What We Built Together: Looking Back at 2025 and Forward to 2026
What We Built Together: Looking Back at 2025 and Forward to 2026
Thirty-Four Years. Still Showing Up.
In 1991, a group of Filipino Americans in Hampton Roads looked at what was happening to their young people — the gangs, the violence, the sense that the community was fragmenting — and decided to do something about it. They didn’t wait for a government program or an outside organization to step in. They built something themselves. That organization became Fil-Am CAG.
Thirty-four years later, the problems our community faces have changed. But the instinct to respond — to show up, organize, and act — hasn’t. Here’s a look at what that looked like in 2025, and where we’re pointed for 2026.
2025: A Year of Sustained Community Work
Voter Registration and Civic Engagement
Fil-Am CAG volunteers ran voter registration drives throughout the year, reaching Filipino Americans across Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Chesapeake. Our Socio-Political Committee continued attending city council and school board meetings — making sure Filipino American perspectives were represented in rooms where decisions about our schools, our neighborhoods, and our public safety get made. In September 2024, we co-hosted a Virginia Beach mayoral candidate forum at the Philippine Cultural Center on Baxter Road, giving our community direct access to the people running for local office.
Education and Mentoring
Our Education Committee continued its mentoring work at Salem Middle School in Virginia Beach, where Fil-Am CAG volunteers work one-on-one with Filipino American students navigating the challenges of middle school. We also continued running Tagalog language classes — an investment in cultural continuity that connects younger Filipino Americans to their heritage in a practical, tangible way.
The scholarship program remained one of the most meaningful things we do. Every year, Fil-Am CAG recognizes Filipino American students who have demonstrated academic achievement and commitment to their community. These awards are modest in dollar amount but significant in what they signal to young people: your community sees you, and we’re invested in your future.
MacArthur Garden Maintenance Days
Throughout the year, Fil-Am CAG volunteers participated in maintenance days at MacArthur Garden — a visible, ongoing contribution to the broader Hampton Roads community. These service days bring together Filipino Americans of all ages and are one of the most straightforward expressions of what we’re about: taking care of shared spaces, working alongside neighbors, and being a presence in the life of the region we call home.
Partnership and Coalition Work
As an affiliate of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), Fil-Am CAG continued to participate in state and national advocacy efforts — connecting the concerns of Hampton Roads’ Filipino American community to a broader network of organizations doing similar work across the country. Locally, we maintained our partnerships with other ethnic community organizations, law enforcement, judges, school administrators, and elected officials at every level of government.
Looking Ahead to 2026
2026 is a significant year for civic engagement. Virginia’s August primary and November general elections will decide representation in the U.S. House and Senate, and local races will shape our schools and city services. Fil-Am CAG will be running voter registration drives ahead of both elections, and we’ll be at the town halls and candidate forums where those decisions get debated.
We’re also expanding our intergenerational programming and looking for new volunteers for the mentoring program, Tagalog classes, and community leadership seminars. If 2025 showed us anything, it’s that this work depends entirely on the people willing to do it — the volunteers who show up, the members who give, and the community members who spread the word.
How You Can Support This Work
Everything Fil-Am CAG does is volunteer-driven and community-funded. If this work matters to you, here are three ways to get involved right now:
- Become a member — membership supports all of our programs and connects you to a community of people who share these values. See membership levels here.
- Make a donation — every dollar goes directly toward our programs. Donate here.
- Volunteer — we need people for voter registration drives, mentoring, garden days, and more. Sign up here.
Thank you to every member, donor, volunteer, and partner who made 2025 possible. We’re proud of what this community builds together — and we’re just getting started.