GFI joins PHCG Donato and Fil-Am leaders for a luncheon hosted by Consul General of Japan

 

January 21, 2014 - Atlanta, GA

PHCG Raoul "Ray" Donato, Toni Luetgers (GFI), CG Sunaga (Consulate of Japan), Elsie Vidanes (Fil-Am Assoc. of Greater Atlanta), Lori Davis (Consulate of the Philippines) & Willy Blanco (Makabayan GA)

 

 

 



 

 



CBDA salutes GFI and the countless volunteers for the good strides done in 2013

CBDA Missionaries

Chris and Carol Woodley

 

Cornerstone Baptist Deaf Academy letter on Jan. 13, 2014

 

 

13 January 2014

 

Dear Galing Family:

 

A salute to your good organization and to countless other volunteers for the good strides done in 2013, bringing education to places where there is lack of it.

 

Our special appreciation goes to the entire GALING FOUNDATION who has chosen our humble school to be the recipient of a five-year book sponsorship program.  The executive committee who worked quietly in the background and the many friends of Galing who chose to be unnamed, we salute you!

 

our goal to close the gap int eh level of education of the deaf to at least close to par with that of the hearing is not impossible.  In 2011, CBDA established its first library and learning center even with the shortage of non-academic textbooks.  Our goal is to teach English, Filipino, Writing, Culture and History, and through this raise the level of awareness of our deaf children about their environment and identity.  As of 2013, CBDA has already received three book shipments: Currently our staff is managing inventory, while our teachers have started their own classroom libraries incorporating reading in all subject lessons and class activities.

 

As a way to express their gratitude, our deaf students have sent you their artistic crafts and projects.  They also send out their congratulations to all the youth leaders of Georgia, who like them believe in the power of education.

 

With your partnership, we are gearing up towards becoming more self-sustaining in 2014, and our deaf believe that productiveness is the key.  The assistance you can led us through the sale of their hand-made products can help make our goals more attainable. 

 

Thank you very much, and may God bless you!

 

Sincerely,

Carol A. Woodley

Administrator and missionary

 

 

 

Cornerstone Baptist Deaf Academy newsletter on December 20, 2013

 

 

GFI and PHCG honors outstanding leaders and contributors of 2013

2013 Youth Leaders

James Tierra and Je'an Francis Cantilang

 

 

 

2013 Youth Leadership Award

Jim McSweeney, James Tierra, Je'an Francis Cantilang, Mary Ann Moriles, Ana Blackburn and Consul Ray Donato

Atlanta, GA - January 17, 2013 Galing Foundation, Inc. in partnership with the Philippine Honorary Consul General in Atlanta hosted its 7th Youth Leadership and Community Volunteer Appreciation Ceremony at the residence of Honorary Consul General Raoul "Ray" Donato.  Some 40 members of the community were in attendance to honor the awardees and celebrate the accomplishments and contributions for the year 2013.

 

"On behalf of a grateful state, I thank you for the outstanding example you have set."- Nathan Deal, Georgia Governor

 

"The outstanding academic achievements and extra curricular pursuits of Messrs. Cantilang and Tierra have made them eminently qualified to receive this accolade.  They are testament to Filipino's penchant to excel as well-rounded students and their accomplishments add to the positive image of Filipino Americans in the United States." - Jose L. Cuisia, Philippine Ambassador

 

2013 Consular Outreach Volunteers

Grace Ragheb, Shereen Ragheb, Pia Valeriano, Marites Arana Figuero, Elizabeth Cornell, Ces Alberto, Willy Blanco and Consul Donato

(click here for video)

 

Certificates issued to the 18 members of the Consular Outreach Team of Atlanta by the Philippine Embassy, signed by Consul General Ariel R. Penaranda.  Awards were handed out to Alan Alberto, Ces Alberto, Tony Alberto, Willy Blanco, Elizabeth Cornell, Vincent Diaz, Lani Evans, Marites Arana-Figuero, Sarah Hawk, Toni Daya-Luetgers, Gerald Mauricio, Paulo Mauricio, Sarah Pagaduan-Mauricio, Bernadette Manaois-Muyot, Grace Ragheb, Shereen Ragheb, Robert Santiago and Pia Valeriano in sincere appreciation of the dedicated efforts and commitment to serve the Filipino community during the Philippine Embassy's Consular Outreach Mission held in Buford, GA on November 2, 2013. 

