Paul Ong Awarded Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser

On November 15, 2024, Paul Ong, one of the WSO’s Board Members, will be honoured as the Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year by the Manitoba Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) at their annual Manitoba Philanthropy Awards ceremony.  Winnipeggers may know about Paul’s annual Concert for a Cause, which in 2023 was held in support of Sistema Winnipeg. So far, Paul has raised $150,000 for Manitoba charities. We are so grateful for all of the hard work and passion Paul has for the WSO and we cannot think of anyone more deserving of the honour of being named the Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year.

A classically trained singer, Paul is currently employed as a Vice Principal at Meadows West in the Winnipeg School Division. Outside of his working life, Paul has dedicated his time to supporting local charities and non-profits through a vehicle that is very close to his heart—music. Through his annual Concert for a Cause, Paul raises thousands of dollars each year by performing in concert alongside other musicians, including the WSO! He began singing when he was only four years old, but being a musical performer was a lifelong dream that Paul thought he would have to give up when he immigrated to Winnipeg from the Philippines in the early 2000s.

In an interview Paul did with the Free Press in 2022 about an upcoming Concert for a Cause, he explained that “what’s been pushing me to do the show for the last several years is the idea of using what I’ve been given — the voice that’s been lent to me — for something more community-based that makes positive change. Every time I reflect on what’s happened to me and my family since immigrating to Canada, I can’t help but feel grateful”.  Paul has represented Canada twice internationally in the 2017 Watercube Cup in Beijing and the 2015 World Championship of Performing Arts in Los Angeles. In 2012, he was part of Canada’s Got Talent and was selected as the Hometown Hero.

Despite working a demanding full-time job as an educator, Paul Ong dedicates an extraordinary amount of time towards his fundraising efforts.  Paul has built strong relationships in the community, based on his commitment to supporting charities and local businesses by creating mutually beneficial connections between them.  In addition to serving on the Board of Directors at WSO and supporting the activities of the WSO’s Development Committee, as well as sitting on the Community Engagement Committee at Manitoba Opera, Paul organizes, promotes, and performs in his own annual fundraiser, Concert for a Cause, while also fundraising for this event.  Paul manages all aspects of running the concert and raising support for it and, typically, the concerts sell-out well in advance.

Our heartfelt congratulations to Paul for the Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Paul’s next Concert for a Cause will be held on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at 8:00 pm at Calvary Temple. For tickets, contact Paul at paulkelvinong@yahoo.com, or call 431-336-5486.

Leigh Karras (she/her) is the Development Officer for the WSO.