A Message from the Executive Director
Love, Joy, Hope, and Peace.
We have so much to be thankful for as we enter 2023! With your support, we were able to accomplish many of our 2022 goals, and this report directly reflects the outstanding support of our community and and achievements of those who serve them. Before we look ahead into 2023, let’s celebrate what we have been able to accomplish at the Filipino Community of Seattle during the past year.
The Senior program, which regularly provides hot lunches and food bags, now includes health and wellness activities. The senior technology classes have gained popularity and are now offered two days per week.
The Youth after school and summer programs experienced an increase in enrollment from students at nearby schools.
Our Culture and Arts program is in full swing thanks to the addition of our new Artist in Residence. Kalahi Dance program picked back up from pre-pandemic activities and are excited to have more families and children involved in sharing our culture.
The Gender Based Violence program has successfully trained the FCS staff and volunteers to be Natural Helpers. Our college-age youth members at University of Washington and Seattle University were provided sexual assault and harassment training. Parenting classes were also provided to victims of domestic violence.
Small Business Resiliency Network has helped over one hundred small businesses with technical assistance, marketing, and networking. In collaboration with The Palengke National, we started Filipino American History Month with The Palengke at FCS which featured over 30 small businesses. The abundant enthusiasm for the event was a great inspiration for us to host our second event in December, The Holiday Palengke.
At the Innovation Learning Center, the youth eagerly attended robotics and drone making classes. FCS partnered in the workforce training of formerly incarcerated fathers to learn technological skills that promote stable employment within the tech industry. This project leads to certifications in communications, networking, entry-level network security, and network administration.
The Filipino Community Village houses 94 seniors that make up a thriving resident community. It’s hard to believe that it has been open for over a year!
Our largest endeavor (in size) has been the recent acquisition of the adjacent property north of FCC. FCS is looking forward to building more affordable housing for families in the community.
To support the increased capacity of our new and expanding service programs, we’ve welcomed more people to our staff. Amongst the new faces, the Business/Financial Administrator and Fund Development Director will help us build upon our current successes as a fiscally strong organization.
This impressive list of accomplishments would not have been possible without the hard work of our staff, and their love and dedication for the community we serve. We thank our wonderful and very supportive board for being there for us at all times. When we do our work, we feel the joy and hope from the people we help and support. I hope we can continue to have peace in our hearts because we can make our community a better place.
In 2023, we are looking to expand all of our programs to serve our growing community. We hope that you will be there to help us continue our mission and vision. Your support always makes it possible for us to build safety nets for all who need them, regardless of race or immigration status. Please join us in building a better future for all.
Agnes Navarro
Executive Director
Program Updates
Culture & Arts
2022 was a year of growth and new ideas for the Culture & Arts Programs department at the Filipino Community of Seattle. We gained a new, part-time Culture & Arts Programs Coordinator, an administrative role that helps keep the FCS CAP programs run smoothly. Bennyroyce Royon, this year’s CAP Coordinator, helped research, plan, develop, manage, and implement community-wide programs and events including the FCS Kalahi Dance Group, the first-ever Palengke at FCS, the Annual Community Christmas Party, and the Annual Tree Lighting Event in conjunction with the first-ever Holiday Palengke at FCS.
Senior Services
Seniors were provided COVID-19 Test kits and PPE: hand sanitizers, disposable masks, and sanitizing wipes.
During April and May, seniors received SDOT-RIDE NOW tickets.
Insurance Training
Cynthia Aranca held an annual meeting with the seniors regarding their enrollment in Medicare,
UnitedHealthcare, and Aetna.
Mr. Juan Garcia from CMS Health insurance/outreach Specialist Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services explained to seniors regarding the social security, medicaid and medicare.
Youth Development
We were able to register and have 66 students from grades K-12th attend our Batibot
and Bagets youth programs this year since we opened up in February 2022!
We were able to successfully host our first annual graduation celebration here at FCS
with 24 total graduates with an attendance of around 120 people!
ILC Technology Programming
The Numbers
Children served: 40
Seniors served: 80
Formerly incarcerated / Justice involved: 18
Percentage BIPOC: 92%
Small Business Resiliency Network
From January 2022 to December 2022 our program has expanded. We have been able to help more than a hundred small businesses with technical assistance, marketing and networking. W
We helped over 20 small businesses at the beginning of SBRN and now we have over 158 members email lists. Most businesses that we've helped managed daily operations by...
Gender Based Violence
During the first quarter of 2022, the FCS staff and volunteers participated in a 12-session training lead by the Gender Based Violence (GBV) team. The staff and volunteers learned more about domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. At the end of the training, every staff member and volunteer received the Natural Helper certificate of completion.