 

In a letter dated November 26, 2013 from Ambassador Cuisia to Consul Donato states "I also take this opportunity to thank you for receiving the Consular Team led by Consul General Ariel R. Penaranda and for your leadership in the success of the outreach."

 

The Consular Outreach in Atlanta served over 200 Filipino nationals and Filipino-Americans from various parts of the southeast region for passport renewal, dual citizenship, authentication, voter registration and other assistance on legal documentation requirements.  A free immigration consultation was rendered by Atty. Sarah Hawk.  It was held at RV Industries. 

 

 

 

 

DepEd Sarangani Certificate of Recognition

 

Toni Daya-Luetgers, Marshall Resnik, Andrew Hargrove, Consul Ray Donato, Arjho Turner and Ana Blackburn

(click here for video)

 

 

 

 

With gratitude from the Department of Education Sarangani Schools Division, the office of former Sarangani Governor Miguel Rene Dominguez, the board of Galing Foundation, Inc. and the Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Atlanta, a certificate of recognition was awarded to Delta Air Lines.  The award of recognition was accepted by Andrew Hargrove, Manager of Assests and Technology for Delta Air Lines with Marshall Resnik, Manager for Catering Assets.

 

 

In July of 2013, Delta Air Lines donated 10, 896 amenity kits to the province of Sarangani, Philippines.  (click here for details)

 

Acknowledgment: Assist 2 Sell, Brian Drake, Lisa Tierra (photos), Willy Blanco (sound system)

 

 

 

 



Greetings from Governor Nathan Deal for the 7th Annual Youth Leadership and Community Volunteer Appreciation Ceremony

click on image

State of Georgia

Office of the Governor

Alanta 30334-0900

 

 

 

To: The Attendees of the 7th Annual Youth Leadership and Community Volunteer Appreciation Ceremony

 

 

 

GREETINGS:

It is my great pleasure to extend my warmest regards to the attendees of the 7th Annual Youth Leadership and Community Volunteer Appreciation ceremony.  On behalf of a grateful state, I thank you for the outstanding example you have set.

Please allow me to congratulate the 2013 Youth Leader Nominees, Je'an Francis Cantilang and James Tierra, and welcome distinguished suggests, community volunteers, and other attendees.  I want to thank the Galing Foundation and the Office of the Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Atlanta for their initiative with the Youth Leadership Awards program aimed to promote academic excellence, volunteerism, and active engagement among the Filipino Americans in Georgia for the benefit of their communities and beyond.  Our children are the next generation of Georgia's leaders.  Preparing them for successful academic careers, bringing creative ideas to life, and pursuing their dreams are priorities for me.  It is an opportunity that I want for every student in Georgia. 

I applaud the Galing Foundation and the Office of Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Atlanta for organizing this event and send my best wishes for an enjoyable ceremony.

Sincerely,

Nathan Deal

THE 7TH ANNUAL YOUTH LEADERSHIP AWARD

by

Galing Foundation, Inc. in partnership with the Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Atlanta

2013 Youth Leader Nominees:

Je'an Francis Cantilang

Locust Grove, GA





Je'an Francis Cantilang or Jeff is a kind-hearted son of Jean and Francis and the elder brother of Brandon.  He loves playing piano, tennis and video games.

He has a Taekwando Black Belt degree and aspires to be a successful doctor or engineer someday.  With 3.9 unweighted GPA, he is a full-time college and junior HS student at Clayton University and Luella HS (dual enrollee).  He is an active member of the National Honors Society, National English, Math and Science Honors Society, History Club, Academic Team, Marching Band and Tennis Varsity.

He tutors HS students and volunteers in various organizations.

 

James Tierra

Lawrenceville, GA

James is sixteen years old and the youngest child.  Currently, a Sophomore student at Archer High School, with a GPA of 4.00.  He is taking AP Chemistry and AP World History and Gifted Classes (Accelerated Integrated PreCalculus, Sophomore World Literature and Comp Gifted). 

He is musically talented; he recently joined the Archer marching band and plays clarinet and an active member of his school's Symphonic band.  He is also an active choir member of St. Oliver Plunkett Catholic Church, Life Teen Ministry where he plays percussion instruments during the Life Teen Mass every Sunday.  He is also the drummer for the band. 

