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A Message from the Board
Closing One Chapter, Opening a New One
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As we reflect on the past year and look ahead with hope, the Board of Rizal Center would like to share a message of gratitude, renewal, and optimism with our community.
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The past three years have been a period of rebuilding for Rizal Center. With care, patience, and a deep respect for the legacy of our pioneers, the organization worked quietly to restore stability, reaffirm its mission, and return its full focus to serving the community. This chapter was not easy, but it strengthened our shared commitment to integrity, transparency, and collective leadership.
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Today, Rizal Center stands on firmer ground. Our governance is stable, our home is once again fully dedicated to community use, and our foundation—built nearly seventy years ago on service and cultural pride—remains strong. These achievements reflect the perseverance of many individuals who believed in Rizal Center and stayed engaged during challenging times.
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This year, we also took time to listen. Through a community-wide reflection, we affirmed our strengths: a warm and committed community, dedicated volunteers and board members, a clear Filipino identity, and a space that continues to serve as a gathering place for connection and belonging. We also named opportunities to grow—clearer communication, stronger systems, broader outreach, and more ways to engage younger generations alongside our elders.
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Looking forward, we are inspired by the possibilities ahead. Rizal Center is renewing its role as an intergenerational cultural and community hub—one that honors elders, uplifts youth, preserves heritage, and responds to evolving community needs. Our work will continue both within our walls and beyond them, through partnerships, outreach, and shared leadership.
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As we enter the new year, we do so with gratitude for the resilience of our community and confidence in what we can build together. The journey ahead is one of healing, inclusion, and progress—guided by respect, openness, and a shared sense of purpose.
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Thank you for walking with us. We look forward to the year ahead and to continuing this work together.
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With appreciation and gratitude,
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The Board of Directors of the Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago
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Joseph, Salve and Eliana Amarise Kierulf: One immigrant family’s warm and inspiring story by Connie Triggiano
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The perfect life for typical US immigrants is multifaceted, encompassing a blend of personal achievements, cultural integration, and a raw boldness to chase and pursue their dreams. Joseph Brian Kierulf and his wife Salve, both Filipino educators now teaching in Chicago’s public schools are one such couple of immigrants. The couple plowed over vicissitudes of life, struggling but committed to spending their professional years mentoring Filipino children in Cebu despite long hours and meager …
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Taking on Flesh by Gabriel Catanus
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Across the world, Christian communities are in the period of the liturgical calendar called Christmastide, the twelve days after December 25 that end with the Epiphany on January 6. Though significantly shorter than Advent or Lent, Christmastide is marked by feasting and celebrating because the Savior has come. Whether through Simbang Gabi observances or family parties, …
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Looking Back by Almira Astudillo Gilles
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Looking Back by Almira Astudillo Gilles “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan.” --- Jose Rizal How exactly does this work? Is it necessary to mourn things we have lost to appreciate what we have now? Do we look at our past life to foretell a future that might become? Can we pick and choose anecdotes …
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Isang Sipat sa Anting-anting ng mga Tagalog
rebyu ni Ogot Sumulong
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Itong bagong taong papasok, bigyan natin ng isang pagsipat ang mahiwagang paksa ng anting-anting na bahagi ng ating Filipino spirituality na di gaanong nabibigyan ng mabusising pansin ng karamihan. Kamakailan lamang, naging topic ito ng isang episode ng Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, isang kilalang GMA television show sa Pipininas. May pala-palagay na gumamit di-umano ng anting-anting …
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Some moments of joy and community to remember together!
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Rizal Center NYE 2025 · Wednesday, Dec 31, 2025
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Rizal Center Christmas Day 2025 · Thursday, Dec 25, 2025
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Rizal Center Thanksgiving Day 2025
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Stakeholders Meeting at RC · Saturday, Nov 22, 2025
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Game Night at Rizal Center · Saturday, Nov 22, 2025
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Volunteer Pathways by Myra Kalaw
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Meet our Volunteer Art Director – Taryn J. Annis Last month, the SINAG artists finished the mural on the east wall facing the parking lot, and I was so inspired that it got me thinking of asking another SINAG artist to paint a Filipino Christmas design on our vandalized front doors. But then I remembered – we already have artists …
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Hear from Christine Hoffmann as she shares her experience volunteering at the Rizal Center.
