Group pushes for philanthropy among Fil-Ams

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – For a group of Filipinos, a networking event became a mission to make the future of their homeland, the Philippines, better.

The nonprofit group Next Day Better brings together Filipinos from the business, sports, arts and food sector with the goal of empowering Filipinos around the world.

"It is actually easy to find these world-changing people from our community that are leading the way in tech, in creativity, in different industries and we are contributing more, not just for the Philippines but for the entire world," Ryan Letada, founder of Next Day Better, said.

"It’s a platform where we want to be able to tap into the potential of the community and the people of that city and get them to really think how to make the next day better,” Krystal Menez of Next Day Better LA explained.

To make the "next day better," these Filipinos believe that no matter the product or passion, each day can get even better when you can give back whether it’s within your own community or oceans away.

From local non-profit groups to Fil-Am filmmakers talking about crowd funding to honorary Filipino sportswriter Rafe Bartholemew who lived in the Philippines, speakers at the event hope their experiences of giving back will help inspire other Filipinos.

“This is really important. People who come to this event to tell their stories, their successes and the community can hear those,” Bartholomew said.

Businesses and artists not only showed off some of their Philippine-inspired products but also how they help Filipinos globally.

Justin Garrido’s rice brand not only promotes healthy eating but also economic growth in Philippine farm lands.

"We’re a social enterprise so the reason why we exist is to support small-scale farmers to give then better livelihood, get them more income for their rice. Of what we sell, we donate 5 percent of our profits back towards the community for social good projects," Garrido of Social Project PH said.

The Next Day Better movement, which began in New York has already made stops in San Francisco as well as Canada and Europe with many high profile speakers meeting with kababayans.

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