M.A.L.O. Motivating Action Leadership Opportunity

"It’s a power card to have holistic support"

Motivating Action Leadership Opportunity (M.A.L.O.) is a nonprofit organization that serves, and is represented by, Tongan community members of the City of Ontario, located in the Inland Empire. As an under-served and underrepresented subgroup of Pacific Islanders, MALO is taking action towards the positive change they would like to see in their long-time community through leadership, youth mentorship, job readiness, resource literacy, and cultural gathering events.

Asena Filihia, M.A.L.O.’s Director of Development, was in conversation with a Pomona College alumni that recommended finding an organization to support their accounting and financial management. Asena recalls when they discovered YPTC, “It was clear that this was a good fit for us, and we were confident in the connection.”

Asena did not expect such a personable connection working through daunting “back of the house” work. Not knowing where to start, she was quickly reassured by YPTC Associate, Eugene Gonzales. “Eugene is so knowledgeable about so many things that we weren’t even aware of. He follows through, is flexible, and genuinely cares about the work we do. It’s truly been life-changing because we’ve finally been able to shift our financials and be in compliance. After COVID we received funding but didn’t have the infrastructure and Eugene was just a godsend.”

Asena is appreciative of the support, resources, and connections that come with a YPTC engagement, “You start to see why these relationships are instrumental to what I think is a non-profit’s dream to have a suite of support so that we’re not having to go through multiple consultants to find out what we need. We’ve been able to do all those things through YPTC’s relationships and partnerships. It’s a power card to have holistic support.”

Asena closes with, “My sense of security and comfort is unmatched and allows us to focus on the mission. There’s a sincerity in the support, and you don’t feel like a number. You truly feel like you’re a part of the YPTC family.”