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Petunias na Nakalitaw sa Dumadaloy na Kaluluwang Sigla (Petunias Drifting in the Flow of Spiritual Life-Force Energy), Watercolor and Acrylic on Canvas by Peter Stewart Tobio Stover,
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Rizal Center Launches “Rizal Center CARES” to Support Filipino American Families Caring for Elders
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— Rizal Center is proud to announce the launch of Rizal Center CARES (Community-based Access to Resources for Elders & Supporters), a new flagship program designed to help Filipino American families care for aging loved ones at home. Filipino families deeply value caring for elders, yet many struggle to navigate complex systems like Medicare, Medicaid, and Illinois aging services. Rizal …
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Kusina ng Bayan Fundraising Update by Ryan Viloria
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Thanks to your generosity through donations, events, and raffles, we are excited to share that we have raised $13,950 toward our $65,000 goal to build Kusina ng Bayan, the Community's Kitchen! Reaching this important milestone means that we are ready to begin repairs on the kitchen ceiling this January. This is a major step that brings us …
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REIMAGINING THE RIZAL CENTER AMIDST THE FAST-CHANGING COMMUNITY
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The Rizal Center as our Home Away From Home is our House of Harmonious Transformation: A Story of Community Bayanihan In the heart of the Rizal Center, where Filipinos and Filipino Americans echo with the struggles of unemployment, lack of food, health disparities, stale cultural activities, lack of immigration and business resources, discrimination, disconnection, and other social issues, a quiet …
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Chicago Election Press Release
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Vote By Mail Applications Now Open for the March 17, 2026 Primary Election in Chicago CONTACT: Max Bever, mbever@chicagoelections.gov, 773.782.0971 (cell) Chicago voters may now apply to Vote By Mail for the March 17, 2026 Primary Election. Voters may use this online application to request a ballot for the upcoming election: https://chicagoelections.gov/elections/vote-by-mail/393 Voters can choose one Political Party ballot type: …
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Garet: Pinoys in Chicago
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What happens when dreams take you far from home? What unfolds when your dreams lead you far from the place you call home? “Garet: Pinoys in Chicago” captures the moving, funny, and deeply human experiences of Filipinos carving out a life abroad—grappling with identity, belonging, and the everyday fight to survive. Through vivid characters and honest stories, the full-length play …
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Meet & Play with Filipino School of Chicago (FSC)!
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Meet FSC teachers, students, and families! Learn about our upcoming programs and events, enjoy story and music time, and connect through play as we grow our bayanihan together. 🗓️ Date: Sunday, February 8
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📍 Location: Wonderplay3501 W. Belmont Ave.Chicago, IL 60618
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🎟️ Suggested Donation: $20 per child 🔗 Register: bit.ly/FSC_play
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Tagalog Winter Class Cancelled
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Owing to extreme cold temperatures and wind chills that can plunge to dangerous levels in Chicago, the Tagalog Class Winter Schedule originally set to begin on January 19, 2026 is cancelled. Many students who have signed up for the winter term have opted to wait for the Spring program on account of the ongoing cold snap, posing significant risks to …
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Through our Bayanihan (townspeople working together) spirit and collective will, we will transform Rizal Center into a truly welcoming and inclusive community center, our home away from home. Please click here to donate or scan the QR Code below.
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Interested in sharing your thoughts? Email info@rizalcenter.org for more details and to stay updated on class schedules, events, and other information!
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by contributors to the Bayanihan Newsletter are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official position or views of the Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago (FACGC).
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Copyright © 2025 Rizal Center. All rights reserved. You are receiving these emails to stay informed about Rizal Center.
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