ShareThis2013: A New Beginning
By Yoly T. Tubalinal
A saying goes, “Life begins at forty.” If fifty is the new forty, then sixty is the new fifty. Following this line of thinking then, life for retirees has only just begun! I’d like to think, it is, too, for Leticia Birao Freihaut, whose work as a Chicago Public School teacher at George Armstrong School of International Studies has come to a full stop just recently. Having thus retired, Leticia must now be looking at a leisurely life, a time away with her husband Bart in a familiar island with its serene beaches and fresh air, where time stands still and people cast their cares and worries to the wind.
But Leticia is not your typical retiree. She is, after all, a woman of varied interests and active lifestyle. Even when she was still teaching, Leticia always found time to fulfill her commitments to the community, volunteering even, as a teacher at the Paaralang Pilipino in Glendale Heights, IL, chairing fundraisings and helping in any way she can.
Leticia has taken a proactive role in the Filipino American community of Chicago. She was a former president of the Chicago Manila Lions Club and also a president for two years of the Filipino International Couples Society. She was also president for two years of The Chicago Filipino American Lions Club – District 1-A where she is also a Lion Cabinet Member of the District 1-A in Chicago, Illinois. As a dedicated Lion, she received the Lions Melvin Jones Award (highest award given by Lions International) and the Lions Foundation Fellow Award.
Leticia’s charm, volunteerism and contributions to the community didn’t go unnoticed. She was recognized and honored by many organizations, among them: the Philippine Independence Week Committee, which also crowned her as Mrs. Chicago Philippine Independence in 2004. She was honored by the Rhoton Foundation in 2005 as one of the Most Outstanding Ladies of the Midwest.
In 2006, she was chosen as one of the Calendar Moms by the Pilipino American Senior Services (PASS) in a fundraising benefit dinner dance for Chicago’s seniors. In 2008, she was inducted to the Asian American Hall of Fame in Community Services by the Fil-Am TV in Chicago. In the same year, she was honored and crowned as the first Mrs. Philippines Mother Earth by the Alliance of Filipino Americans, Inc. (AFAI). The following year, she and her husband Bart Freihaut were honored as one of The Most Outstanding Couples by the Chicago Filipino American Lions Club. She is also the recipient of the 2009-2010 Most Outstanding Mom Award by the Philippine American Cultural Foundation (PACF). In 2010, Leticia received the Prism Award for Women of Style & Achievements from The Gintong Pamana Awards Foundation, Inc. On October 6, 2012, Leticia was crowned Mrs. FAASD 2012-2014 by the Filipino American Association of South DuPage.
For Leticia, the year 2013 offers unlimited possibilities. With more time in her hands, she and Bart, her husband of 40 years, can visit the Philippines more frequently. Bart, after all, really enjoys Cebu’s Toledo City, where her father, Atty. Vicente Birao was once a mayor. With all their three children – identical twins Lorraine and Beverly and son Christopher, married and on their own, Leticia and Bart can pick up and leave on a whim. Leticia and Bart are happy to have been blessed with four beautiful grandchildren – Onyx Emilio Freihaut, Brian F. Covey, Julia F. Covey and Lance Vicente Tyson – all of whom make their holidays, especially Christmases merry and bright.