Jose Rizal, national hero of the Philippines, to be honored at Dec. 27 dinner in Cherry Hill, NJ
Filipino American Association of Philadelphia event attracts attendees from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, endorsed by Philippine American Heritage Council
(KalayaanNEWS Dispatch) The national hero and liberator of the Republic of the Philippines, Jose Rizal, will be honored on Sunday, December 27, 2015 on the occasion of the 118th year anniversary of his Martyrdom at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey by the Filipino-American Association of Philadelphia, Inc. of Media, Pennsylvania. The event will also feature the Coronation of “Miss Maria Clara 2016, Ckysha Martella Magno-Dizon, with tickets available at the gate for $65 per person, or $30 per child 12 years old and under. The event has been endorsed and is being supported by the Philippine American Heritage Council, which is sending a delegation from central Pennsylvania to attend the event which includes Amalia “Alma’ Gohn, Valerie Shutt and Emy Delgaudio among others.
The Filipino American Association of Philadelphia, Inc., is a tax-exempt, not for profit organization, and their annual Rizal Dinner Gala is one more example of an event where various Filipino-American organizations gather together for fellowship and association and to celebrate common interests. The Event will be from 1 PM to 6 PM at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 2349 West Marlton Pike, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002 (Phone 856-665-6666). There will also be a souvenir journal for attendees. Leaders of FAAP include Christopher M. Rivera, Noreen Delfin, Mela Chatto, Mona Dizon.
FAAPI has crowned 38 Miss Maria Clara award winners, recognizing the winner based on three major criteria: community service, achievement and talent. The website of the organization is HERE.
Members of other organizations (which does not necessarily imply endorsement of this function) who will be attending this Rizal dinner gala include Ed and Fe Garcia of BarangayFriends N Family, which sent their dance troupe to perform at the 4th annual Heritage Picnic of Philippine American Heritage Council this past August and which then received the KalayaanUSA Cultral Ensemble sponsored by PAHC at their December Christmas gala.
Leonard (Jon) and Elomar (Jan) Siennick, members of Philippine American Association of Central PA plan to attend. Jan is also a founding member of the KalayaanUSA Cultural Ensemble.
Leaders of the Philippine American Heritage Council attending the event are active in a variety of other civic and community events. Alma Gohn, the owner of the Amalia Beauty Boutique in Red Lion, PA, has been a sponsor of the 4th annual Heritage Picnic of Philippine American Heritage Council and plans to sponsor the 5th one in August, 2016. She is also the founder of the annual “Follow the Dream Beauty Pageant” and attends a variety of Filipino-American events within several hours drive distance of her Red Lion base.
Valerie Shutt, a former member of Philippine American Association of Central PA who helped choreograph their dance troupe, now leads the KalayaanUSA Cultural Ensemble, which recently announced that new classes are now forming for those interested in learning one or more Filipino cultural dances performed to traditional music. The troupe has performed at three events in the past month (write RSVP@KalayaanUSA.org).
Emy Delgaudio is Chairman and co-founder of the Philippine American Heritage Council, which has a national (and even international) following, with members in central Pennsylvania. The Council is a project of a national non-profit organization recognized by the IRS as a 501/c/4 non-profit for the past 25 years.