My volunteer work for the Jose Rizal Center was to assist Phillipino Americans at this particular agency. The hours consisted of many opportunities of different levels of assistance, I danced with seniors, helped distribute food to those who came for it, office services work such as filing and answering the phones. There was always something to do; setting up for workshops and traing, assisting with the catering and ballroom parties. The center has alot of work and very few volunteers, right now they are going through a restructuring process and alot of help is needed and the demand for help is great. I enjoyed my time as being part of a family in this community based organization and was very much rewarded in helping this Phillipino Community, I felt very blessed and look forward to the future with them at the, FILIPINO AMERICAN COUNCIL OF GREATER CHICAGO, INC. Attached please find a letter from the gentleman who guided and assisted me in all that I did for this center.
FILIPINO AMERICAN COUNCIL OF GREATER CHICAGO, INC
RIZAL HERITAGE CENTER
1332 W. Irving Park Rd.
Chicago, II. 60613
November 19, 2012
To Whom It May Concern:
This is to certify that ROBERTO GONZALES has rendered volunteer work at the
RIZAL HERITAGE CENTER totaling twenty (20) hours as follows:
1.0 Maintenance engineering work (janitorialand maintenance work) - Six (6) Hrs.
2.0 Worked as coordinator for, waiter and beverageDistribution during social activities- Six (6) Hrs.
3.0 Clerical/administrative work - Five (5) Hrs.
4.0 Miscellaneous Jobs - Three (3) Hrs.
Should you have questions or need additional information, please feel free to
give the undersigned a call at 773-524-9798.
Thank you.
Very truly yours,
Bobby Luna
Administrator
Jose P. Rizal Heritage Center, there are groups who are presently utilizing its facilities, and there are individuals who come to the Center for some of the services it provides. However, this hasn't been enough reason for the Center to keep easily accessible hours. The current open hours are down to a third of what they used to be. After all, most organizations wouldn't meet during working hours, and from past experiences they don't often meet right after the weekend, either.
The true reason behind the hours cut is a common one – lack of money. Money is needed to keep the electricity on during those open hours, and to staff someone to overlook the facility. The whole building needs to be heated during the frigidly cold Chicago winters, while money needs to be raised to provide air conditioning to the second floor for the blistering hot Chicago summers. Thankfully, the Rizal Center is completely paid off and has no mortgage, while the non-profit status keeps it exempt from taxes.
These aren't enough breaks though. The building has a high monthly maintenance bill, partly due to the fact that the building itself is old. The pipe system is about fifty years old, and it incorporates none of the modern-day energy saving equipment or architecture. Center head Rene Abella has been working with local Pilipino handymen to get things upgraded, but that still requires cash.
The Center gets paid via various means. As mentioned before, room rentals and periodic pageants bring in money, as do the review classes the Center hosts. Probably the income channel hit hardest in recent times is membership dues. That number has dwindled over time for a variety of reasons.
First, differing ideologies and personalities have caused rifts and separations in the Pilipino community here. The Filipino American Council of Chicago (FACC), which runs the center, used to overlook over a hundred Chicago Pilipino organizations. Over time internal fighting and disagreements occurred, to the point where there are four (soon to be five) similar but separate Chicago Pilipino groups, each with their own agendas. This has split the community so much that each group insists on having their own Philippine Independence Day events.
Secondly, the center itself can't accommodate as many people as it should. The auditorium can hold only under 160 people, while the parking lot holds even fewer. Access via public transportation, while possible, is difficult.
Probably the most important factor in the decreased usage of the Center by the community are the geographic shifts. The Center is in a part of Chicago that used to be home to a very centralized Pilipino population. Immigrants used to live in this area when first arriving, then move out to the suburbs thirty miles away to raise a family. Now, these immigrants usually move to the suburbs straight away. Meanwhile, the generations of Pilipino Americans who were or are raised in the suburbs have no prior connection with the Center. Of that generation, those who do move to the city look for proximity to work and activity, and not for an exclusively Pilipino community (myself included).
While the Rizal Center does play an important role in the nearby community, year by year it loses its relevance with the up-and-coming Chicago Pilipino American generations. Abella recognizes this shift, and has a plan to save the Center. It surely won’t be a popular plan, but it may be the only one left available.
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