ShareThisMarch 12, 2011 * Double Tree Hotel Oak Brook, IL
‘
Oak Brook, IL. PASS (Pilipino American Social Services) now known as the Pilipino American Social Services and Human Resources Center, honored on Saturday, March 12, 2011 ten (10) outstanding men and women with its first Golden Heart Awards for their humanitarian services. The award recipients were Judy C. Agno, Atty. Manny Aguja, George T. Boerema, Daisy A. Cajigal, Dr. Rogelio O. Cave, Don Kramer, Lourdes C. Livas, Dr. Pascual B. Sales, Roland Sinio and the surprised awardee, Max B. Norte.
Ms. Judy Caoili Agno, a Registered Nurse and current Director or Nursing and Administrator of United Home Health Care of Illinois, Inc. is well known for her generosity and kindness. She is not only generous with her time, talent and skills but she is just as generous with her financial resources, especially to humanitarian projects and social services such as the things PASS is doing. Judy Agno has opened her home to new nurses needing assistance establishing themselves in this unfamiliar place, helped set up other home health agencies and donated with a joyful heart to community organizations. A heart of gold is what best describes this lady and PASS is so right about conferring her this award.
Atty. Manny Aguja takes pride in having been raised in a Catholic home with deeply religious and highly educated parents who were very well respected and loved in their community. It was his upbringing by his mom, a school teacher, and his dad, the late Congressman Alberto Aguja of the 2nd district of Leyte, a lawyer who devoted his practice and political position to serving his constituents, especially the poor and powerless in life. Manny’s law practice picked up on the Christian example of his father. He has thus extended pro bono services to clients with no means to hire a lawyer but are in dire need of legal assistance. Manny’s active involvement in his church, the Transfiguration Catholic Church in north of Chicago, has helped the group with its fundraising projects that financed its missions in the Philippines.
George T. Boerema has been the guiding light in much of his wife Margie’s charity work, especially in Gawad Kalinga. Together, this couple has personally caused the building of 18 homes for the poorest of the poor in the Philippines, starting with what they called Boracay Chicago Village in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija. The Boeremas have worked as a tandem, funding 50 scholars in one year with the sale of their Corvette, feeding, gift giving, supporting churches and sponsoring medical missions. George (with Margie) has been to the Philippines 16 times.
Daisy Aguas Cajigal, a nurse by profession, is a silent giver and community volunteer whose good works and charity are known only to those she directly helps. She has donated consistently for more than 15 years now to Norma Manankil’s Food Project for Chicago’s handicapped children, helped out with building homes for the Philippines’ poorest of the poor through the Gawad Kalinga, contributed to the construction of Dr. Jose Rizal’s monument and worked with the leaders of the Philippine American Cultural Foundation in addition to spearheading humanitarian projects for Circulo Capamgangan when she was the club president. Daisy’s good heart has touched many other individual lives. Whether it’s driving a cancer patient to her chemotherapy session, buying groceries for children of a father in jail, making follow up visits to friends recently discharged from hospital confinement or providing temporary shelter for friends in need, her compassion overflows and resonates with the group she circulates with. A golden heart award simply caps the good that Daisy’s name has been known for.
Dr. Rogelio O. Cave is a recipient of various awards, whether it be for leadership, humanitarian service, professional service, etc. – you name it, Dr. Cave somehow has received it. This Golden Heart award from PASS is a recognition of his countless and invaluable services to people both here in the U.S. and in the Philippines. As president of the Filipino American Lions Club, FEU Medical Alumni Association of IL and the Philippine Medical Association of Chicago, Dr. Cave had been instrumental in the planning, distribution and donation of financial, medicinal, clothing and medical aid to different disaster victims in the Philippines and the U.S. As the PMAC Auxiliary Medical Foundation Chair, Dr. Cave and his group have donated to the victims of 9/11, hurricane Katrina, tsunami victims in Indonesia and the typhoon and flood victims in the Bicol Region, of Ondoy in Rizal province and building the Gawad Kalinga housing for the poor in the Philippines.
Don Kramer and his wife, Flor have been generously blessed that sharing a portion of their blessings has been a practice they find very fulfilling. PASS has been lucky to find a regular patron and donor in the Kramers whose financial support for the seniors has kept the programs of PASS going for many years. Don Kramer personifies a financially successful entrepreneur who has not forgotten his beginnings and is always willing to give back, especially to the seniors like his parents to whom he attributes the success of the children and which matter, deserve nothing but respect, love and caring from us.
