Acceptance Speech Dec. 1 2007

Good Evening to Everyone!

First of all --- Let us truly give thanks to our Almighty God for another wonderful and fruitful event such as tonight. This event has become a family tradition for the past 16 years, since WMFAA was founded in 1991 and until it became a formal Filipino-American organization in 1993.

I'm sure most of you know me --- and I would not be here tonight for any reason without you.   For this, I would like to personally thank each and everyone of you for continuously believing in WMFAA, as well as believing in us to serve you.

This is not my first time as President of WMFAA.   I also had the opportunity to lead and serve WMFAA for 6 years, from 1991 - 1997.   And again, given the same opportunity, my term as President of WMFAA will start January 1, 2008.

You probably haven't seen me around WMFAA in the last few years, but this doesn't mean I have forgotten our association that easy.  I have been busy raising my family of 4 children with my current husband, Sonny Wright (as many of you know that I became a widow in 1996 when my husband Jose Sasota died in a car accident).   I have been blessed with Sonny to come into our life --- my husband and best friend --- who had taken and nurtured my children as his own and help me raise them into adulthood:

--- My oldest is --- Vic - who is enlisted in the U.S. Army who came back from Iraq and currently in station at Fort Polk, Louisiana
--- My 2nd one is Dale --- taking his Master's Degree in Psychology from Ohio State University
--- My 3rd is Picket --- graduated this year from University of Michigan with Cellular Molecular Biology degree and is currently working in one of the pharmaceutical companies in New Jersey
--- the youngest one Jocy, who just celebrated her 18th Birthday --- will be graduating from East Kentwood High School this year, and hoping to become a Nurse someday.

How can I forget WMFAA all these years?  My family arrived in Grand Rapids in 1987, and we did not know anybody.  Life was miserable and lonely, leaving your roots: friends and family behind, especially with the kids.  Little by little, I have met a few kababayan here and there, and for a while we thought of forming an organization --- to dedicate in maintaining, preserving, cultivating Filipino culture and heritage, and helping others to share the same goals.  WMFAA will continue to advocate the existence of Filipino-American community in West Michigan, and will serve to instill strong determination for unity and strive for self-sufficiency.

GOD is good. GOD knows what is in my heart and knows what my intentions are in running for this office and made me the person elected to this position. Thank you LORD.  THANK YOU to all of you who voted for me.

My opponent Mr. Alvin Alves earned my respect the day he gave me a call after the announcement of the election winners and congratulated me for being elected and expressed his support to this organization. He accepted his defeat graciously. Thanks Alvin.

Bato Bato sa Langit and tamaan huwag magagalit. I was happy and excited when I received the call from Faith (WMFAA incumbent President) congratulating me and saying I won the election. After the news sunk in to me, my joy and excitement faded and was replaced with worries.  Oh, oh, what if there will be another organization that will spring out from those persons who lost in the election? Oh boy, Oh boy. I was relieved after Alvin and I had a little chat over the phone and I think he will not form another group of his own, right Alvin?

Serving as the President of WMFAA is a joyous task and at the same time accompanied with headaches.  It is not easy to serve the Filipino community.  Anybody who has been in these shoes can testify.  You will meet a lot of challenges.   In this token of experiences I just had, I challenge all the Board of Directors elected to let us know the reason why they run for the office, their ideas on how to improve the WMFAA, and how they are going to make their ideas to work.  Ideas without solution are just opinions and therefore will not be accepted.  We need to discipline ourselves that facts stated without solutions will be taken as opinions and therefore will not work.

I was able to do the task then and I should be able to do it again.  Please let it be known that I could not have done my job alone, the job was done with the support of the following members/friends. Please let me introduce the following members who were behind my success then.  These are the very first set of officers and volunteers. Lily Wilmer was the Secretary, Connie Franklin as the Treasurer, Beth Franklin as the Auditor, Neng Walters and Marlene Jordan as the volunteers then. Remi Kuklewski came on board and functions as the Editor In chief of our newsletter.  To all of you, thank you very much.

After that there are a lot more support that pour in, another sets of officers came in and the works continue on until I step down to give others a chance to run this growing organization.

If I was able to do it then, I should be able to do it again with the help of new set of officers plus the untiring support of the members of this organization.  I am counting for all of your support if you want us to move and be visible in our community in the next years to come.

Thank you and may GOD bless us all!