"The Few That Remain", a band in which he and his brothers and some friends, volunteers their time and musical talents back to the community by performing on various public schools' and in some cities and county events. 



James is a current member of the National Beta Club and the National Honor Society (Tiger Chapter).  He recently received an Academic Achievement Award at AHS.  Him ambition is to become a Computer Engineer.

During his free time, he loves to play online multi-player games with his 2 brothers and friends, and compose songs and play music. 

2013 YLA Selection Committee members:

James McSweeney

Special Assistant

U.S. Presidential Libraries

National Archives and Records Administration

Jim McSweeney has worked for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for 25 plus years, currently serving as a Special Assistant within the Office of Presidential Libraries.  He has served in senior leadership positions in NARA’s San Francisco, Laguna Niguel, and Atlanta facilities.  From November 1998 to September 2012, he served as the Regional Administrator for the National Archives at Atlanta.  Under his direction, the National Archives at Atlanta occupied two new facilities in 2004 and 2005: an 115,000 square foot archival facility (with exhibition and public program space) in Morrow, Georgia, as well as a 350,000 square foot Federal Records Center in Ellenwood, Georgia.  During his career with the National Archives, Mr. McSweeney has inaugurated innovative public programs with leading social, cultural, and academic institutions, the Truman and Roosevelt Presidential Libraries, Georgia Public Broadcasting, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, the Smithsonian Institute, the Afro American Historical and Genealogical Society, and the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.   

Mr. McSweeney was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and received a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science from San Francisco State University and a masters of arts degree in American History from San Jose State University.  He is a member of the California Historical Society, the Society of Georgia Archiviss, and the Atlanta Federal Executive Board (twice serving as Chair of the Atlanta FEB).  Mr. McSweeney is a professed baseball junkie, ardent jazz enthusiast, dog lover, and proud father of a future actress, interior designer, or veterinarian.   

Mary Anne Moriles

Nurse, Neonatal ICU

Southern Regional Hospital

Mary Ann Moriles is the eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs Ramon Gonsalves of Iloilo City, Philippines. She graduated cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at St Paul College of Iloilo. In 1983,she went to work in New York as staff nurse then as an assistant head nurse and head nurse. She went back to the Philippines ,married Dr Romeo Moriles in 1987 and worked as a Clinical Instructor at West Visayas State University College of Nursing. Migrated to the US with her husband in 1990, she is currently working at the Neonatal ICU of Southern Regional Medical Center. They have three children Kevin, Kimberly and Kathlyn.

She is an active Elder of Morrow Presbyterian Church, a Sunday School teacher  and was the Moderator of Presbyterian Women in 2011. Her hobbies are reading, dancing and swimming. 

Myles Villoria

President, Asian Pacific Employee Network (APEN)

Project Leader, Employee Services

Delta Air Lines



Myles Villoria currently governs the Asian Pacific Employee Network (APEN) at Delta Air Lines.  In this role, he is responsible for leading one of the seven employee network groups at Delta.  Myles was one of the earliest members of APEN which started in 2007.  To date, there are over 1,000 APEN members worldwide from all 6 continents where Delta flies. 

Myles was quickly recognized for his creative ideas and ability to communicate well with others.  As a result, he was appointed as the Chairperson of the Communications Committee where he was responsible for keeping all APEN members abreast of the most current APEN events.  In 2009, Myles successfully ran for Vice President of APEN where he restructured the Committee Chairs.  Following his 2 year term as Vice President, Myles then ran for President and succeeded.  During his Presidency, Myles has managed to bridge the gap between network groups of external organizations such as UPS, Home Depot, ING, GE, and Coca-Cola.  He also serves as a board member of the Who’s Who in Asian American Communities (WWAAC) Alliance Foundation where he is the Corporate Affinity Group Chair. 

In addition to being the President of one of Delta’s network groups, Myles is also a Project Leader in Airport Customer Service.  His analytical skills are often sought after by various departments within Delta, as he has created databases for Inflight Services, Global Diversity, Cargo, Human Resources, and Legal.  As a Red Cross Certified Volunteer, Myles is also a member of the Corporate Emergency Response Team where he is on call 24 hours a day in the event of an aircraft emergency.   Myles has an older sister, Tess, and a younger brother, Mark.  Myles and his sister were born in Cebu, Philippines and his parents immigrated to the United States when Myles was only a year old.  His parents decided to settle in Georgia after his father was hired on with MARTA and shortly thereafter, his younger brother was born.  Myles grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia and his parents continue to live in the house where he was raised.  He has always been so thankful about the sacrifices that his parents made many years ago when they decided to leave the comfort of their life in the Philippines in order to provide for a better future for their children. 

