The Year of the Horse and IL-PRO 2014

By: Maria Girlie Pascual

 

2013 proved to be a year of hope and recovery, at least from my end. Home sales picked up quite a bit so I was busy all year, a big contrast from the last five years in general. I have been a full time, licensed Realtor since 1986, and a licensed Broker since 1998, so I am a veteran in the industry and have seen its high’s and low’s in the last 28 years. Hopefully, the upward trend continues, and if the “experts” are to be believed, it will. So stop procrastinating, and call me to get pre-qualified for a mortgage and soon, you can be in your upgraded trade-up, or enjoying your first home. There’s nothing like the feeling of first-time home ownership, or relishing that sense of achievement when you move into your dream place and neighborhood. I am but a phone call away, and with my knowledge and experience, I may be able to help you achieve your real estate goals for 2014. With that in mind, let us all look forward to enjoy the benefits of 2014’s Chinese Lunar Calendar’s Year of the Horse which starts this January 31st until February 18, 2015. Although a “wild ride” is not part of the prediction, I am hoping that our “Illinois Philippine Recovery Operation” or IL-PRO 2014 will bring out a lot of you to join us at the Copernicus Center on Lawrence Avenue and Milwaukee for an indoor fiesta on Saturday, January 25th, which we hope will help fund rebuilding Haiyan devastated regions still in Tacloban, Samar and Palawan. Remember, these areas are starting from ground zero, and are still asking for help for getting back their communities and homes. This event is a joint collaboration by the Sama-Sama Project with the “Mahals” Lou and Baron Cabalona, the Philippine American Cultural Foundation (PACF) with Adeline Fajardo, Ruben and Merle Salazar, and yours truly, something that we pledged to do before we left for Manila for the “Mahals” wedding in Boracay this February. This way, the funds can be personally delivered at our own expense and with our own personal assurances that the money will make its way directly to the needy and the said areas. There will be a medical mission spearheaded by Dr. Ariel Tolentino of The Fairmont Care Center in Chicago where a team of doctors and nurses will travel to Tacloban, Leyte on February 25 and to Paluan, Mindoro Occidental on March 2nd with donated medical supplies. Along with the medical team, Baron and Lou Cabalona and James Delacruz will be there, along with PACF officers and members. Funds for travel are all coming from the volunteer themselves, not from the funds that we will be raising, just to let everyone know publicly. This will also include that group’s travel to Coron, Palawan, to meet the actual families that will be recipients of the donations. This way, transparency will be the norm and accountability for these funds will be available to concerned parties. The “fiesta” set-up will feature on stage local musicians and performers with Sama-Sama Project as its headliner. There will be local food vendors, artisans and other sponsors that will add to the experience on that day and let participants feel the Filipino sense of conviviality, hospitality, and our all-around talents and flair that make up our collective persona..those positive and uplifting traits that others have come to see in us as a people. To showcase that energy for a good cause will be a great kick-off to everyone’s calendar and allow positive influences to enter the month of January for all of us. With the help of our many local musicians and volunteers, and with gratitude to the Copernicus Center for offering their place at zero cost, it truly is an auspicious start to our Year of the Horse and the victims of Haiyan as well. We hope to see you there January 25 at 5:30pm, and bring your sense of fun, charity, and most of all pride, for coming in to help with this cause. And, on that note…let us remember the fun we had celebrating the holidays, but let’s not forget that rebuilding what was destroyed takes time and resources, so let’s pitch in and see how we all can help! For tickets and information, please call, text or email me directly at (847) 912-3997, or contact me at maria.pascual@bairdwarner.com. The Copernicus Center’s address is 5216 W. Lawrence Avenue in Chicago. There will be booths for vendors, sponsors and volunteers, and hopefully, the true spirit of “Bayanihan” will guide us all in doing the right thing. What a great way to begin 2014!

New Year’s Eve party held at the home of Dan Gawat and Thom Bierbrodt in Lake Forest. Guests happily posing, standing, from left, Don Kramer, Veronica, James DCm Karla, Rowena, Dan Gawat & Joe Mauricio. Seating, from left: Flor Kramer, Thom Bierbrodt, Girlie & Chris Goudsmit.

 

 

 

HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014!