Lourdes C. Livas, a successful business entrepreneur with flourishing real estate holdings, is also known for her numerous charity work and generous heart. It must have been her business degree and experience in banking and finance or simply her kindness and readiness to help people in need or give to a good cause that’s getting back divine favors. Though she doesn’t want to receive any more awards, Lourdes was prevailed upon by the leaders of PASS because they want to recognize her significant contributions and regular financial donations toward its office rent and more. Lourdes also thanks her husband, Dr. Bernardo Livas, without whose support, doing all the charity works she does would not have been possible. To name a few of the major recipients of her charity: Columbian Medical Mission to Catanduanes, Scholarships for Seminarians, Scholarship for Future Teachers in the Philippines, donations to the Lions International, NaFFAA, PACF, FACC, ANCOP Gawad Kalinga, Health Services for Seniors and many more.
Dr. Pascual B. Sales lives according to Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s mantra, “Only the life lived for others is a life truly worthwhile.” He goes on medical missions in the Philippines either with a group or by himself. Since 1990, Dr. Sales has been financing his medical missions in the towns of Bangui and Pagudpud, where his family’s roots were. He has done countless missions with the PMAC in the provinces of Cavite, Nueva Ecija, Negros Occidental, Cagayan, La Union, Iloilo and many more places. On January 16-20 this year, Dr. Sales chaired the FEUMAANI Medical-Surgical Mission to Ilocos Norte, one of his biggest medical missions ever with over 90 volunteer physicians, nurses, optometrists, dentists and other health care providers working together to give medical treatment and surgeries to thousands of poor patients who were fortunate to receive this kind of help from good-hearted Filipino Americans like Dr. Sales. PASS’s Golden Heart award for Dr. Sales is only the icing on his cake but he treasures the award because it came from an organization with a heart for the seniors.
Roland Sinio, founder and CEO of ACS Home Health Services (Affordable Caregiving Solutions), has only been new in the Filipino American community organizations but already, his reputation for giving precedes his name. A patron of PASS, he doesn’t mind donating to this organization because he has a soft spot for the senior citizens. He is also a member of two organizations, namely the Home Health Association and the Philippine Independence Week Committee. Roland’s generosity extends equally to all who he feels are legitimately involved in performing charity work and humanitarian missions.
Max B. Norte, special surprise Golden Heart award. Max insists on making it clear that he wouldn’t have agreed to receive this award had he known about it beforehand. Indeed it was a surprise award, initiated by his fellow movers and shakers in PASS, his bosom friend Dr. Virgilio Jonson being the strongest exponent. A very passionate leader, Max has been president of many organizations, among them, the Novo Ecijanos of the Midwest, Novo Ecijano Lions Club and the Chicago Lions Club, to name a few. He chaired successfully the Philippine Independence Week Celebration and was involved in a few medical missions to the Philippines. Max is a volunteer Executive Director of PASS and has been instrumental in getting generous donors and funding for their seniors programs. This 1st Golden Heart Awards is a brain child of Max Norte and one which he labored to launch successfully. Because he is directly involved in its inception and launching, he honestly didn’t want to be among the awardees. This is not to say though that he appreciates his colleagues’ token of gratitude for what he has done and has continued to do.
PASS is a 501c-3, non profit organization serving the senior sector of Chicago, with office at 1511 W. Irving Park Road. It is open Monday to Saturday from 10 A.M. to 3 P.M. Founded by a group of concerned leaders like Dr. Virgilio Jonson and Max Norte, PASS provides free lunch, physical exercise, health clinic and recreational activities for some 1000 seniors monthly. It is a host agency of the Illinois Department of Human Services emergency food assistance program which distributes free food to qualified families Monday to Friday. Also, as a contract site provider, it is approved by CEDA to process low income and home energy program to qualified households. PASS provides the following services: Emergency food assistance, Health awareness programs, Nutrition and counseling, Job networking assistance, legal aid assistance, Recreation and cultural arts, Referral assistance with other agencies and assistance in public aid and housing applications.
Parties or individuals interested in donating services or money to PASS can contact the office at (773) 296-4532.