Volunteer Pathways

Volunteer Pathways: Md Ali

MYRA: Hey Md, how did you hear about the Rizal Center?
MD: Oh, I google-searched “Filipino Community in Chicago” and was surprised that it was literally just a ten minute drive from where we live. We live in Lincoln Square so we’re really close by. 

MYRA: How long have you lived in Lincoln Square?

MD: Three years, but before that I lived in Logan Square for about three years as well. I grew up in Texas, an hour south of Houston, more suburban, but by the coast.

MYRA: So you grew up near the water?

MD: Yeah.

MYRA: Cool! Are there places in Chicago where you feel most at home?

MD: Logan Square because that’s my first “place” in Chicago, Chinatown… I love Chinatown! We also spend a good amount of time near the Seafood City area, kind of like a Filipino town where you can go to the bakery. You can do your grocery shopping. Max’s is right there too, so it’s also like a kind of day trip.

MYRA: I’m curious if you can share some Filipino American places or points of interest in the city. You mentioned Seafood City – do you know there’s a street marker named after a local Filipino American architect who died young – the Honorary Ronald Lucius Salazar Way – just right outside Seafood City? 

MD: No, just the Rizal Community Center in general, and I have been to the Philippines  – 

MYRA: Oh, you lived there?

MD: No, just for a visit. 

MYRA: Well, right across from Rizal Center, on the corner of Irving Park & Southport, just outside the post office, there is an Honorary Carmelito Llapitan Court. It’s named after one of the founding fathers of the FACC, the Filipino American Council of Chicago, a postal worker who initiated the purchase of the building from the previous owners, the Swedish-American Orphei Singing Group. 

MD: Oh, that guy!

MYRA: Yeah, he’s a very important guy. I think we should have a photo of him somewhere. 

MD: Yeah, that would be a neat piece of history and the post office is just right across the street!

MYRA: Yup! This makes me wonder If we did have a Filipino Town in Chicago – What would it look like to you?

MD: So, a grocery store and a bakery, definitely. And there should also be stuff for kids because Filipino culture is all about families and kids. So there should be a LOT MORE stuff for kids.

MYRA: Like what?

MD: Oh, like a play area.

MYRA: Indoor or outdoor?

MD: Kinda both. I mean, in other community centers they have things for kids, but here at Rizal, I don’t see much for kids to do.

MYRA: Like a designated area for kids?

MD: I mean this Children’s Library is nice, but it’s kinda small, right? 

I think that’s also what Seafood City is missing because there’s a lot of families that come by and it would be nice to have a whole area for the kids, parents and grandparents to hang out. 

MYRA: So we’re missing a physical space?

MD: I think what is missing – is attracting that kind of mentality – and then there should also be something for the youth & mentoring and all that good stuff.  Because in Chinatown they have stuff for kids specifically. That’s what makes a community grow, it’s because you bring mom and dad over and then your brother and sister come, and there’s activities for everyone.

MYRA: Here, we have Bingo, Jiujitsu, Tagalog Classes, and the Pamana Children’s Library –

MD: Right, but there’s not really programs for kids. No regular programs that will attract them to form a community town. I mean, if you look at Ukrainian Village, they have something for kids. In Greektown, they have something for kids. It’s cool that there’s stuff for adults and older people, and college kids, but for people younger than 21, there’s like zero – 

MYRA: Yeah, I know, and people will spend money on their kids.

MD: Yes. ALL THE TIME.

MYRA: Tell us about your interest in volunteering 

MD: I do like volunteering, I do a lot of community work, but I think over the years I do more community, if that makes sense. Because we all eat together and kind of spend the whole day together. It’s kind of nice, versus spending an hour or a few hours and nothing gets done — but over the last two months we’ve been volunteering here, there’s been big changes.

MYRA: THANKS TO YOU! (laughs) I mean, getting input from the regular volunteers has really improved my capacity!

MD: I’ve definitely seen the shift coming very fast here. I mean just look at how much different the first floor, even the library, and the rooms upstairs are now from months before. It’s like all totally redone! Things are changing very fast and I think there’s potential to actually make it better.

MYRA: Yeah, I think so too.

MD: Because I think now, people can see it consistently happening, and that’s what volunteering can do.

Md Ali is a Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) focused on helping organizations design, mature, and sustain cybersecurity programs. He and his wife, Joy Ali, and (baby Zia) have been volunteering as a family for almost a year and together, they have started a Parenting Program at Rizal Center, which meets every month on Saturdays from 3-5 pm.

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