The KAAMULAN Project
December 4, 2007
On January 19, 2008, a Philippine Cultural Show will be presented at the St. Vincent Ferrer School Auditorium, 840 George Bush Blvd., Delray Beach, FL. Choreographed by Ruth Laylo, produced by FOSNI, and participated in by CFC-Youth, Palm Beach County Chapter, Emmanuel Parish Youth of Delray Beach, and parents, this show has taken almost a year to prepare for. Sole beneficiary is the Emmanuel Building Fund.
It has proven to be a gruelling experience ; physically, mentally, and spiritually.
May it be of worth in God’s eyes.
Thank You!
October 15, 2006
This is the full document from Edgar Rebosura, Conchita Pizarra’s son-in-law, after the receipt of the fund-raiser led by the whole Filipino Community of Emmanuel Church:
Below are the details, expanded:
November 18 with Anselmo
November 28, 2005
$1800 for Outreach!
“The Anselmo Boles & Guests Benefit Show” at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Emmanuel Church was superb, in terms of performance and audience appreciation. Net proceeds came well to $1800, with Emmanuel Parish to issue the same amount to the stricken Macapayag Family.
With divas Linda Coz, Becky Espulgar, JanMac, & Joycee Dujale and our very own BobMac, Anselmo dazzled and enchanted an appreciative audience well into the night with contemporary jazz and pop renditions.
Anselmo was a standout in the Asian Entertainment circuit in the early 70s, performing with keyboard, piano, and voice, with a repertoire spanning all musical genres. From 1975-79, with his base in Chicago, he went on various US tours. From 1980-84, he moved his base to Palm Beach, playing in different restaurant-clubs frequented by the glitterati. Between 1986 and 1994, he took and broadened his repertoire to Las Vegas, and since 1997 up to the present, he has worked and entertained in Royal Caribbean International Cruises.
We would like to thank everyone who helped transform this show into a foot-stomping success!
Thank You All!
October 18, 2005
The two-night series of broadway concerts raked in a whooping $2,362!
The final check was handed over to Florida Catholic Charity president, Dr. Tom Billo, by the Emmanuel Catholic church parishioners, represented in the following photo by Rose Bouchard, and Carol Schwann. Shown in this photo, from left to right, are: Mandy & Fe Reyes, representating Stella Maris & CFC; Dr. Tom Billo; FOSNI representative William Manubag, Rose and Carol. Also present, a bit late to join this particular pose, were Fr. Ding Zamora and Bella Simbajon.
According to Dr. Billo, the Florida Catholic Charity has already received donations amounting to almost a million dollars. This will go directly to states ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, like Mississippi and Louisana, and to about 75,000 displaced families that have settled in Florida. He was very impressed by the effort and unity which the church community showed, along with the Diocese of Palm Beach County; the additional check having complemented the earlier $27,000 brought in from Emmanuel Church for the same purpose.
Dr. Billo reiterated his thanks, particularly citing the show’s performers, which were mostly composed of the kids from Stella Maris, and lauding the parents for their support.
Kudos again to the very talented musical director, Joycee Dujale, The Delray Trio (BobMac, Dodong, and DingZam…who is still practicing the grind!), Linda Coz (who belted out a most-emphatic “Somewhere”), and Clanaven Baldonado.
Great Job!!!
Helping Hands
October 16, 2005
Thank you so much!
We would like to acknowledge the $65.00 donation from our very dear friends in Miami, to complement our Hurricane Katrina fund-raiser. They were not able to come and join us at Cuillo Centre for the Arts because of a conflict with an event they had scheduled on the same week-end, but they have pitched-in, all the same.
If you are a Miami or Fort Lauderdale resident, and if you wish a Santo Niño visitation at your home, feel free to contact them. If you wish to join them in celebrating the upcoming Sinulog festivities early next year, do not hesitate to call or email.
Click HERE to get the essential information.
Thanks again!
Cuillo Gig
September 27, 2005
Cuillo Theater, by Clematis Avenue, Downtown Palm Beach, Florida.
The September 25, 2005 repeat performance of our broadway production benefitting the victims and heroes of Katrina was a rousing success. Shown above is the theater marquee starkly inviting the public to watch “Our Favorite Things” on the heels of “Respect”, a musical celebrating womanhood. Cuillo Centre of the Arts is right smack in Downtown West Palm Beach, Florida. Tickets were not sold, but donations from the spectators thronging the venue reached a substantial plateau.
Support staff ably and wonderfully complemented performers to spell success. The smiles above (taken after the show) are testimony to the significance of this collaborative achievement. Shown standing, from left to right: FOSNI stalwarts William Manubag, Imelda Kirk, Bella Simbajon (almost hidden), and Marivic Penserga. On Marivic’s left is Benjie Sanson, Gawad Kalinga mainstay in Palm Beach County. Seated, from left: Carol Schwab and Rose Bouchard.
So remarkable what plans different people can actualize, just from working together. In harmony.
Watch for more pictures in the gallery in the next few days.
Broadway Tribute
September 4, 2005
A week before the August 27, 2005 dinner show, the usual jitters and boils cropped up; caused by the worries of what little details might have been missed, watered by fears of lines that might be forgotten. This was evidenced by short tempers carefully ignored, surreptitiously swept under individual rugs.
