Notebook

By: Elsie Sy-Niebar

 

*God bless the Donors of ‘Jesus Boat’ *White House brings Working Families issue to Chicago

*Gov Quinn speaks at meetings re Dream Fund; Republican opponent

*Feel the mythical magic of Love: watch “White Snake” now showing at the Goodman Theater thru June 1

*Celebrate Asian American Heritage Month: Watch ‘My Asian Mom’ at the Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave.

*Watch ‘Philippine Independence Day’ segment, June 7, over ABCTV Ch 7 *And don’t forget ‘Taste of Chicago’ July 9- 13

In the Holy Bible, the Fishermen were important Ordinary People in the Life and Times of Jesus and His Ministry. Fishermen have to develop attributes that even kings and emperors do not have. They have to develop special skills in their fishing trade – to be humble, hardworking and patient, to be strong to handle failure, to be not easily discouraged, to love their fellowmen and be community-oriented. The endresult of all these are found in the following scriptures: “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away” (Matthew 13:47-48). Summing it up, the most important Message Jesus wants the Fishermen to understand is found in Mark 1:16 which says: “As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you FISHERS OF MEN’. At once they left their nets and followed him”. Simply put: WE are all FISHERMEN and FISHERWOMEN. God wants us to “Fish” for Believers in Him. The most touching appeal I got after Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines last October 2013, was from my nephew, Russel, father of two small children plus one on the way. He and his young family live in a small fishing village in Samar. His small, old fishing boat and nipa hut by the shore were powdered by Haiyan. When I got his appeal, he and his family, together with his fellow barrio folks, were housed in a makeshift shelter; their food rationed by the social workers. Russel’s important appeal was little money to buy RICE. Like most of the village folks, he had NOTHING to feed his family. His old “baroto” or fishing banca, his only means of livelihood, was destroyed beyond repair! Was it Confucius who said: “Give a man a fish, he will have fish for a day. Teach him how to fish, he will have fish for life”? Then, I heard this voice: “Your nephew has been fishing for life. What he needs now is the means to go on fishing.” Like a miracle, I became a “Fisher of kind-hearted men and women” to help me help me help my poor nephew. Using my late husbamd’s Dennis J. Niebar Memorial Charitable Fund (DJNMCF), I sent an appeal to few friends, titled “Pennies from Heaven.” I made a heartfelt appeal “on bended knees” so to speak, to raise funds to buy a new small fishing boat for Russell so he can feed his family. Any dimes and pennies will be heartily appreciated. Having a huge FAITH in the kindness of friends to “help me help my nephew,” I told Russell via my brother in Manila to canvass in his village – the price in pesos of a small boat he needs. His village is unreachable by phone or cellphones. He has to take an hour bus-ride to town to reach civilization! Boat-making is a business in their fishing village. To make this Journey of Kindness short – God answered prayers… In less than a month, donations came pouring in amounting to $1600, enough to buy a small boat. I sent the donations to my brother Roselo, in Manila, telling him to handle the money like a Sacred Cross. I told him to go to Samar and oversee the buying of the boat—complete with receipts and photos I can show to all the kind donors in Chicago. (See few photos here). I told my brother to tell Russell that his “Jesus Boat” is a Gift from God through my kindhearted friends in Chicago. Never did I know that the amount could buy a larger fishing boat complete with a motor and a huge fishing net. Shy and quiet as he is, Russell could hardly express his HUGE THANKS,. Here’s an excerpt from his “Thank You” letter: “Dear Tita Elsie, hindi ko po talagang akalain sa buong buhay ko na ako ay magkakaroon ng aking sariling pumpboat. Pakisabi na lang po sa iyong mga maawaing kaibigan sa Chicago ang aking malaki at buong-pusong pagpasasalamat sa kanilang malaking tulong sa aking pamilya habang buhay. Ipinagdadasal po naming sila at ikaw sa ating Mahal na Panginoon. Maraming, maraming salamat po, Tita sa maraming tulong mo sa ating pamilya. Ang inyong pamangkin na nagmamahal, Russel (Dear Aunt Elsie, All my life, I could never believe it, that I can own my pumpboat. Please tell your very kind friends in Chicago that I am sending them my heartfelt THANK YOU for their kindness to my family which we will treasure for the rest of our lives. They are and you are in our prayers, Tita. Thank you for your continued help to our family. May the good Lord continue to bless you and our kind friends. Your nephew, with love, Russel”. My heatfelt Thank You to the following kind-hearted friends who donated the “Jesus Boat” fund to Russel and his young family, namely: Dr. and Mrs. Eusebio Kho (Grace); Dr. Bart and Leticia Friehaut; Dr. and Mrs. Bernardo Livas (Lourdes); Mr. and Mrs. Nestor Castillo (Elsa); Ms. Judy Agno; Drs. Manny and Remy Escalona; Drs. Nunilo and Elenita Rubio; Dr. and Mrs. Alfredo Sy (Gilda); Mr. & Mrs. Conrad (Norma) Manankil; Ms. Carlota Domantay; Mrs. Marilee Odiamar Racho; Mr. and Mrs. Don Azarias (Jo); Ms. Thelma Fuentes; Totoy Fernandez, and Julie Chavez. Kindness is a God-given Gift. Thank you, dear Friends for being a Blessing to someone in need. May the good Lord continue to Bless you, Seventytimes- Seven as the Bible says. *** Grateful thanks to WLSABCTV Ch 7 in Chicago for accommodating our cultural segment –again this year — to celebrate our 116th PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE DAY! The segment will be shown on Saturday, June 7, at 8 a.m., hosted by Stacey Baca, who takes pride on her 25% Filipino heritage. And, of course, to Astrid Grieve Spencer, the producer, for her patience