Multigenerational Fil-Am leaders forge ahead at NaFFAA Federation Forum

(Back Row L-R) Marissa Usman, Chris Rivera, Emraida Kiram, Gem Daus, Mae Thompson, Bing Branigan (Former PAFC Board Director), April Siruno, Stephanie Wong, Krystle Canare (PAFC President), Brendan Flores, Andrew Esmele, Eric Macalma, Quinn Sheehy, Allison Alcasabas, Aida Rivera, Noel Aglubat, Steven Raga, John Victoria (PAFC Board Chair) (Front row L-R) Rommel Rivera, Mark Arevalo, Jon Melegrito (PAFC Advisor), Janrei Villavicencio, Dondi Quintans, Jason Tengco, Lakhi Sia, Dennis Mondero.

WASHINGTON D.C. To kick off Filipino American History Month, PAFC leaders, current and past, joined Filipino American leaders across the nation at the National Federation of Filipino American Associations' (NaFFAA) 2nd Annual Federation Forum.

As a federation of associations, NaFFAA strives to help increase investments and build the capacity of Filipino American organizations in order to better serve their communities. Last May 2017, during Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, NaFFAA hosted its first-ever “Federation Forum,” a leadership development summit focused on strategic planning, capacity-building, and other key areas. Sponsored by AARP and held in Washington, DC, delegates from 10 national Filipino American organizations met with leaders from the Administration, Congress, non-profit organizations, and other sectors to discuss key issues impacting Filipino Americans.

This year, NaFFAA hosted its second Federation Forum with 30 national and regional Filipino American community leaders to discuss the following key priority areas:

1. Highlighting fundraising best practices to help build the capacity of non-profit organizations.

2. Increasing non-partisan civic engagement and voter turnout in the 2018 midterm elections.

3. Developing a sustainable coalition structure amongst national and regional organizations.

"We need to demystify voting as a political act and make it integral to our community activities."

- Jon Melegrito, PAFC Advisor

PAFC President Krystle Canare, Board Director John Victoria, and former PAFC leaders, Jon Melegrito and Bing Branigan were all in attendance to voice the needs and experiences of the Filipino American community in the D.C metropolitan area. PAFC looks forward to working with NaFFAA and other Filipino American organizations in the future to promote the welfare and well-being of Filipino Americans throughout the United States.

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"For PAFC to truly champion the spirit of bayanihan ("community building") it is important for us to learn from other Fil-Am leaders from across the nation, identify what we currently know about the community, and what more needs to be done. Thank you to NaFFAA for providing a space for this dialogue to happen.

-Krystle Canare, PAFC President