August marks Utah's 3rd Annual Pacific Island Heritage Month

PRESS ADVISORY

Contact: Cencira Te’o, PIK2AR - Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources

Phone: 801-793-4639

Email: info@pik2ar.info

ONLY STATE RECOGNIZED PACIFIC ISLAND HERITAGE MONTH IN THE UNITED STATES, UTAH’S 3^rd ANNUAL

Salt Lake City – Utah is home to the largest Tongan and 4^th largest Samoan communities in the United States. 1 in every 4 US Tongans live in Utah.  Pacific Island Heritage Month is August, began in 2013 and declared by Utah’s Governor Herbert on behalf of the 35000 Pacific Islanders that live in the state of Utah.

The 2015 events have doubled from 2014 and offers free family events from North Salt Lake to St George.   Festivals, Free Film Screenings including Tongan Filmmaker, Tony Vaenuku’s Sundance Award Winning Film, “In Football We Trust” as well as a Career & Job Fair, Art Exhibit and a Community Dance & Potluck celebrating Jacob Fitisemanu’s appointment to President Obama’s Asian American Pacific Islander White house Commission.  So much to celebrate this year!

Utah’s Pacific Island Heritage Month is a platform for Pacific Island community organizations to showcase their heritage and culture educating across communities of the similarities and differences between Pacific Island cultures, instilling positive pride and self-identity for each, importantly for our youth, and to debunk the stereo types of Pacific Islanders to the broader Utah Community.

Susi Feltch-Malohifo’ou, Co-Founder at PIK2AR, Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources and a founding organization of Utah Pacific Island Heritage Month explained that “One of our goals of Pacific Island Heritage Month is to give everyone the opportunity to contribute to inclusiveness through cross culture education via music, the arts, and activities that build relationships of friendship and tolerance in our neighborhoods, schools, and employment across the board”.

About PIK2AR, Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources

PIK2AR’s key initiatives are to Reduce Domestic Violence, Improve Economic Development, Cultivate Local Leadership with Cross cultural Solutions, Bridging mainstream service providers to culturally relevant tools, & resources that empower and support Family values, Self-Reliance, Good Health, Charity and Community Involvement locally and in the South Pacific.

For more information, sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities contact PIK2AR Co-Founder, Susi Feltch-Malohifo’ou atsusi@pik2ar.info or 801-793-4639

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