Toronto, Canada – UPF-Toronto organized a Peace Road 2023 event at Queen’s Park on June 4, 2023 on the grounds of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, with approximately 200 participants.
Dr. Franco Famularo, president of UPF-Canada, gave opening remarks. He was followed by Dr. Moonshik Kim, chairman of UPF-Canada, who explained the significance of Peace Road, which represents the vision of an undersea tunnel between South Korea and Japan and the vision of a Bering Strait Tunnel connecting North America and Eurasia.
A member of the provincial parliament provided a congratulatory message and personally attended the Sunday morning event to express his gratitude to UPF and Peace Road.
In addition, there were supportive speeches from Ambassadors for Peace:
Rev. Dr. Jean Henry (president, Circle of Love Community Outreach and registered psychotherapist)
Author and Imam Qamrul Khanson
Shri Bhagvan Shastri, priest of the Hindu Prarthana Samaj (Toronto’s oldest Hindu temple)
Rev. Earl Smith (national pastor, Church of Scientology)
Teresa Torralba (founder, Fun Philippines Festival)
Nadarajah Moorthy (president, Tamils Society of Peel in Greater Toronto)
Henry Lee (Honorary Consul of Malaysia, former president of Canadian Multicultural Council, and ambassador of the Chinese Cultural Center of Greater Toronto)
Additionally, time was allocated for the awarding of Ambassador for Peace certificates to three community leaders. The event also included a parade around Queen’s Park to promote Peace Road.
Cultural performances featuring dance teams representing Colombia, the Sri Lankan community, and the Filipino community, along with performances by two singers representing the Filipino community, brought the event to an exciting conclusion.
Ambassadors for Peace Vision Seminar
An Ambassadors for Peace Vision Seminar was held on July 15, 2023 in Toronto, Canada, bringing together approximately 70 Ambassadors for Peace. This edition of the Vision Seminar centered around universal values as the cornerstone for peace. It addressed topics including marriage and family, as well as educating participants about core UPF values and principles focused on essential human responsibility.
Another significant facet of the seminar involved a presentation that highlighted the life and accomplishments of the Founders of UPF, Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. This presentation offered Ambassadors for Peace the opportunity to deeply understand and emotionally connect with the Founders, who have dedicated their entire lives to the ideals of “One Family under God” and the pursuit of global peace. Furthermore, attendees had the chance to watch videos from the Peace Summit held in Korea earlier this year.
Mabuhay Philippines Festival
Commencing with the celebratory gala commemorating the 35th anniversary of PIDC’s establishment and the 25th anniversary of the Mabuhay Philippines Festival, the latter event took place from August 26–27, 2023 at Toronto City Square, drawing an audience of approximately 2,000 attendees.
Recognized as a prominent representative among the city’s myriad NGOs, UPF received an invitation as a partner for the festival. During this event, Dr. Moonshik Kim, the chairman of UPF-Canada, introduced UPF and its activities, while also appointing new Ambassadors for Peace within the Philippine community. Furthermore, UPF presented service awards to some Filipino leaders in recognition of their dedicated service.
Notably, both the incumbent president of PIDC and the festival’s founder, who continue to hold their positions, proudly serve as Ambassadors for Peace, actively endorsing and supporting UPF and its endeavors. Their unwavering support has significantly contributed to UPF’s promotion throughout these events.
During this gathering, various notable figures participated, including the mayor of Toronto, federal ministers, members of Parliament, members of the Provincial Parliament, city councilors, the Consul General of the Philippines, numerous leaders from the Filipino community, and many citizens. The event was widely covered by the media.
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