The Day, thus, was consequently turned into an anticlimax, of sorts. As we have learned in past shows, frayed nerves were nursed for naught, for the show, like all we had produced since the FOSNI inception, was a surprising success.
Proceeds of this show went to the Emmanuel Catholic Church’s Building Fund.
Expect more write-ups about this particular event. Manzel — BobMac’s other half — will be coming up with a behind-the-scenes piece soon. We figured other start-ups might wish to have some kind of resource, as far as what to expect or what to prepare for, and a piece on how this dinner-show’s overhead was kept to a minimum.
Take the collage above, that Ron has aesthetically rendered, as an indication of success. The venue was packed. Although the AC equipment valiantly tried, the air grew stiflingly hot inside. If nothing else, the heat index provided us an insight into how the show was received — nobody left!
The Lord be praised. Amen? Amen.
GK Partnership Director Visits!
August 20, 2005
Self-made British millionare, Dylan Wilk, came to our very own Emmanuel Catholic Church in Delray Beach, Fl last August 17, 2005, and shared his testimony of how the Lord had touched his life in an amazing way.
Born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, Dylan, at the age of 20 , after suddenly finding himself unemployed, had started his own mail order business, from his mother’s garage, selling computer games and successfully turning it into a multi-million business in four years. His company, Gameplay.com, had quickly generated profits counted in millions of pounds, finally becoming Britain’s largest mail order computer supplier. He, as quickly, became the 9th richest man in the country.
Yet, despite the vast amount of wealth he had and living the fast life, ” I still found my life empty”, according to Dylan. By circumstance, he befriended a Filipina who told him about Gawad Kalinga in the Philippines. Some months later, he decided to make a personal visit there. Little did he think that that was the turning point of his life.
Today, Dylan Wilk is not only the International Director for Partnerships of GK, but he is also considered a GK hero. He gave up his fast life in Britain and has now settled in Manila, (happily married to a filipina) and is a very active GK mover. He has spearheaded several GK projects around the Philippines , most especially in the disaster-ravaged and poor communities of the country.
Lately, Dylan Wilk has been touring the United States to speak about the true heroes, the Filipinos, and the true spirit of Bayanihan, and to gather support for the projects of Gawad Kalinga itself. According to him, GK has now reached other countries like Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and India.
He said, with conviction, “the system actually works”.
Presented by Gawad Kalinga and ANCOP-USA Palm Beach Chapter, the night was attended by FOSNI staff, Couples of Christ, Emmanuel Parishioners , members of the Filipino community of Palm Beach, and Youth for Christ (YFC) members.
Shown on the photo above, from left to right: YFC Director Fe Reyes, FOSNI staffers Rose Marie Baldonado and William Manubag, Dylan Wilk, and yours truly.
For more information about GK and how you can help, please click HERE, or write us at info@fosni.com, or write to :
Gawad Kalinga
349 Oritigas Avenue
Greenhills East, Mandaluyong City, 1554, Phils.
Santacruzan 2005
August 3, 2005
This year, the celebration of this uniquely Filipino religious-cultural event was different. Our home parish in Delray Beach, Florida, had originally voiced interest towards participation in Filipino-organized events. The FOSNI staff, who were in the forefront of this particular celebration, worked towards making this happen.
One significant reason why we constantly seek to keep our Filipino religious festivals alive outside our native country is the intent to introduce the uniqueness of our values to our children, some of whom have never set foot in the Philippines. We hope that whatever qualities which make us uniquely Filipino will, in some inexpressible manner, trickle down, if unconsciously, into our children.
This year, we at Emmanuel Parish claimed a worthwhile justification to bolster our intentions - that of cementing a common ground. There are so many things that separate us from each other; nation to nation, culture to culture, race to race, personality to orientation. And there are still so many reasons why we should seek a working place for spiritual and cultural harmony.
We are happy to say that, this year, we were able to achieve those first steps towards mutual enrichment.
Mother’s Day Special
June 22, 2005
This is FOSNI’s first-ever attempt at this kind of event-organization. Washing the dinner-plates by hand was only one of the aspects of this fundraiser we had not really prepared for. For FOSNI, it was an education we would not soon forget. The happy, albeit, wearied faces of all performers and organizers at the end of the evening were our mutual reward for an event well-worth cherishing.
One of the major reasons for this website was “born” from one of the lessons learned at this Dinner Show. Surely, we at FOSNI thought, there are other fledgling nonprofits out there who might benefit from errors of assumption and judgment we have made from the start. Thus, one of our intentions in sharing this site is to provide an honest rendition of our experiences. We believe that what one might have “painfully” experienced, in the course of some small, or large, service for others, another might avoid altogether.
Consider this site testimony. Witness. Comparison. Example.
Resource.
Surf inside our minds and hearts, at your leisure. Share your own experiences, if you will. Do your own part; as you see it, and as you must. Help someone cross the street somewhere. Open the door for a random stranger. Give some mother a bouquet of flowers, irregardless of the occassion. Take time to feed some child and give him a wee bit more room to grow, in spite of your hurry. Like someone wiser once said, love is the only thing that multiplies, the more you give it away. The more you give of it, the bigger the possibility of it coming back to you a thousandfold.