The Rizal Center has thrived thanks to the contributions of community members. This is true at all levels; our board of directors is all volunteers, we have a robust roster of volunteers that restore the building, and programs and events at Rizal Center are often designed by community members, like the Balikbayan Book Club and our recent 1st ever Chess Tournament.
One area that we could use quite a bit of help with includes our fundraising: not just asking the community for donations, but helping us to strategize, spread the word, and tap into community connections. After all, many hands make light work!
On Sunday, April 12, at 11:00 AM, we’re gathering for a special Fundraising Circle meeting! It is a coming together of community: part planning, part visioning, part-let’s roll up our sleeves and make this happen together. We are a community of sharp, resourceful thinkers!
Rather than simply requesting money, we invite community members to play a deeper, more integral role in our fundraising and development. Whether that help comes from grants, asking your own networks for donations, or reaching out to local businesses, Rizal Center thrives when the community comes together.
We’ve seen this work: last January, Alpha Nicolasin created her own fundraising team – rather than donating everything on her own, she got her friends to donate a whopping $2,500 to Rizal Center’s Kusina ng Bayan (the Community’s Kitchen)! Dr. Cleofe Casambre has twice organized her networks to put on the Paglalakbay Variety Show in October and Jukebox Karaoke in February, raising thousands of dollars to support and improve the building! They are just two recent examples of community members with creative approaches to fundraising.
Our meeting will start simply with food and conversation. From there, we’ll take a walk through Rizal Center, sharing what’s been built over the years and what’s possible for the future. You’ll hear more about the different parts of our work, the aspirations for Rizal Center, and the real ways that our friends have helped make our progress happen.
Whether you’re someone who loves planning events, building relationships, organizing behind the scenes, or just wants to find a meaningful way to contribute, there’s a place for you here. We’ll be opening up different ways to get involved in fundraising, like creative campaigns, community events, partnerships, and more. You don’t need to have experience, but we’d love to have you be part of something bigger.
More than anything, this gathering is about possibility. We can all ask: what could Rizal Center become if all of us played a part in sustaining it?
If you’d like to join, RSVP to Sarahlynn Pablo by emailing sarahlynnpablo@gmail.com by Wednesday, April 8, 2026, so that we can have a headcount for food. Salamat, and see you on April 12!
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