United Way BC’s Kapwa Strong Fund

• Alliance Philippines Cultural Heritage Association – Promote long-term community renewal through inclusive gatherings (Salo-Salo), intergenerational storytelling (Kwentong Pinoy), and Tagalog language and culture education (Filipino School). Together, these initiatives strengthen resilience, belonging, and collaboration, fostering a more confident and connected Filipino community.
  
• Amici Curiae Friendship Society – With a long-standing commitment to accessible, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive services, AC helps individuals navigate complex legal systems and overcome barriers such as legal jargon and technology, ensuring those impacted can advocate for their rights and access necessary supports.
  
• Bandits Community Foundation – Create a lasting space for healing, resilience, and empowerment following the April 26th tragedy. By refurbishing the basketball court in Philippine flag colors and offering free youth camps led by Filipino coaches, the project fosters cultural pride, physical and mental wellness, and strong community connections, providing youth with a safe and positive outlet to grow, unite, and honor those affected.
  
• BIBAK Organization of British Columbia – Festivals on June 28^th and November 22^nd to bring together the community (including those impacted) for a culturally appropriate meal and to share resources and information around emergency supports and community care programs. 
  
• British Columbia Bereavement Helpline – Culturally grounded, trauma-informed grief support for Filipino community members affected by  April 26. Efforts include free Traumatic Loss Facilitator Training, inclusive healing events (e.g., Bereavement Walk, Yoga, Paint Your Grief), and accessible resources like translated grief brochures. In-person gatherings will incorporate food to foster comfort and connection. 
  
• Dance West Network – The program includes five workshops or talks led by speakers from diverse backgrounds in the local Filipino community—such as artists, migrant workers, and those in the farming sector—and culminates in participants showcasing their work in a professional gallery.  
  
• Filipino Canadian Community & Cultural Society of BC – Capacity support to transition from volunteer-driven organization.
  
• Formative Motion Society  – Paglaum is a trauma-informed therapeutic yoga series designed to support Filipino-Canadian community members affected by the events of April 26^th, 2025. This three-month program offers weekly group and one-on-one yoga therapy. It provides a safe, culturally relevant space for healing through gentle movement, breathwork, guided rest, and community connection—acknowledging the ongoing and non-linear nature of trauma and recovery. 
  
• Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House – Bi-weekly healing art circles for youth (up to age 30). 
  
• Gallery Gachet Society – Mga Kwento – Many Stories offers a healing space for interdisciplinary storytelling, where Filipino community members come together with residents of the DTES and Chinatown to grieve, remember, and rebuild. 
  
• GJ Multicultural Services Society – Provide culturally responsive trauma support to Filipino community members through four integrated approaches:
  • Immediate crisis counseling with Filipino speaking therapists for those directly impacted
  • Community healing circles incorporating traditional Filipino practices
  • Basic needs fund providing practical assistance with transportation, childcare, and daily necessities for affected families; host culturally significant community reintegration events to rebuild trust and connection
• H.I.M. Health Initiative for Mens Society – “Hoy, Pare — Mag-Usap Tayo” is a 6-week trauma-informed therapy group (up to 10 participants) for self-identifying Filipino men and queer men affected by the events of April 26th.  
  remember, and rebuild. 
  
• Himig Kabataan Cultural Society – Youth-led expressive arts space to support those affected by the Lapu Lapu Tragedy, offering healing and community connection through music. Weekly choir rehearsals, providing a safe, supportive environment for victims and survivors.
  
• Indigenous Wellness Training Society – The Kapwa Healing Circles & Peer Resilience Project offers culturally grounded healing for Filipino families and communities affected by the Lapu Lapu Day tragedy. Led by Indigenous helpers, the project includes ceremony-based healing circles, one-on-one counselling in Tagalog, Ilokano, and English, and peer responder training.
  
• Kathara Pilipino Indigenous Arts Collective Society – Provide low-barrier subsidized group therapy and 1:1 clinical counselling to individuals who have been negatively impacted by the tragedy by improving their quality of life outcomes.
  
• KCH Collective Society – Community Lamay & Healing Network includes grief circles, art therapy, movement healing, and restorative justice programming—accessible six days a week in person and virtually. 
  
