When Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines last fall, the University of Oregon’s Kultura Pilipinas responded quickly by collecting funds to help the victims. The student group was able to partner with Lane County’s Philippine Association and host a spaghetti feed. They arranged a collection of basic necessities like clothing, socks, shoes, hygiene products, emergency kits and blankets.
Their efforts enabled them to fundraise $1,000 and send 27 boxes of goods to the islands.
“Natural disasters are unexpected and when we knew we wanted to help, we thought of hosting a spaghetti feed,” said KP’s public relations manager Andrea Dimayuga. “We really thought it was going to be small because it was so last minute, but it ended up being a bigger event to our surprise. We were proud of the outcome and our mission.”
Their efforts in the Philippines represented an ongoing effort by the organization called “Fiesta for Change,” where the group decides to donate funds to an organization.
The UO’s official Filipino student organization strives to promote Filipino and Filipino American culture on campus through food, music and events such as Pilipino Culture Night. KP is open to all students and welcomes those who are interested in the Filipino community to learn about their culture and heritage.
“My involvement and reason for joining KP is quite interesting and at first I didn’t want to be in KP,” co-director Demiliza Saramosing said. “I’m from Hawaii and the majority of the people are Filipino, and I was tired, I guess, of being too Filipino… But after coming here it changed me, and it’s made me embrace my culture.”
For many members, KP is more than just a student group that meets every Tuesday. It’s a family and a second home. It offers an opportunity to interact with other students of similar background and embrace the Filipino culture.
“I’ve gained a stronger connection with the UO by being part of KP,” member and first-year law student Brandon Hinton said. “At the law school you’re in your own cocoon and not aware of what’s going on around campus. For me, being part of KP opened my eyes to not only issues that face my community, but also minorities.”
KP has ten leadership positions and between 20-25 active members. Every year KP attends the annual Northwest Filipino American Student Alliance conference in Washington, which offers members guest speakers, workshops, a home-made Filipino dinner banquet and a dance party. Since this year’s conference on April 5 and 6, KP has built connections with Oregon State and Portland State’s Filipino clubs.
“For me, attending the conference, it helped me stay in KP and it’s been a great experience,” Saramosing said.