Chicago, IL – January 7, 2012.  The Filipino American Community Health Initiative of Chicago (FACHIC) continued co-sponsorship of the Passport to the Philippines at the Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier on June 11 and 12 in 2011.  The Passport to the Philippines is part of the Passport to the World series at the Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier that showcases the arts and traditions of Chicago’s many ethnic groups.

A variety of programs, performances, workshops and exhibits to authentically represent Filipino culture and traditions were offered.  FACHIC volunteers led an interactive workshop of Filipino traditional children’s games to emphasize the importance of physical fitness and going outside to play to children and their families.   Among the games that were demonstrated included patintero and tumbang preso.  Jane Jih, the Executive Director of FACHIC, noted how “it is wonderful to see children of all ages and backgrounds play and exert their energy, some of them playing games that their parents played as children.” 

FACHIC also hosted a demonstration of a healthier version of halo halo where children and adults alike were able to participate in the creation of this traditional dessert.  This healthier version of the popular Filipino dessert was made with fresh ingredients that are lower in fat and sugar.  Those in attendance had a sample of the halo halo to taste and took home a copy of the recipe.  A printable and saveable copy of the recipe for healthier halo halo can be found at http://www.fachic.org/recipes.

The Philippines joined the Passport to the World program at the Chicago Children’s Museum in June 2008. The Passport to Philippines is now in its fourth year.  The Philippines was chosen to be included the Passport series because the Filipino American community has a sizable ethnic presence and rich historical contributions to the diversity of Chicago neighborhoods.
Passport to the Philippines committee is co-sponsored by PepsiCo Asian Network (PAN), Filipino American Community Health Initiative of Chicago (FACHIC), Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago (FAHSC), Filipino American Network (FAN), National Association of Filipino Americans Associations (NAFFAA), Philippine American Cultural Foundation (PACF), the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Greater Chicago (UPAAGC) and TUY Club USA.

The Filipino American Community Health Initiative of Chicago (FACHIC) is a collaborative of community, health professional, and academic leaders united to address Filipino health issues in the Chicago area.  The mission of FACHIC is to increase awareness of Filipino health disparities and to implement health interventions and educational programming to improve the health status of the Filipino community.  FACHIC is a 501(c)(3) Illinois nonprofit organization.  All programs and services are free and available to all.  For more information, visit http://www.fachic.org.