TCA awarded three of its four pledged donations to aid Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts in the Philippines. The donations were presented to Filipino American community organizations in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area, Hawaii and Seattle, Washington. The donation ceremonies were attended by members of the Filipino and Turkish American communities and members of Congress Donna Edwards (MD/D-4^th), Colleen Hanabusa (HI/D-1st) and Adam Smith (WA/D-9^th). The fourth contribution of $25,000 will be presented to the Filipino community in Houston, Texas, fulfilling the total TCA pledge of $100,000.

TCA Chairman Dr.Yalcin Ayasli hosted Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John A. Boehner at a round-table in Istanbul on April 16, bringing the congressional delegation together with senior executives of American companies in Turkey and Turkish businesses with significant investments in the United States. Speaker Boehner was visiting Turkey as part of a multi-country trip to the region and was accompanied by a high-level congressional delegation. At the meeting, Speaker Boehner stated that the delegation’s visit was to “show the political and business leadership that we value this relationship [with Turkey] and find a way to further it.”

The 7^th Annual Turkish Canadian Youth Congress was held on March 15^th at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. Sponsored for several years by TCA and organized by the Council of Turkish Canadians, over 700 young Turkish Canadians have participated in these annual youth events thus far. This year's event drew 75 participants and offered a forum for young Turkish Canadians to celebrate their heritage, while providing guidance on how to make effective contributions to Canada and addressing issues important to Turkish Canadians.

In its fourth year, TCA has awarded four grants under its Study Tour Grant program. The TCA Study Tour Grant program seeks to provide an incentive to American institutions of higher education to choose Turkey as their study tour destination for their students. The grants were awarded to Georgia State University, Alfred University, the Community College of Philadelphia and State University of New York-SUNY Buffalo and will help subsidize student cost in the study tours. In total, 47 students from across the nation will participate in these faculty-led study tours and learn about Turkey through various disciplines, including literature, media and business.

TCA sponsored the 34^th Annual Convention of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations - ATAA, which took place under the theme “Empowering the Turkish American Community: Strength in Diversity” on April 10-12, 2014 in Washington, DC. TCA also hosted the ATAA leadership at a working luncheon to discuss issues on the national Turkish American agenda and developments in U.S.-Turkish relations.

TCA met with Metin Feyzioglu, President of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, in Washington, DC and provided an overview of various TCA programs and the U.S. political system. Visiting the United States as a guest of the American Bar Association, Feyzioglu met with U.S. officials, legal professionals and NGO representatives to discuss human rights and rule of law issues.