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W E L C O M E

to the virtual headquarters of the Filipino-American Association of Greater Columbia, SC (FAAGC), a voluntary organization to promote inter-cultural education and understanding.
Duly registered and incorporated in the state of South Carolina, FAAGC is an all-volunteer, IRS-approved 501(c)(4) tax-exempt, non-profit organization.

Objectives
As specified in its By-laws, the objectives of FAAGC are:

to promote better relations between Filipinos in the U.S. and their communities of residence;

to preserve and promote the rich cultural heritage of Filipinos and provide mechanisms for its introduction to the American culture;

to provide charitable assistance when and where needed; and

to provide opportunities for Filipinos and other interested parties to meet and promote friendship and good fellowship.

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Filipinas Magazine featured FAAGC in its February 2005 issue. Click here to view the article written by Alan Geoghegan .

• View FAAGC milestones in .PDF format.

• Download a Columbia Fil-Am membership application form.

• View the Columbia Fil-Am Association By-Laws.

E-mail us.

Calendar of Events

• June 21, 2009
(Sunday, 3:00 p.m.)
FAAGC General Membership Meeting
Alon Residence
(2045 Cheltenham Lane., Columbia, SC 29223)

A Columbia Fil-Am General Membership Meeting will be held on Sunday, June 21, 2009 (starting at 3:00 pm) at Noel & Helen Alon's residence (2045 Cheltenham Lane, Columbia, SC 29223; tel: (803) 738-0372). Click here for a map & specific directions from your address to the meeting venue (corner of Cheltenham Lane and Larchmont Dr.)

Come and share your ideas and vision for sustaining and contributing to our Filipino-American Association; suggestions and opinions about future activities are most welcome. Meet and greet the new Columbia Fil-Am officers as well as the new and older members.

There will be a pot-luck supper afterwards, so please bring a 2-liter soda and a covered dish enough for your family and others.

For more information, contact (click to e-mail) Alan Geoghegan at (803) 787-5255.

• June 28, 2009
(Sunday, 1 p.m.)
• Columbia Fil-Am Summer Picnic & Volunteer Appreciation Day
• Weston Lake Recreation Area (Sheds 1 # 2) at Ft. Jackson [entrance road is near 4440 block of Leesburg Road (SC-262), Hopkins, SC 29061]
(about 9 miles from the intersection of Leesburg Road and Garners Ferry Road)

It’s summertime and the livin' is easy! And it's that time for the annual summertime Fil-Am get-together. Come share the fun with family and friends and take time to appreciate all volunteers who helped make this past year’s activities successful! Bring your swimsuit/trunks, the lake's swimming beach will be open until 6PM; self-powered watercraft (paddleboats, kayaks, sailboats, and canoes) are available for rental.

This is a POTLUCK affair so please bring a 2-liter soda and a covered dish enough for your family and others. For variety, please bring the suggested covered dishes according to the first letter of your last name:
A-Be: Pork or beef dish; Bi-D: Noodles (pancit, palabok, etc.); E-I: Fish or chicken dish; J-O: Vegetable dish; P-S: Dessert (cakes, cookies, fruits, etc.); T-Z: Cooked rice & bread; FAAGC: hotdogs, hamburgers, ice, plates, utensils.

For more details and directions to the venue, e-mail us or contact Alan Geoghegan [(803) 787-5255], Lisa Edwards [(803) 360-2636], George McNulty [(803) 781-9509], or the other FAAGC officers.

Click here for a map and specific directions from your address to the entrance of the Weston Lake Recreation Area. There is an entrance/parking fee of $2.00 per vehicle for civilian guests and $1.00 for military and dependents.

• August 29, 2009
(Saturday, 6:00 p.m.)
• 19th Columbia Fil-Am Annual Gala & 13th Induction Ball
• Marriott of Columbia (1200 Hampton St., Columbia, SC 29201)

• Details coming soon.

• Achievements Galore

All Columbia-area Fil-Ams are reminded to send in the details of recent (School Year 2008-2009) graduation, awards, honors, other achievements, etc. of members of their family for the upcoming "2009 Achievements Galore" issue of the Fil-Am Bulletin (Summer 2009).

View or download the "Achievements Galore" info form. Send info and pictures by July 15 to FAAGC @ hotmail.com or FAAGC, P.O. Box 24112, Columbia, SC 29224.