• Latincouver Cultural & Business Society  –
  • Community dedicated space for healing circles and mental health support at Carnaval del Sol on July 12th and 13th for healing and solidarity following the events of April 26^th, 2025. 
  • Kapwa & Comunidad: Collective Healing Through Dialogue is a culturally grounded initiative responding to the Lapu Lapu Festival tragedy. From September 2025 to June 2026, it will offer trauma-informed workshops, group counselling, and frontline training, alongside storytelling circles and design workshops leading to a We Remember Mural. Rooted in Filipino and Latin American values, the project fosters healing, resilience, cultural safety, and long-term community care in partnership with Filipino BC.
• Mabuhay House Society:
  • Supporting a group of community members that has come together to provide care and support for those affected by the April 26 tragedy. 
  • Mabuhay House Society and UBC’s Child and Youth Healthy Futures Lab will host a symposium to address mental health needs in the Filipino-Canadian community. Aimed at fostering culturally relevant youth mental health programming, the event will strengthen connections between Filipino organizations and support sustainable mental health initiatives.
• Maple Bamboo Network Society – A digital storytelling project to create a healing space for Filipino Canadians through a culturally rooted platform.
  
• Migrante BC – Filipino Society:
  • 2-hour Art Therapy
  • Fundraising efforts to support victims and families through sale of art programming
• Moving Forward Family Services – Provide trauma-informed counselling with little to no wait times, and no limits on the number of sessions, for those impacted.
  
• Multicultural Helping House Society – Drop-in services, emotional and mental health support, healing workshops, and assistance with legal and documentation needs. 
  
• National Pilipino Canadian Cultural Centre Society – This program offers trauma-informed, arts-based healing rooted in the Filipino value of Kapwa (shared empathy). It includes intergenerational Hilom (healing) Circles with storytelling, poetry, and art, as well as Walang Hiya performing arts workshops featuring movement, spoken word, zine-making, dance, and music. These will culminate in the Sapin-Sapin Festival—a community showcase of healing and solidarity.
  
• Philippine Cultural Arts Society of BC  – Workshops led by speakers from diverse backgrounds in the local Filipino community—such as artists, migrant workers, and those in the farming sector—and culminates in participants showcasing their work in a professional gallery. 
  
• Philippine Nurses Association, British Columbia, Canada – Providing support to a group of 35 fraternity brothers who volunteered together at festival and were impacted (not open for referral).
  
• Pinoy Pride Vancouver Society – Art therapy for queer, femme, non-binary individuals who are affected. On-site counselling for individuals at select festivals.  
  
• REACH Community Health Centre Association – Trauma-informed counseling and a six-week mental health support workshop for people affected by the tragedy. 
  
• Sher Vancouver LGBTQ Friends Society – Culturally sensitive crisis counselling with registered clinical social workers and counsellors to provide mental health support.
  
• St. John Society – Trauma-informed therapy dog sessions for individuals affected, facilitated by trained St. John Ambulance volunteer teams in accessible community spaces across Greater Vancouver.
  
• South Vancouver Neighbourhood House:
  • Providing mental health support and healing spaces for youth and children impacted.
  • Strengthening mental health resiliency and coping strategies for youth and staff on how to regulate emotion, grieve, and be supportive for peers who are healing and grieving.
• The Landing Youth Centre Foundation – The HOPE South Vancouver Youth Program (Healing, Opportunity, Purpose, Empowerment) is a community-led initiative supporting youth affected by the tragedy. Running from July to December 2025, it addresses youth-identified needs for safety, connection, and purposeful engagement. Through partnerships with local agencies, the program offers healing-centered activities such as leadership training, wellness supports, art, hiking, sports, financial literacy, and volunteer opportunities. HOPE aims to provide a stable, empowering space where youth can heal, grow, and rebuild together.
  
• The Little Mountain Neighbourhood House Society – Building on the School’s Out Thriving Minds Summer program, Thriving Communities offers trauma-informed, family-centered, and culturally grounded supports rooted in joy, intergenerational connection, and the Filipino value of kapwa. Led by LMNHS and the BC Filipino Therapist Collective, the program aims to provide sustainable healing and become a lasting community resource for intergenerational wellness.
  
• United Filipino Canadian Associations in BC – Fundraising initiatives to support individuals in the community who have Philippine or dual citizenship with their healing, as well as providing individual needs support for those directly impacted – based on VPD Victim Services referral.  
  
• University of the Phillipines Alumni Association in British Columbia – The 11th annual “Balagtasan, Harana, Kundiman, Tula at Sayawan” will serve as a cultural healing space for the Filipino-Canadian community in response to the events of April 26^th. Through poetry, music, and dance, the event will honour the victims, foster collective mourning and resilience, and celebrate Filipino heritage. 
  
• Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art – This project offers talks, workshops, and programming for Filipino youth, centering on the value of Kapwa—shared identity and interconnectedness. Using balikbayan as a metaphor, it invites youth to reconnect with their Filipino roots through culture, care, and community, similar to how balikbayan boxes carry love and resources across distances. The program provides a healing space for grieving, cultural connection, and strengthens the legacy of Filipino arts and resilience in Vancouver.
  
• VS. Creative Society – A Creative Healing Series is a 6-month arts and wellness program supporting those impacted by the events of April 26^th. The series offers a safe space to reflect, express, and heal through art, movement, writing, and traditional practices. 

The Kapwa Strong Fund was intentionally designed to support medium- and long‑term recovery, which is where United Way BC plays its strongest and most appropriate role. 

United Way BC works across many community issues – from supporting seniors and food security to wildfire recovery and youth programs – by investing in organizations that are best positioned to support people directly.

In the aftermath of the Lapu Lapu Day tragedy, direct financial assistance for individuals was being provided through several channels, including government programs, insurance, and other fundraising platforms. United Way BC focused on supporting community-based programs and services that addressed longer-term healing and recovery needs identified by community leaders.

Our hearts remain with the families and everyone affected by the tragedy. In the immediate aftermath, our role was to work with trusted Filipino community leaders and organizations to understand what support was needed and how to deliver it responsibly.

Direct financial assistance to victims is being coordinated through several channels, including government programs, insurance, and victim services. Our role has been to support community recovery efforts that may not otherwise be funded, especially culturally grounded supports that the Filipino community itself identified as priorities.

We recognize that there has been confusion and frustration about how the fund was structured. Situations like the Lapu Lapu tragedy are complex, and they have prompted us to reflect on how emergency funds are communicated so expectations are clearer.

The Kapwa Strong Fund raised approximately $1.5 million, with an additional $450,000 in donor-directed contributions going directly to Filipino BC. 100% of the money we raised has gone to support the community.

Donations are directed to charities and community organizations that provide support, such as counselling, family programs and other recovery services.

Supports funded through the Kapwa Strong initiative include counselling, healing circles, shared storytelling, art-based therapy and youth and family programs. These approaches are widely recognized as evidence-based methods for supporting collective trauma recovery.

See our Report to learn more about how the funds were distributed and the community impact.

We always aim to listen to community when making decisions around how to best support needs.

Like other programs we run, there was a committee formed to help guide our Kapwa Strong fund. There were eight people on the committee; four were internal (representing United Way BC) and four external; the grant review committee included members of Vancouver’s Filipino community.

Those affected by the tragedy, their families, and Filipino community leaders were also consulted on the funding model and grant priorities. Much of this input came through conversations at the resiliency centre in the days following the event, where community members shared who they trusted, what supports they needed, and which organizations they wanted to see involved. We also engaged Filipino cultural leaders, community groups, and other trusted voices who were already supporting families, ensuring that the priorities reflected both immediate needs and culturally grounded perspectives.

After a traumatic event like this, recovery is not only financial, but also emotional and communal. Many of the people affected include children, families, and community members who witnessed or were deeply impacted by what happened.

The funding for creative and art-based healing programs came directly from conversations with Filipino community leaders and mental health professionals. These kinds of programs are widely used after traumatic events because they create safe, culturally meaningful spaces for people to process grief and trauma together.

Evidence shows that structured art therapy can reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and trauma, and improve emotional regulation and self-esteem, which are exactly the kinds of outcomes communities need to recover and move forward after a tragedy.

Supports like yoga, art therapy, and healing circles are evidence‑informed ways of helping people process trauma in their bodies and minds, reconnect with others, and rebuild a sense of safety and control, and they work alongside more traditional services such as counselling, case management, and financial or practical help.

We believe investing in community healing is an important and appropriate use of funds, especially when it is guided by the community itself and sits alongside more traditional supports like housing help, medical and dental care, counselling, and basic needs.

For all media inquiries please contact PR@uwbc.ca.

Anyone who has been impacted by this traumatic event can call or text VictimLinkBC for free, confidential support 24/7. Dial/Text 1-800-563-0808 or email 211-victimlinkbc@uwbc.ca. Please know you’re not alone. Reach out for resources.

For additional information about local community supports and services, please contact 211 British Columbia. Dial/Text 2-1-1 for free, confidential assistance in over 240+ languages. bc.211.ca

General inquiries: info@uwbc.ca

Questions around your donation/giving: giving@uwbc.ca

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