Delta Air Lines is one of the world’s largest airlines, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita.  Delta and Delta Connection carriers offer service to 330 destinations in 65 countries and serve more than 160 million passengers each year. Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft.  As a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights and was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2013 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list, topping the list for the second time in three years.  Delta is investing more than $3 billion in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground.

A Letter of Congratulations from the Office of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson to Mr. Je'an Francis Cantilang as 2013 Youth Leader Honoree

 

 

click on image

 

 

December 30, 2013

 

 

Dear Je'an:

 

The Galing Foundation, Inc.'s 2013 Youth Leadership Award has been presented to you in recognition of your academic excellence, volunteerism and leadership among the young people of the Filipino-American community in Georgia.  It is always a pleasure to hear about a student who is being recognized for generously giving of their time and talent to encourage high achievement among the young people in their community, and I commend you.

 

Being recognized for your outstanding leadership ability is a high honor, and I know your friends and family are proud for you.  I am sure they were glad to learn that you were selected to receive this award presented by the Galing Foundation in partnership with the Honorary Philippine Consulate General in Atlanta for your outstanding service to your fellow students.

 

Please call on me if I can be of service to you in the future. 

 

With warmest personal regards,

 

Sincerely,

 

Sgd.

Johnny Isakson

 

JI/mg

 

 

 

 

 

 



A message of gratitude to Cross of Life from Galing Foundation, Inc.

Click here



A message of gratitude to Cross of Life



Donation of $1,930 to fund shipment of educational resources



Julius Lagare (event performer), Toni D. Luetgers & Arjho C. Turner with Hannah at the 4th Annual International Dinner Fundraiser at Cross of Life Lutheran Church

Through the initiative of Cross of Life Social Concerns Committee, the 4th annual International Dinner held at Cross of Life on August 24, 2013 raised funds for its various ministries: Padhar Mission School (India), Malawi Mission (Africa), Angel's Haven Orphanage (Korea) and Galing Foundation, Inc. (Philippines).  

The annual fundraising event was supported by members of the congregation, friends and corporate sponsors: Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Northpoint Innovative Solutions, LLC, Advance Famliy Wellness, Coca-Cola, Riverside Pizza, Cosmetic & Family Dentistry, NTS (Nuclear Technology Services, Inc., Atlanta History Center and Story Corps, Altobeli's Restaurant & Piano Bar, India Chef Restaurant, High Museum of Art, Kroger Crabapple, Scentsy, Top Coat Nails & Day Spa, National Archives and Jimmy Carter Library & Museum.

Click here to learn about the GFI LDERA recipients.  



White House Initiative on AAPI Executive Director Kiran Ahuja commends youth honorees and the important contribution of the Filipino community in GA for AAPI and country

Photo credit: NW Asian Weekly

 



Learn at Lunch: "Our Quest for the Blaan Indigenous People's Group" by Annalie T. Edday

Annalie Tolentino Edday in a Blaan traditional outfit

 

 

(Photo: Ana Blackburn, Annalie Edday, Toni D. Luetgers, Arjho C. Turner, Hannah Turner, Pam Peterman, Melissa Luetgers, Immanuel Turner & Robert Peterman)

January 3, 2014 East Point, GA

Gathered with a small group from the Filipino community in Atlanta, "Learn at Lunch" program with GFI partner QUEST program manager of Sarangani Province, Ms. Annalie Tolentino Edday proved to be an informative conversation.  She is currently visiting the US for further studies as a fellow student under the East-West Center program. In an informal setting, she spoke to the group about her experience as a teacher and a program leader that revolutionized educational development in Sarangani Province in Mindanao, Philippines.  With the success of the QUEST program she helped implement, she seeks to continue to serve her people-the Blaan Indigenous Group. 

For more information about the speaker and to learn more about her vision for the Blaan Indigenous People's group, please visit: http://anneddayquest.wix.com/annalie-edday#!Planning-for-Success/ci32/7ABA69DB-6FEE-44C6-A530-168931E11464

Letter of Commendation by H.E. Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. to Youth Leaders Je'an Francis Cantilang and James Tierra