Miss World Returns to NY to Raise Funds for Supertyphoon Haiyan Victims, 11/20

Philippine Independence Day Council Inc. (PIDCI) partners with Miss World for her fundraiser; proceeds will go to typhoon relief efforts.

New York, November 15, 2013--Miss World Megan Young, 23, first Filipino American who won the coveted blue crown, is set to return to the New York Tri-State area--her first was just last month--to raise funds for supertyphoon Haiyan (Yolanda) victims.

Young has partnered with New York-based non-profit organization Philippine Independence Day Council Inc. (PIDCI), which works year-round for the largest Philippine Independence Day celebrations in the East Coast of the United States, by organizing a dinner fundraiser--open to the public--on Wednesday, November 20 at 7 p.m. at Doubletree by Hilton (128 Frontage Road, Newark, New Jersey).

The event was originally planned as a fundraiser for her chosen charities in Manila, Philippines: the Philippine General Hospital's (PGH) pediatric ward and Tuloy Foundation Center, a facility for street children.

According to a press statement, "When Young was crowned Miss World last September, she could not have imagined the level of disaster that was about to strike her home country, only a couple of months later."

Young said, "I am devastated by the images I have seen of my homeland over the last week. My fellow Filipinos are so wonderful and strong but they desperately need help to get through this disaster. The amount of support we have had so far has been incredible but we need a lot more. I hope that I can help out as much as I can through my role as Miss World and through 'Beauty With A Purpose'...I am praying for my country and my people."

Tacloban on Leyte island in the east-central of the Philippines has been a hot topic in the news lately when supertyphoon Haiyan, touted as one of the most powerful storms on record, slammed into the province Friday, November 8. Deaths have been estimated from 2,500 to 10,000. As of this writing, nearly 10 million people have been affected in Tacloban and nearby 7,251 villages in 471 municipalities and 51 cities according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

On November 28 to 29, Miss World will visit typhoon victims' evacuation centers in Tacloban and Ormoc, areas mostly affected by the supertyphoon.

Young was born in Virginia. She, together with her family, moved to Olongapo City in Zambales, Philippines when she was 10. Currently studying digital filmmaking at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in Manila, Young has been a film and TV actress, and a music TV host in the Philippines since 2004. She wants to be a film director next.

A self-confessed "Harry Potter" addict, Young also loves playing video games.

For tickets ($65) to the dinner fundraiser with group photo opportunity, contact Fe Martinez (973-222-0085), Albert Diala (347-260-8063), Elvira Reyes (551-208-4986), Ollie David (732-499-7995) or Dr. Prospero Lim (347-248-5106). You may also email pidci.missworld@gmail.com.

The Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) organizes the annual celebration of Philippine Independence in the New York Tri-State area that falls every first Sunday of June. Its Philippine Independence Day parade along Madison Avenue, which celebrates 25 years next year, is the largest Philippine Independence Day parade outside the Philippines.

Miss World is one of the highly publicized major international beauty pageants, which originated in the United Kingdom in 1951. Its "Beauty with a Purpose" campaign has raised hundreds of millions of pounds, which have been donated to various organizations in aid of disadvantaged children across the globe.

Photo by Jory Rivera