support our kababayans in every way possible — from providing financial, mental and technical support.”
FYLPRO is continuing to fundraise for the COVID-19 Relief Fund. You can donate here: https://fylpro.org/support/
The FYLPRO COVID-19 Task Force is looking to identify COVID-19 relief efforts in the US and the Philippines that FYLPRO may be able to partner with or support through its regional relief program. If you are aware of potential partner organizations or potential recipients for FYLPRO’s COVID-19 regional relief program, please complete the information request form.
Questions? Contact: covidresponse@fylpro.org
About Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO)
The Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of high-performing, next-generation leaders that have a passion for advancing the Philippines and the Filipino people.
FYLPRO was established in 2012 by the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC in cooperation with the Ayala Foundation Inc. (AFI) to annually identify outstanding young professionals in the Filipino communities across the United States and provide the delegates with invaluable community, business, and government insights and access to distinguished network captains of industry and government.
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