Dear Friends,
The GK Social Business Roadshow in 8 US cities (LA, Boston, New York, Houston, Tampa, Chicago, SFO, Portland) started April 17, in Los Angeles. PHILIPPINES RISING! is designed to create awareness in the United States about our country as the new land of opportunity and the destination for social tourism in Asia and Gawad Kalinga as proof of concept of the power of caring and solidarity to help achieve inclusive growth in an emerging economy.
Through good governance by honest leaders and radical optimism and everyday heroism by ordinary citizens, the Philippines has miraculously risen from being the "sick man of Asia" to being the second fastest growing economy in the world (per Bloomberg). It is with pride that our GK Team (Luis Oquiñena, Issa Cuevas-Santos, Dylan Wilk, Fabien Courteille, Thomas Graham, Camille Meloto, Frank Chiu, Marie Cavosora, Sheila Yusay and Leslie Espinosa - with special support from Ambassador Joey Cuisia, ConGen Mario De Leon, Secretary Cesar Purisima and DTI Usec Chito Manalo) will spread the good news around America and invite social entrepreneurs, impact investors, volunteers, tourists, interns and the brightest and the best of their top universities to discover the Philippines as the best gateway to business, career and service opportunities in the growing Asian market.
Please pray for the success of our mission to make the world see the vast opportunity and the immense beauty of the Philippines beyond the usual bad news of calamity, corruption and conflict about our country.
Tony Meloto
Social Business Roadshow to Showcase the Philippines as the New Land of Opportunity for Social Business in Asia
* Click HERE to register in the GK US Social Business Roadshow website.
OREGON
May 4, 2015
Portland
Last stop of our Gawad Kalinga US road show in Portland, Oregon! Full day introducing the second phase of Gawad Kalinga and the GK Enchanted Farm model to end poverty in the Philippines.
FLORIDA
April 27, 2015
Tampa Bay
Full house tonight in Tampa Florida for the 5th stop of our Gawad Kalinga US road show! Lots of energy and enthusiasm here!
NEW YORK CITY
April 22, 2015
Philippine Consulate
Full house for the Book Launch of "Genius of the Poor" and the premiere of Social Artist the movie
Hosted by New York Consul General Mario de Leon and this is the first of three events for this evening. Meeting with young Fil-Ams to see how we can expand the work of GK in America before we do the book launch of "Genius of the Poor" and the premiere of the "Social Artist" documentary on GK's work.
Yale University
"Meeting with Tony Sheldon, the Executive Director of Yale School of Management's Program on Social Enterprise as well as the Yale Global Network for Advanced Management. It is amazing how they know Tito Tony from World Economic Forum, and are eager to establish an institutional collaboration with GK Enchanted Farm to bring their students for business incubation and internships. Humbled to see the response of ivy-league universities to the work of GK. If we cannot bring the poor to Harvard and Yale, we're bringing these ivy-league universities to the poor. Thank you Lord!"
— Issa Cuevas-Santos, GK Worker
BOSTON
April 21, 2015
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Great turnout of Management students and senior faculty for the Social Business Conference hosted by the University of Massachusetts. It is both humbling and inspiring to see how the GK model is now established as a global platform for social business to #endpoverty.
April 20, 2015
Assumption College
Presenting in our second university for the day and inspiring to see students who want to put their faith in action. Excited to see more Americans coming to the Philippines to learn more about the GK Way.
Brandeis University
"Honored to be invited and share in the class of Mr. Jeffrey Ashe of Brandeis University on initiatives that have scaled. He founded Working Capital, the largest microenterprise program in the United States, and franchised its model in eight states and Russia. He heard about GK thru Tom's book, "Genius of the Poor" and we loved the exchanges with him and his students who also mostly come from developing nations who are also dreaming for their people and searching for sustainable and scalable solutions to #endpoverty." (at Heller School for Social Policy and Management) — Issa Cuevas-Santos, GK Worker
""Brief encounter with Social Development students at Brandeis University. Lovely meeting the girls that are also on the way to start a cosmetic social enterprise to help indigent women in Colombia."
— Camille Meloto, Human Nature Co-Founder
It is amazing to see how the vision of GK and Human Nature captures the imagination of people who really want to make a difference in the world. Looks like we harvested the next batch of Brandeis interns to the GK Enchanted Farm.
April 19, 2015
Harvard University
"Back in Boston where we held our first GK Global Summit in 2009. That was such a turbulent year, but it is amazing how far we've come simply because we never gave up. Honored to share learnings and exchange insights with our growing movement of heroes around the world." — Issa Cuevas-Santos, GK Worker
"Bringing the Gawad Kalinga spirit to Harvard University in Boston!" — Fabien Courteille, Social Entrepreneur
LOS ANGELES
April 18, 2015
SIKAD 10th Annual Bike Ride
Yorba Regional Park, 7600 E La Palma, Anaheim, CA
GK’S SIKAD NG BAYAN BIKE RIDE (Cycling for the nation) is on its 10th year to raise funds to build preschool buildings for communities in Gawad Kalinga villages in the Philippines. The ride, which offers 3 routes: 24 miles, 44 miles and 64 miles start at Yorba Regional Park, Anaheim at 7am on April 18.
In celebration of its 10th year, SIKAD will sponsor several raffle draws with the grand prize of a Round Trip Ticket to Manila to visit Enchanted Farm, GK’s social entrepreneurial flagship village. Tony Meloto will be on hand to personally shake the hands of these riders and thank them for their support of the cause of GK and all its initiatives. Registration is required for bikers and volunteers are welcome to sign up.
April 17, 2015
Movie Premiere – “Social Artist”
Woodbury University, 7500 N Glenoaks Blvd, Burbank, CA
Mark your calendar for April 17! Los Angeles is the first stop in the USA to promote the Philippines as the new land of opportunity, with GK as the humanitarian movement for development and the GK Enchanted Farm as the economic platform to help end poverty in the Philippines by 2024.
WHO: Friends and Family in Southern California and Tito Tony Meloto, Thomas Graham, and Fabien Courteille
WHAT: Attend a movie screening and a book launch
WHEN: April 17, 2015 3pm-5pm for the movie and then 6pm-9pm for the book launch, Q&A and networking
WHERE: Woodbury University then Hampton Inn Burbank
WHY: We are ending poverty
THIS EVENT IS FREE OF CHARGE.
ABOUT THE MOVIE "SOCIAL ARTIST"
by Sheila Yusay
The movie, “Social Artist” is an intimate look at the founder of Gawad Kalinga, Tony Meloto, and the lives of some GK community members and social entrepreneurs. It is an exploration of how a Social Artist is defined, particularly in the context of two organizations that are slowly but inexorably getting global recognition, Gawad Kalinga and GK Enchanted Farm.
"Social Artist” (89 mins) is a film by NY-based Fil-Am, Sheila Yusay. Filmed over two years, it is a labor of love about restoring hope and dignity to the most impoverished people. With deep conviction and sacrifice, Tony Meloto envisions a world where no one is left behind, believing that with a growing army of volunteers and social entrepreneurs, the Philippines can end poverty."
After the film, Tony Meloto and some members from GK will be available for Q & A.
We are here at Fletcher Jones Auditorium at Woodbury University!
Thank you USEC Manalo for attending our session for our LA Roadshow and sharing what is happening in Philippine government!