FIVE students in Baguio City under the Fashion Arts Autism Benefit (FAAB), an art therapy program of the Autism Heart Foundation (AHF), are set to hold an art exhibit in the United Nations Headquarters in New York and Filipino Cultural Center in San Francisco, California.
San Francisco based AHF founder Erlinda Barromeo said the two events will be an opportunity for the students to showcase their talents and apply what they have learned from the art therapy program. It will even help them become entrepreneurs in the future.
The art program aims to help the student-artists in terms of developing the social and communication skills including managing their behavior.
“How do we showcase their art? Through fashion and art exhibit and it benefits them. If their arts are sold they get the most part of it. They can be entrepreneurs in the end,” Borromeo added.
Justin Zambrano who has Asperger’s syndrome is one of the 11 students under the said program who will be joining the art exhibits in the United States.
“It feels fantastic po. I’ve been preparing for this very much for a long time. All this hard work will be paying off,” 16 year old Justin said.
Justin will be joined by her mother Hiyasmin Zambrano who is also excited for the opportunity given to his son.
“Ako excited and I feel fantastic too. May konting agam agam because we will be meeting up to their standards. But I know Baguio artists magagaling sila. Salamat sa napakagaling na art teacher nila I call him Master Ged Alangui,” she said.
The FAAB program is good for two years, the first is intermediate and another year for advance. But Borromeo said for just a year the Baguio FAAB artists are so advance already as seen with their tremendous progress.
“It’s mind boggling because now they can tell their hopes and dreams and the parents when we interviewed them the impact it has given to their family is just tremendous, it’s phenomenal,” teary-eyed Borromeo said.
The FAAB Art Exhibit and Fashion Show in New York is set on April 2 and 3, 2020 while the San Francisco Exhibit and Fashion Show is on April 6 and 10, 2020
To help the students on their trip to America, the Manors at Camp John Hay held a fundraising dinner-concert during its annual Christmas tree lighting event for the benefit of the AHF.
According to Borromeo, Bob and Lissa Sobrepeña of the Manor Hotel have been a long-time supporters of AHF.
We wish the FAAB artists of Baguio good luck on this meaningful journey.
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