MFFC Fundraising for Typhoon Ketsana Victims
October 10, 2009, Markham -
In response to the recent disaster caused by Typhoon Ketsana in the Philippines, the MFFC has organized fundraising activities to help to aid the hundreds of victims affected by calamity.
MFFC along with the Alex Chiu Charities has also appealed for government support to help their fellow Filipinos affected by the disaster in the Philippines. The Town of Markham approved a grant of $7,500 to support the relief efforts.
Donations for goods such as towels, blankets; canned goods; and other personal items (such as soap and toothbrushes and toothpaste) are also accepted at any of the Markham Fire Stations until October 25. A separate fund has been set-up for monetary donations by the MFFC. Monies will be channeled through Global Medic to help provide thousands of people with clean drinking water for people seeking aid in the affected areas.
If you would like to donate funds towards this relief effort,
Leyte Disaster Fundraising
2006 Fundraising for the landslide victims in Leyte
The Markham Federation of Filipino Canadians (MFFC), in partnership with the Federation of Chinese Canadians (FCCM) and the York Regional Police surpassed its overarching goal of $100,000.00 at their fundraising dinner held Wednesday, March 22, 2006 at the Crystal Fountain in Markham. At the end of the day, the dinner event raised a whopping $125,000.00 for the landslide victims in Leyte.
Markham Youth Mentorship Project
In June 2000, with a $5,000 funding from the Town of Markham under their “Celebrate 2000” Markham project, MFFC embarked on a youth mentorship project. The overall goal of the project was for the Filipino Canadian youth to develop a healthy relationship in the family, school and community environments. That was achieved through the various activities that the youth themselves identified as being beneficial to them. They had arts program in the form of choral music, drama and dance. They had tutoring in math, reading and special education. They had leadership and communication skills workshop and in the area of sports, they had a bowling tournament. The mentorship project had provided many opportunities to the students and the community to work together. The project was commenced in August and the last event was held in December 2000. Within a very short period of time, a total of 10 mentors and 45 students from age 10 – 20, including a special needs student, learned assertiveness, good communication and leadership skills, techniques of producing a play and performing on stage, bowling skills, good sportsmanship and team spirit, academic skills, choral singing. The mentors and the menthes appreciated the benefits of the mentorship program. The objectives were met within the budget and the time frame established.
Fundraising For The Children Of A Murdered Victim
In December 1997, MFFC initiated a fundraising project for the children of the late Alberta Khan, a Markham resident whose tragic death touched the lives of so many in our community. Our goal was to raise money to help build the trust fund, which was set up for the Khan children. The dinner dance fundraising event was held on March 20th, 1998 and we were able to raise $15,000.
Cultural Heritage Centennial Project
This project was in partnership with Association of Cavitenos in Canada and the Knights of Rizal. Celebration of Filipino Cultural Heritage project was a series of seminar-workshops to showcase Philippine History and Culture and the project was carried out from May 1997 and culminated on June 12, 1998 in time for the celebration of the centennial anniversary of Philippine Independence. The project aimed to:
-
Enhance knowledge and understanding of the glorious past of the Filipino nation;
-
Promote appreciation of the contribution of great Filipino men and women to the cause of freedom;
-
Provide access to materials on the life and works of the Filipino national here, Dr. Jose Rizal;
-
Foster pride for the Filipino identity among Filipino Canadians through an understanding of our heritage; and
-
Appreciate that the Philippines was the first democracy in Asia.
The topics of the series of workshops were about exploring the Philippines, traditions and values, Rizal’s works, profiles of great Filipino men and women both past and present and centennial declaration of Philippine Independence and its History.
Filipino Canadian Artists Showcase
In March 1997, MFFC sponsored an art exhibit by the Philippine Artists Group. The organization raised $1,000 to enable the artists to exhibit their works. In cooperation with the Office of the Mayor of the Town of Markham, the one-week art exhibition titled “Markham Winterlude” was held from March 29th to April 19th 1997 at the Markham Civic Centre.
One Step Processing & Integrated Sponsorship Pilot Project
In December 1995 to March 1996, the Citizenship & Immigration Canada (CIC) established an experimental “one-step processing and integrated sponsorship” project. The waiting time to process a “family class” visa can range from one to several years depending on the circumstances. With this project, the visa may be issued within a few days.
Two staff members from CIC explained at length details of the pilot project during a seminar organized by MFFC at its community center. A total of 200 people attended a series of the seminars. About 20 people underwent training to assist the community at large.
The new process entailed completing the requirements for the sponsorship and immigration applications at the same time and submitting them together along with the required supporting documentation and fee to the specified CIC office.
The new processing method if adopted, would reduce by 90% inquiries from the public regarding pending applications. This meant an annual savings of $15 million to $18 million for the federal government.
Applications under the pilot project had to be filed by June 1996. With this constricted time frame, the MFFC initiated a blitz campaign to enable as many applicants in the community to take advantage of the pilot project. MFFC assisted the CIC in reaching out to the community about this pilot project, in the distribution of the application form packages, in helping prospective applicants comply with the requirements and in the completion of their pilot project.
MFFC helped about 110 applicants complete the application and several more learned about the project through the MFFC.