due to the changes, like the copyright restrictions in music, we can no longer present a Philippine folkdance. We will instead feature few pieces of our Philippine National gowns with “Mrs. Philippines PIWC” 2014 Yoly Zoleta as the finale. What is important is the pride and Joy from a 3-4-minute show of our Philippine culture shared through a national television like ABCTV Ch 7. All for the Love for our Nativeland, the Philippines! *** Thanks to Irene Cualoping of ENERI Communications for the invitation to the PRESS PREVIEW of the “White Snake” shown at the Goodman Theater in downtown Chicgo, from May 3-June 8. Directed by Mary Zimmerman, “White Snake” is a Chinese legend about an immortal but lonely snake who finds love with a human being. Choreographed with puppets and live music that wakes up our Asian soul in a dream-like setting, “White Snake” is one beautiful and lively theater show to watch… a “jewel to the Goodman Theater this summer season.”To purchase tickets, please go to goodmantheatre.org, USE ENERI CODE8 for 50% SPECIAL DISCOUNT May 3 – 11, 2014.) *** WHITE HOUSE HOSTED A FORUM IN CHICAGO: In preparation for the June 23 National Summit meeting in Washington, D.C., on Working Families, the Dept. of Labor held a successful Chicago Region forum last April 28, at the Metcalf Building downtown, featuring Valerie Jarrett, chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls; Tina Tchen, executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls; Neera Tanden, President of the Center for American Progress; and Latifa Lyles, director, Women’s Bureau, US Department of Labor. Government officials who spoke were Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel; Sen. Dick Durbin and IL US Representative Jan Schakowsky; and Cristal Thomas, deputy IL Governor These regional forum discussions focused on the important role in informing the national Summit on June 23 in Washington, D.C., which will build momentum around key policy goals and best practices to help both workers and businesses to succeed. Interested persons to attend can register for the upcoming regional forums at www.dol.gov/wb/workingfamilies. *** DON’T MISS OUT “My Asian Mom” 2014 Playing through June 1st , at the Chicago Dramatists, 1105 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Donation $20/person. Get your ticketst http://myasianmom2014.brownpaper tickets.com/ To celebrate Asian- Pacific American Heritage Month and Mother’s Day, A-Squared Theatre Workshop is pleased to present My Asian Mom 2014, the third installment of its signature show which examines motherhood and family in the context of Asian America’s varied cultures. This year’s production features eight NEW 10-minute plays garnered from submissions by writers from across the country. For more info, visit www.a-stw.org. The Cast: Samantha Garcia, Alexandra Gonzalez, Hope Kim, Ramona Kywe, Ginger Leopoldo, George Infantado, Victoria M. Ng, Pearl Paramadilok, Tea Ro, and Norman Yap. Writers: Celena Cipriaso, Seth Freeman, Julia Izumi, Christine Toy Johnson, Rex McGregor, Timothy Moore, Kristine M. Reyes, and Norman Yap. Directors: Kareem Khubchandani, Jin Kim, Marc Rita, Cary Shoda, Giau Truong, Alex Wu, and Joe Yau. GOV. PAT QUINN PUSHES HARD ON THE DREAM FUND FOR UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS: Gov Pat Quin was keynote speaker at the Dream Fund gathering, to raise private scholarship fund for undocumented students he created in 2011 when Governor Quinn signed the Illinois Dream Act. The Governor spoke to a crowd of about 100 people on the importance of educational opportunities for undocumented students. He wants to make Illinois the most immigrant-friendly State by supporting the IL Dream Act; The Temporary Visitor Drivers License bill, the formation of a program with the Illinois Finance Authority to provide loans to undocumented medical students at Loyola Medical School. He made the very first contribution to the Dream Fund when he signed the IL Dream Act in 201. He also made a personal contributions at the event that night. Theresa Mah, Ph.D., Gov Quinn’s Senior Policy Advisor & Director of Asian American Outreach, said:“I want to inform the Asian American media that the undocumented population in Illinois consists of over 500,000 people and almost 10% of them are Asian immigrants. In the suburban Chicago area, the Asian undocumented population is 12% and downstate it is 20% of the total undocumented population. I would like to encourage our community to dispel the myth that only Latinos make up the undocumented population; the more we hold on to that myth, the harder it is to let our community know that there are resources available to them. The Dream Fund scholarships are available to any undocumented college students which include Asian American undocumented students.” Prominent Asian Americans who participated in the fundraising with Governor Quinn, are Host Committee, Ray Padilla, a Filipino American, who was recently been appointed to serve as a member of the Illinois Dream Fund Commission; David Namkung, a Korean American, managing Partner of Clarity Partners, made a generous donation as a Gold Sponsor of this event, and Dr. Tariq Butt, from the Pakistani community. GET READY FOR THE TASTE OF CHICAGO: JULY 9-13: BUD LIGHT STAGE Line Up announced Free showcase of a variety of local rising stars and established musicians in Grant Park. The FREE admission stage will be located at the south end of Taste of Chicago at Columbus and Balbo during the five-day festival. Taste of Chicago is presented by the Department of Cultural Affairs and a host of business sponsors. For more information on the FREE admission festival, call 312.744.3316 or visit tasteofchicago. us. To plan your trip to Chicago, visit choosechicago.com. Join the conversation on Facebook at Taste of Chicago and follow on Twitter, @TasteofChi2014 (#TasteofChi). At last, the long Winter is over. My tulips start coming out this morning.#####

