Yesterday, the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) presented its third of four $25,000 donations to aid Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts in the Philippines. TCA President G. Lincoln McCurdy presented the donation to Sheila Burrus, Executive Director of the Filipino Community of Seattle. The donation was presented at a reception in Seattle with the participation of Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) and members of the local Turkish American and Filipino American community. The TCA donation will be distributed directly to rebuilding efforts on the ground in the Philippines.
At the reception, Congressman Smith praised the Turkish American community for its support. “I think this donation is an international recognition that we’re all in this together, and I appreciate TCA’s support and the sentiment behind it,” said Smith.
"TCA is proud to join with the broader Turkish American community in donating these much needed funds to the Filipino Community of Seattle," said TCA President G.Lincoln McCurdy. "We hope that this humanitarian effort will begin a deep friendship between the Turkish American and Filipino American communities that will persist long after immediate rebuilding needs are met. As a start, I am proud to announce today that TCA is expanding its minority scholarship program to include Filipino American students who wish to study abroad in Turkey."
“I am deeply touched by the overwhelming response to our call for help,” said Sheila Burrus, Executive Director of the Filipino Community of Seattle. “When Typhoon Haiyan touched down in Tacloban, Philippines, it devastated and shocked the country into a standstill. This donation will help many of our countrymen and make a difference in the lives of those gravely affected by the typhoon.”
The donation was the result of a national Turkish American donation drive, which TCA spearheaded and organized in collaboration with Turkish Philanthropy Funds. This is the third of four $25,000 donations pledged by TCA to Filipino organizations in the U.S. The first two were presented to the Philippine Cultural Foundation of Maryland on March 7, 2014 and the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu, Hawaii on March 20, 2014. The fourth and final donation will be presented to the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Texas, South Texas later this year.
April 23, 2014
