October 28, 2019 at 6 PM
Location: Re/Max River City, Edmonton
Attendance: Registration on record
Updates from August meeting and debriefing about previous activities of organizers.
Community meetings took place in February 2019, August 2019.
EPIC - Edmonton Philippine International Centre was the selected name for the proposed facility based on a community survey and NUANS Search recommendation.
It was pertinent to include “international” in the title name as it captures the ethos of the EPIC initiative which is to be inclusive of all cultures.
EPIC is a registered society organization.
In September 2019, a project plan and strategy document were drafted with the assistance of two facilitators Mila Bongco and Lucenia Ortiz.
This document (distributed to the October 28 meeting attendees) effectively maps out the EPIC mission/ vision/ objectives and the project scope and activities, including the roles and responsibilities of potential organizational officers.
Initial organizers met with officials at the municipal, provincial and federal levels of government who provided advice and next steps to proceed with the EPIC initiatives.
Initial organizers also met with property managers from at least one potential short-term facility and discussed lease options i.e. multi-purpose space in downtown Edmonton behind MacEwan University (Action for Healthy Communities building).
The cost of the lease was quoted at approximately $10,000.
The idea is to lease a temporary working space for EPIC in order to garner buy-in from stakeholders but also to work out viable business models and map out possible revenue streams.
The short-term/ temporary space that is being sought requires a number of elements for various community use e.g. office space, meeting/ boardrooms, classrooms, program space.
General discussion of ideas:
Various possible fundraising methods were talked about.A business plan is being put in place in order to apply for various grants.
Staffing and volunteer rosters for the EPIC space needs to be mapped out.
Commitment surveys from stakeholders inside and outside the Filipino community should be sent out in order to gauge interest.
How many Filipino groups are active in Edmonton?
Small commitments ought to be requested from each Filipino organization (monetary commitments and volunteer support)
Actions:
Appointed Interim Board Officers and Directors-at-Large:
Chair – Ida Lucila
Vice Chair – Bayani Alcantara
Secretary/ Treasurer – Jeanette Dotimas
Director – Herald Casana
Director – Marco Luciano
Director – Brian Piccolo
Director – Tony Surtida*
*T.Surtida has since withdrawn from the Director position. The position is currently vacant.
Working committees were also struck:
Communications – Kehrl Reyes, Sweet Macalintal, Jeanette Dotimas
Fundraising – Marco Luciano, Tony Surtida, Lucienne Soriano, Sam Gayyed
Business Planning – Brian Piccolo, Marco Luciano, Bayani Alcantara
Next steps and actions
The launch event for EPIC is slated for February 8, 2020.
This will be a community event/ townhall where people can ask questions and bring ideas for the EPIC initiative.
There will be a presentation about the initiative and the concept of the centre.
Take-away materials mapping out the EPIC plans shall be made available.
Venue confirmations and preliminary logistics for the launch are being worked out by community leaders:
Loida Lumanlan
Eloisa Lau
Manny Bautista
Annie Chua-Firth
Door prizes are being furnished – courtesy of local businesses.
Communications and marketing collateral i.e. news release, logo/ branding, media lines, backgrounder, digital postcard (e-flyer) are being developed to support the launch.