Golf but Make It Filipino | SIPA’s Giving Greens Invitational Tees off For change for the nextGen

By Jennifer Redondo & Josh Diosomito

Photos Courtesy of Josh Diosomito

Ninety years ago, our community was told to leave. Sixty years ago, we were finally welcomed. Today, we build.

Next month is Filipino American History Month (FAHM), and we’re not just commemorating policy milestones — we’re reclaiming our narrative. We’re honoring the journey from exclusion to empowerment, from quotas to communities. And we’re doing things a little differently – with a golf club in hand.

Yes, golf.

On Monday, October 6, 2025, at the Glen Ivy Golf Club in Corona, California, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) invites you to the Giving Greens Golf Invitational, a fundraiser-meets-cultural-homecoming that’s rewriting the rules of philanthropy, visibility, and Filipino American legacy. It’s not just about teeing off, it’s about showing up. This year’s Filipino American History Month Theme:“Quotas to Communities” couldn’t be more fitting. It reminds us of the policies that shaped our migration story. It challenges us to reflect on the systems that excluded us. And it calls us to build something better.

But let’s rewind.

Filipinos have always been told what doors we don’t belong in. Country clubs? “Not you.” Policy? “Wait your turn.” Ninety years ago, the U.S. tried to send our community back. Sixty years ago, immigration quotas finally lifted. Today, we’re here, not just surviving, but showing up in spaces that once shut us out.

Golf is one of those spaces.

Once reserved for the white and wealthy, the green is finally shifting. Filipino Americans are claiming the fairway — from J.J. Spaun’s U.S. Open win to beginners just hacking away with borrowed clubs. The point isn’t perfection. The point is presence.

So Why Golf, Why Now?

We all know golf isn’t cheap. But here’s the flip side: it’s also where deals get made, networks get built, and visibility multiplies. For too long, those conversations didn’t include us.

This Invitational changes that. It’s not just about birdies and bogeys. It’s about bridging sectors — from banking to entertainment, from nonprofit leadership to entrepreneurship. It’s about a table where everyone brings pancit and business cards.

If you grew up anywhere near Historic Filipinotown, you know SIPA. For those of you not familiar, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans is a Los Angeles–based nonprofit founded in 1972 in Historic Filipinotown. It’s where teens found mentors before “youth leadership” was a buzzword, where artists had a stage, where families found mental health support long before it was openly talked about.

For 50+ years, SIPA has been more than a nonprofit. It’s been an anchor. But anchors still need upkeep. With grants drying up and budgets tightening, SIPA’s work — from youth programs to cultural preservation is at risk. And if we don’t invest in our own institutions, we risk losing the very infrastructure that keeps our community whole.

Glen Ivy Golf Club

Here’s a fact that might sting: Filipinos are among the highest earners in the U.S. — the highest of all Asian American groups. Yet too often, our money goes everywhere but back to us. We flex the cars, the bags, the Vegas weekends. But when was the last time we flexed for our own future?

That’s what Giving Greens is about. Not just a day of golf, but a statement: we can ball out and build community. Wealth without community is just status. Wealth invested back into SIPA? That’s legacy.

So here’s your chance to play with purpose this October.

Here’s what to expect:

• Good food (Filipino, of course).

• Great company across industries.

• A whole lot of cultural pride.

• And yes, a tax write-off.

Whether you’re a scratch golfer or a first-timer who can barely hold a club, the message is the same: show up. Because when we gather on the green, we’re not just swinging clubs. We’re shifting culture.

Learn more and register today at SIPA Giving Greens Golf Invitational.

#SIPAGivingGreens #FAHM2025 #KollectiveHustle #PlayWithPurpose #GolfForGood

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Written by Jennifer Redondo

Co-Founder and Co-Author of In Her Purpose

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