View the 2008 Achievements Galore issue (0.7 MB)

FAAGC Executive Board for 2008-2009:
(front row, l-r): George McNulty (2nd VP), Alan Geoghegan (President), Mario Viray (Board Member)
(back row, l-r): Bernadette Yavis (Board Member), Leah Cuaresma (Board Member), Tessie Kenerson (Board Member), Myrna Whitmire (Treasurer), Sally Ellis (1st VP), Shirley McGuinness (Secretary), Lisa Edwards (Asst. Secretary), Cecilia Jacobsen (Board Member), Odess Brinkman (Asst. Treasurer). [Photo by Carlton Edwards]

Congratulations to the newly-elected
FAAGC Executive Board for 2009-2011:
(front row, l-r): Dan Adcock (Board Member), Jojo Flora (Board Member)
(back row, l-r): Grace Balanquit (Board Member), Grace Collins (Board Member), Nieves McNulty (Treasurer), Cecilia Jacobsen (1st VP), Shirley McGuinness (Secretary), Marj Pena (President), Lisa Edwards (2nd VP), Cecille Geoghegan (Board Member), Bambi Tijing (Asst. Secretary), Wyda Viray (Asst. Treasurer). [Photo by Dino Panti]

• WW II Filipino Veterans Equity Fund •
Surviving Filipino Veterans who served with American troops in World War II have until February 16, 2010 to file a claim for Equity Compensation Fund benefits. Click here to view an article written by Imelda Go about the veterans' equity issue.

• Check out the latest issue
(Spring 2009, issued March 2009)
(lo-res=1.9 MB ••• hi-res=2.7 MB)
of the Fil-Am Bulletin, FAAGC's official newsletter.

• Quick links to websites mentioned in the latest issue of
Fil-Am Bulletin:
• History of the Yo-Yo
• Pedro Flores
• The Yo-yo
• Yo-yo: Definition and much more

• New 7 Wonders of Nature
• New7Wonders - Live Ranking

FAAGC's bahay-kubo display:
at the 2008 Columbia International Festival

Fil-Am Volunteers
at the 2008 Columbia International Festival

Filipinas Magazine featured FAAGC in its February 2005 issue. Click on the image above to view the article about FAAGC. Or view the Filipinas article in .PDF format. (click here to view the magazine's table of contents).

• To view some photos taken during the Columbia Fil-Am 16th Annual Gala held at the Radisson Hotel Columbia on September 16, 2006, click here for photos courtesy of Joy or here for photos courtesy of Mike.

• Click here to view photos taken during the Columbia Fil-Am 14th Annual Gala held at the Columbiana Hotel & Conference Center on October 16, 2004.

• Click here to view photos taken during the Columbia Fil-Am 14th Annual Christmas Party held at the St. John Neumann School gymnasium on December 11, 2004.

• Click here to read what The State newspaper had to say about the Fil-Am Christmas "cultural feast, starring a 125-pound roasted pig."

• Check out the latest issue (Spring 2009, 2.7 MB) of the Fil-Am Bulletin, FAAGC's official newsletter.

• Past issues of Fil-Am Bulletin:

Summer 2008 - Volume 18, No. 1, issued August 2008 - (lo-res=745 KB ••• hi-res=3.5 MB)

Spring 2008 - Volume 17, No. 2, issued March 2008 - (1.5 MB)

Summer 2007 - Volume 17, No. 1, issued August 2007 - (lo-res=773 KB ••• hi-res=4.1 MB)

Spring 2007 - Volume 16, No. 3, issued March 2007 - (1.8 MB)

Fall 2006 - Volume 16, No. 2, issued November 2006 - (1.4 MB)

Summer 2006 - Volume 16, No. 1, issued August 2006 - (2.0 MB)

Spring 2006 - Volume 15, No. 3, issued March 2006 - (1.0 MB)

Fall 2005 - Volume 15, No. 2, issued November 2005 - (2.0 MB)

Summer 2005 - Volume 15, No. 1, issued August 2005 - (1.3 MB)

Spring 2005 - Volume 14, No. 3, issued March 2005 - (1.5 MB)

Earlier issues (2001 - 2004) can be found here.

• Download a Columbia Fil-Am membership application form in .PDF format.

• Download the Columbia Fil-Am Association By-Laws in .PDF format.

• Download a Columbia Fil-Am Scholarship application form in .PDF format.

• View FAAGC milestones in .PDF format.

E-mail us.

Other Fil-Am websites in South Carolina:

• Filipino American Student Association (FASA) at the University of South Carolina

• Filipino Community Center of Charleston

• Hiyas-Min, the Philippine Cultural Society of Charleston

• Devcomm Site about Filipinos and the Philippines

• Other relevant Fil-Am links