November 6th 2011, 4:00 p.m. marked another remarkable day among Pinoys and Canucks (colloquial terms for Filipinos and Canadians) residing here in the Great White North. The generosity of compassionate Calgarians together with an outpouring of “bayanihan spirit” by Filipino-Calgarians was a match from heaven.
The tremendous enthusiasm was triggered by Typhoon Pedring and Quiel (Nesat & Nalgae) which left the Philippines over a month and a half ago. This inspired a few concerned Filipino-Canadians, Vilma Buenaventura, Connie Kriaski, Alan Isidoro and myself, to conceive the “Feast of Compassion (F of C) ” a Dinner-Concert Fund Raising Drive. Alan and Vilma’s kind hearts walked with me through out the conception and up until the last minute of the program. The F of C event became the catalyst for another successful relief operation among Filipinos residing in Canada who are promptly responding to the dire need of help and support to their fellow citizens still living the wreckage brought on by human negligence and natural calamities. The needs of 3,030,775 Filipinos that were and still are experiencing devastation in Bulacan, Pampanga and all of Luzon is on such a large scale that it may take years for the Philippine Government to fully rebuild and restore.
The F of C program opened with the welcoming of guests which were people very close to the hearts of the organizers such as families, friends and colleagues. This was a very well attended event, an overwhelming 110% attendance packed the Barrio Fiesta Restaurant at 68th and Memorial. This venue was generously volunteered by the owner, Ms. Vilma Buenventura together with free diners for all volunteers and performers. The reasonably priced yet sumptuous buffet was prepared and served by the hard working staff of the Barrio Fiesta who volunteered their services for this event.
The comic yet touching dinner concert was hosted by the synergy of the 4 radio personalities from Pinoy Radio 94.7fm Calgary, namely Juan Manila, Allan Torres, Rey Pamatian and Tata delos Reyes. Pinoy Radio also tirelessly announced the event on their weekly airtime every Sunday from 11:00am-1:00pm during the entire month of October and up until November 6th.
The evening was filled with great music, songs and dances from Fil-Calgarian Talents coordinated by no less than Alan Isidoro, Operating Manager of Forex Travel. Darren Espanto, the Pinoy Singing Sensation Grand Winner 2011, rendered two songs that truly held the audience in awe. He was followed by the rapper duet, SKIP and Mark Makati. Annie Pattison rendered her soulful songs which proved that she really is the winner of The Calgary Idol and official voice of the Calgary Flames and Hitmen. Havana Affair showed their grunge interpretations of Nirvana’s hits from the 90’s. Jairah Palilio’s melancholic voice, also swept the audience off their feet. Kadena Band rendered pop favourites that put the audience in a very upbeat mood. While the night was still warm, the young movers Denise Isidoro and Eldrich Briones kept their audience’s feet on the move with their contemporary dance number. Each act performed 2-3 numbers to keep the guests entertained through out the entire night. They all volunteered their services for this event. Mr. Roberto Tamayo not only shared his instrumental talents, but also his time to keep the music flawless.
The F of C fund raising dinner aimed to reach a goal of raising $ 3,033.75 from the night’s events which included dinner, silent auctions, raffle and a 50/50 draw. The gross amount raised was $3,721.00 which exceeded our goal. Once expenses were accounted for, an amazing 50% net return remains ($1,871.00) to be sent to the Philippines for relief. The whole evening was punctuated with awesome raffle prizes and a silent auction. Silent auction items were generously donated by Mr & Mrs Henderson of Holiday Inn Calgary Airport, Lorraine Rumberg, VP & Investment Advisor RBC Dominion Securities, White Rock, B.C.. Additional contributors were Mdme. Carlyn Guerero, Jim & Meldy Elliot and us. Raffle items were from the generosity of Pure Talents co-producers, Espie Garcia /Ellen Sarmiento, UMAC Express Cargo, Larry Baguisa/Des Ines, Forex Cargo Alberta, Emma Bohol/Alan Isidoro, and few treasures from our personal collection.
