Past, Present and A Glimpse of the Future:
Shaping the Character of Tomorrow’s Leaders
Now celebrating its 5th year anniversary, the Filipino-American Youth Basketball Association (FYBA) has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings back in September 2007 and has become a household name when it comes to youth basketball in metropolitan Washington DC.
FYBA was born out of a common love and dedication for the sport of basketball by a handful of people, led by its current president Russell Casapao. Armed with only a vision of hope and concern for the Filipino-American youth in the Metropolitan Washington DC area, it was decided that it’s high time to form an organization that shall not only bring focus to the youth with strong emphasis on discipline, camaraderie and fair play but also carry on the time-tested Filipino traditions of love and respect for parents, friends and for one another and to grow up morally and spiritually as good and law-abiding members of society.
Interview with Tess Malagar on Comcast Newsmakers from FYBA on Vimeo.
With volunteerism and personal dedication as its lifelines, FYBA is a not-for-profit organization with an all-year-round set of activities, from holding basketball clinics in the winter to the staging of its house leagues in spring and fall seasons. Another notable component is its ability to raise funds for various local civic and cultural events and other noble activities of the community through its Community Outreach Program conducted annually. One such program is the very successful “Kicks for Kids” annual event that collects used basketball shoes and donates them to the underprivileged children in the Philippines. It also spearheads the collection of food, clothing, medicine and other essential items in support of the victims of typhoons and other calamities in the Philippines.
Another project of FYBA is to reachout to every Filipino-American youth in the Metropolitan Washington DC area through the holding of basketball clinics and skills training in and around Metro DC, with its recent expansion project that included the OxonHill/Fort Washington region, now home to thousands of Filipino families. With successes in its programs and projects that are primarily geared toward the betterment of the youth, FYBA has also started to gain a very strong and solid foundation in the local Asian community scene by staging its annual Asian Friendship Basketball Tournament with the participation of different Asian teams in the Washington DC area, proving time and again that FYBA is an organization that Filipinos can be proud of.
FYBA takes utmost pride in its membership, with no less than professionals in their respective fields running the organization and has collectively harnessed its vast resources of talents and potentials in organizing and hosting big tournaments outside of its house leagues.
On Labor Day holiday weekend in 2012, a huge event will take place in the Washington DC area as FYBA will be hosting the 2012 North American Basketball Association (NABA) Inter-City Basketball Tournament. The 2-Day tournament held annually is expecting the participation by no less than 24 cities from US, Canada, plus a team from London, England. It will coincide with two momentous milestones: NABA’s 25th anniversary celebration with the NABA Commissioner and all its executive officers in attendance, as well as FYBA’s 5th Anniversary celebration. It also recognizes its sponsors, friends and benefactors, as true partners in its much valued community fund raising activities, more importantly in Washington DC’s hosting of the NABA tournament this year.
Time and again, FYBA continues to be at the forefront in the shaping of the character of tomorrow’s leaders of the community, realizing its vision of a producing a generation of not only mentally and morally strong but at the same time physically fit youth. A glimpse of the future – the possibilities are endless.