Gov. Pat Quin poses with the three student recipients of the Dream
Fund scholarship, they are: Yushra Sarhan from Jordan; the Governor;
Erima Samake, West Africa; and Francisco Rafael Peralta, from
Mexico.

Second picture shows the governor with one of more active members of
the Pakistani Community, Kamran Khan and his sons Ali Khan and Mo
Khan, who is a candidate for state representative in the 20th district.

What contributed to the success
of the recent “Humanitarian
Golden Heart Awards” of the
Pilipino American Social
Services” fundraiser was how
Girlie Pascual, CPRTV Anchor
Lady, handled the job of a Master
of Ceremonies. She did her best to
outdo the otherwise loud talking
by adlibing to cut down the
monotony of the atmosphere.
Great Job, Girl! Happy as a bee is
her Irog, James, “LOL” host of
CPRTV every Sunday.

(Left photo) Recipients of “Jesus Boat”donated by charitable Chicagoans and Dr. Seb Kho from Indiana —
my nephew Russel, his pregnant wife, and two children. Their means of livelihood for a lifetime.; (Right photos)
Russel, painting his boat (half shown) to save money to buy a bigger fishing net; The motor to run the
boat and the fishing net.

Ms. Valerie Jarrett, Senior Adviser to President Barack Obama, with
Notebook columnist Elsie Sy-Niebar, after briefly reminiscing Ms.
Jarrett’s stint as senior adviser to former Chicago Mayor Richard M.
Daley

 

My Sis-Friend, Ella Basilio, 4th from left, the most hardworking
NAFFFA officer on the CEW event, poses with
some of her guests, from left; Vel Guffey; P. Emraida
Kiram, NAFFA vice chair; Ella, and Alma Reed. Thanks,
Sis, for inviting me, Elsie. (ESNphoto)

Speakers at the White House Chicago Region Forum re Working Families, held last April 28 at the Metcalfe Building, from left: Sen. Richard Durbin; Illinois Deputy Governor Cristal Thomas; US Congresswoman Jan Schkowsky; and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.