We organize various events and activities to meet and introduce new members, inform and inspire our kids and the public about Filipino culture, and provide assistance to members and kababayans back home.
Cultural and Educational
The FACV celebrates and promotes Philippine cultural heritage and traditions to our kids and the rest of the community.
We celebrate Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May) annually, with the help of father Julian Asucan, one of our advisers. Flores de Mayo is a festival held in the Philippines in the month of May as a devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Usually, or celebration begins with a mass at Holy Cross Church In Colchester, VT, celebrated by Father Julian. Then we do a procession with the kids around the church parking lot before our get together. See photos of this event here.
In 2017, we started to celebrate Philippine Independence Day. We taught the kids how to make Philippine flag, played Philippine history trivia and other games! See photos of the 2017 event here.
We will also start to participate in the Vermont International Festival in December 2017. We plan to have an exhibition booth and food booth. We would love for many kababayans to participate, so if you are interested or have any ideas, items you’d like to exhibit, or food you’d like to cook and share for the event , let us know; we’d love to have members participate!
Contact us by email: In the subject line of your email, please indicate “Vermont International Festival”.
Save the date: 3-4 December 2017
Social
We get together to celebrate holidays or just hang out. In these events, we bring our families and friends, share Filipino food, play games and get to know new members and celebrate each other’s lives and milestones and accomplishments. From Easter Egg Hunt, to Summer Picnic and Christmas Party, we have one social event practically every season! So far, we seem to be missing a fall event: maybe Halloween trick or treating? Any suggestions? Contact us.
Our Easter Egg Hunt is a sight to behold! Over a thousand eggs at the Holy Cross Church square for kids of all ages. The youngest ones get a 3 minute head start before the older kids get into the action. See photos here.
Since sun and heat is in short supply in Vermont, of course, we hold the Summer Picnic on the hottest time of the year so we can grill, play games, swim and just bask in the sun – the way we topical birds just know how. See photos here.
Finally, the most anticipated event in any Filipino household, Christmas, will always be the highlight among us in Vermont. We typically hold our annual
Christmas Party early December, starting with a mass at St Anthony’s Parish, followed by a potluck party at the hall next door. This is the time of the year where we come in our party clothes to eat lechon, sing Christmas carols, dance, sing and play games. In 2016, we had the inaugural Ugly Sweater contest! See photos here.
Community/Civic
We also try to provide assistance to our members.
The Philippine Consulate General in New York (PCGNY) provides services and assistance to Filipino nationals residing in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Beginning 2017, we start soliciting from information about services members may require from the Philippine Consulate General in New York (PCGNY). These services may include passport, civil registration (report of birth, report of marriage, report of death), retention or re-acquisition of Philippine citizenship (dual citizenship), overseas voter registration, etc.
We are arranging for a PCGNY Outreach in Vermont if there are 80 cases/services that we would need. If interested, please email us. We need to hear from you soon if we are to arrange a visit from them in 2018. In the subject line of your email, please indicate the services you would need.
We also typically try to address urgent needs and assist kababayans back home in any way. As the association gets bigger, we anticipate enhanced ability to do this. But we cannot do this without the support and willingness of all members.
If there is any other kind of service you may need assistance with, kindly contact us and we will do our best to help. Consider being a member of the Filipinos in Vermont Group on Facebook where we post job openings, things for sale, and the like. And if you are willing to reach out and extend a helping hand to others in the community, we welcome your post in the Group as well.
Our Activities