There also was a 50/50 draw which made both the winning guest and the fund raising drive richer by $169.00. The silent auction, raffle and 50/50 draw were passionately coordinated by the “game guru” Lynette Dupuis.
Glynn Galla, the talented photographer, did a wonderful job taking photos of the event and guests through out the program.
Other Concerned Citizens of Calumpit such as couples, Annie and Titus Albania, Gloria and Ginny Ang, took on many tasks including welcoming guests at the door and selling a large number of dinner tickets to members of the River of Life Alliance Church(RLAC). Other members of RLAC, Rex Arguelles said the Grace during the meal and together with Romeo Gamba, donated 24 boxes of personal size toothpaste for the relief fund.
Later in the evening, my husband Mark and I presented plans for future projects including the prospective establishment of a non-profit charitable foundation that aims to help fund relief for future calamities plus providing education for children of the poor. Questionnaires were circulated among the audience to solicit feedback and ideas for this initiative.
Other Fundraising Drives on the go include:
- “Cash Donations” which has raised $1,062.00 from donors.
- “Donations in Kind” which collected enough non-perishable goods filled 5 boxes from the collaborative efforts of Des Ines -Operating Manager UMAC CARGO EXPRESS, Mr. Jayson & Mrs Lovely Ann Henderson owners- HOLIDAY INN Airport, Jess Barcelona, housekkeping executive, Allan Torres and Holiday Inn Housekeeping Department. Other generous donors were Meldy and Jim Elliot of Red Deers, Lynn Verwijs, Fairview Community, Chandra Smith & Staff- Banana Republic FS Deerfoot Meadows and ourselves. The Sponsorship of the Boxes were made possible through the generosity of 7 Seas Restaurant , Nikki Macaraeg and R &G Pinoy Dollar Store, and also from Mark and myself.
- There was also a Bottle/Can Drive from the Filipino Communities of Fox Creek and Calgary which added a total of $ 152.70.
- Last but not the least among the fund raising drives were the “ Spare Change Jars” which were located in a few Filipino establishments such as R& G Pinoy Dollar Store, Pacific Hut Restaurant, Margaret Dutkoski and ourselves, which raised another $105.84.
The overall smooth flow of the program for the entire night was a rewarding experience for everyone who attended. The entertainment commenced after the audience had an opportunity to finish most of their dinner. Songs and music were played and heard, all prizes were given away and the silent auction items were awarded. The success of the Feast of Compassion Dinner Concert was made possible, more importantly by all generous Calgarians and Fil-Calgarians, who gave time, plus shared their wealth and resources for the benefit of those who are in such desperate need of aid. As I often respond to people who were wondering how we came up with this idea, “the only thing far away from here is our address, but not our love nor our concern”. We were inspired by our Love of God and our fellow citizens in the Philippines. 
POSTSCRIPT:
After all expenses of $2,258.94 were subtracted, the 5 fundraising events raised a total of $ 3,000.10 in cash. The whole amount will be sent to Filipinos affected by the flood where 50% will be allocated to the towns of Calumpit and Hagonoy in Bulacan, 20% to Tarlac and Pampanga and 30% will go to Regions 1, 2 and 3 together with the 4-5 balikbayan boxes of in kind donations. All donations will go to Sagip Kapamilya Foundations Inc liaising through Vilma Belara and Marcel Rinon. The amount raised is hoped to buy school and hygiene supplies and more relief goods for family meals. Prior to this, during the height of the flood, our friends from Manila and my classmates oversea, with our immediate family who almost lost their lives, managed to pack 250 cooked meals and 250 packed of relief goods for the village most isolated during the flood, Frances, Calumpit.
Again, our sincerest gratitude is extended to all who made this event a success,. KUDOS to all of you who made it happen. Maraming, maraming salamat po!
