Multicultural Helping House Society celebrates 20 years

The Multicultural Helping House Society (MHHS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a month-long celebration that will culminate in a gala night on Sept. 2, at Continental Seafood Restaurant in Richmond, B.C.

MHHS started from a humble beginning with a few dedicated and sincere Filipinos under the leadership of “Tatay” Tom Avendano. “They dared to dream what at that time was almost an impossible dream given the petty quarrels and bitter rivalries among the Filipinos. They worked with the members of the community who shared their goals and believed in their sincere desire to serve and lift the image and prestige of Filipinos in the community during that dark period of our history in Vancouver,” Demi Avendano, MHHS director said.

After 20 years of hard work and perseverance, that dream is now a reality. MHHS now has a building, the first of its kind that Filipinos can be proud of.

It has helped hundreds of new Filipino immigrants who came to seek advice and guidance from MHHS settlement counsellors. With the help of new partners in the employment industry, immigrants can readily find jobs here in Canada in their respective fields of training and expertise.

With the help of government funding, MHHS now has an office in Manila. The Canadian Immigration, Refugees and citizenship approved of the Pre-departure Program and encourages all who want to come to Canada to attend the MHHS pre-departure services and sessions in Manila. These sessions are offered every week for free.

“We are asking you to join us in celebrating our 20th year. MHHS is proud of our achievement and we believe you should be proud, too. We will publish the schedule of our month-long celebration which will take place mostly during weekends. These will include among others, a job fair and an open house with MHHS youth and seniors entertainment. There will likewise be volleyball and basketball tournaments on the weekends during the month of July,” Avendano added.