Agahan, balikatan at kuwentuhan – a fundraising success

By Ethel Clemente Fernandez

The November 15 event held at Canton Food Gallery was the first-ever breakfast buffet fundraising event hosted by the Filipino Members Chapter of the APEGM (FMC-APEGM). The event was held to generate funds for the chapter’s bursary program, where recipients are selected chapter members who are currently in the pre-registration process with the APEGM. The bursary aims to help defray the costs associated with such.

On that freezing Saturday morning, when most Winnipeggers were still curled up in bed, the chapter’s members and supporters braved the cold to warm up to a filling breakfast and an atmosphere of jovial camaraderie. More than 150 people attended the event, thus, while its main objective was to raise funds, it also boosted awareness of the chapter’s existence in the Filipino community of various professions and trades. Volunteers were up and about to help with ticket sales, welcome guests, and capturing moments on camera. Needless to say, the event had a great turnout and was raised more than $700.

During the breakfast, Chapter President, Angelito Velasco and executive councillor, Nancy Santoyo, acknowledged the presence of the chapter’s members who are currently registered with the APEGM as members-in-training and professional engineers, by calling them up front to introduce themselves and their engineering disciplines.

The selection of bursary recipients and awarding will be held on December 20 at the chapter’s annual Christmas party.

The FMC-APEGM would like to thank the support of their members, families, friends and sponsors, which, without them the event wouldn’t have been a success. Acknowledgement also goes to the staff and management of the Canton Food Gallery who were very courteous, helpful and accommodating throughout the entire event.

Upcoming FMC-APEGM event: Annual Christmas Party on December 20 at the Canton Food Gallery. Event highlights include the awarding of bursary grants, recognition of chapter members who recently got their Engineer-In-Training (EIT) and Professional Engineer (P. Eng.) designation and a silent auction. Join us for great food, networking, prizes and holiday cheer. For tickets and details, please contact fmc_apegm@yahoo.ca

Ethel Clemente Fernandez is a registered member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of Manitoba (APEGM). She currently works for a federal crown corporation and is serving on the Executive Committee of the Filipino Members Chapter (FMC) - APEGM. For inquiries, please e-mail fmc_apegm@yahoo.ca.