Phoebe Zerrudo-Doruelo President, Chicago Nightingales

By: Ryan Tejero

Chicago Nightingales (CN) was launched in 2013 as a 501 (C)(3) organization. Its founders organized it as a voluntary, impartial, neutral and independent humanitarian organization with a mission to promote health and wellness in the community, and provide assistance to communities that are stricken with disasters or calamities locally, and in third world countries, primarily, the Philippines. CN’s goals include: to sponsor educational programs in the community that promotes healthy lifestyle and prevention of illness; to provide free and convenient access to a health professional that helps address basic health questions and concerns, and to provide valuable aid, goods, and services to communities afflicted by calamities or disasters locally and in the Philippines.

Anybody in the healthcare field, including those who are not, but believes in the advocacy of the organization can sign up for CN membership. An active member of Chicago Nightingales enjoys a variety of perks and opportunities to volunteer their gift of time and resources. Here’s what you can get on being a CN member: Give Something Back to the Community – the desire to contribute to the society drives your commitment to volunteer work; Bring about Social Change– the satisfaction from knowing that you have contributed in your own little way to bring about positive changes; Personal Growth – personal growth that comes from discovering new skills and capabilities by working with people who are equally- driven and motivated; Achievement and Recognition – knowing that you have made a difference, gives a sense of achievement and self-fulfillment which bring about the best in you, and Friendship and Belongingness– being in the company of people who shares the same passion and makes volunteer work fun and rewarding and makes everyone feels a sense of “belong-ness.”

Although new to the Filipino American community, CN has proven its commitment to serve. Since its inception in 2013, CN has adopted three communities in the Philippines located in Iloilo, Cebu, and Antique. CN’s beneficiaries were victims of Typhoon Haiyan in these areas. For a short period of time, CN members has raised funds through their caroling activities during Christmas. A total of $800 was donated to each of the community, with additional of two balikbayan boxes containing non-perishable food items. Here in the Chicagoland, CN members have volunteered, as a group, to the Feed My Starving Children, a non-profit organization, in Schaumburg and Aurora areas, and at the Chicago Food Depository. Over the past three summers, CN has held its annual picnic, which is mostly organized to further strengthen its member engagement, and promotion of health and wellness, through health education and health assessments. In 2014, CN organized its first all-Filipino “Chicago Nightingale’s Got Talent” competition. In 2015, they staged a successful “Kultura Filipiniana.”

Currently leading Chicago Nightingales is Phoebe Zerrudo- Doruelo. She hails from Cabanatuan, Iloilo in the Philippines, but she grew up in Manila. She completed her elementary and high school education from Sta. Isabel College (Manila). In 1977, she graduated from San Juan de Dios College for her bachelor’s degree in Nursing. In 1996, she finished her Master in Public Health from Benedictine University. In the same year, she also earned her Managed Care Program.

Prior to coming to the US, Phoebe was employed at the following organizations in the Philippines: Researcher at the Philippine International Medical Statistics, and as a staff nurse in the Pulmonary ICU and CCU at the Veterans Medical Center. While working at the VA, Phoebe gained an opportunity to get trained at the Philippine Heart Center of Asia along with other nurses all around Asia.

In 1979, Phoebe migrated to the United States. She worked in various hospitals as a nurse, including: Passaic General Hospital in New Jersey at the Telemetry Unit; Oak Park Hospital, Director of ICU and Telemetry; Central DuPage Hospital, Cardiovascular Educator of CCU. She was also employed by Edward Hines Medical Center as Nurse Manager of the Spinal Cord Injury and Disorder. She later became a member of the Geriatric Consult Team at Edward Hines.

Phoebe excels in her nursing field. She received an award from the Philippine Heart Center of Asia for Critical Care in recognition of her service excellence to Veterans; Nursing Management Award for excellence in Subacute Rehabilitation from the Philippine Nurses Association of Illinois. She became part of a research study of MRSA Education in spinal cord, which was nationally published. Phoebe is married to Sonny; they both have a son – Lawrence.

Chicago Nightingales has a lot of ongoing initiatives that are posted in their website: cnnfp.org. You may also contact Phoebe at doruelosp@comcast.net for membership.

Chicago Nightingales’ President Phoebe Zerrudo-Doruelo, with VT columnist-writer Ryan Tejero during the CN’s Induction Ceremony held in Drury Lane on April 18. 2016.