Photo: PHCG Donato & Ms. Jane Rolen
GRATITUDE AND GIVING BACK (Speech at "An Evening of Gratitude" held last Dec. 4, 2009)
by Jane Rolen
"I want to start off by saying thank you to all our volunteers who did an enormous amount of job for the last year; to Honorary Consul General Ray Donato for the support he continues to give the Philippine community and for the icon that he is; to all the community leaders (Wilie Blanco, Marilyn Doromal, Didi O’Connor, Mae Pascual, etc) for your leadership and dedication and support to our heritage and culture, to our children--- who display an unsatiable desire to learn and keep the Philippine culture and values---you make us proud. A special thanks to my friend, Toni Daya-Luetgers, whom I refer to as the “glue that keeps the Filipino community together.” You are an inspiration for the community. For all the things that you do, thank you, thank you, thank you.
We need to thank God, our Creator, our Father --- who looks after us and despite all the tragedies in our homeland, he opens other doors for us….there is hope for us, and for our country, yet. Yes, at times it is too difficult to move on, but remember “the man who complained he had no shoes, until he met a guy who had no feet……..”
Indeed inspite of all the tragedies, the typhoons, the foreclosures, the economy, there is a lot to be thankful for…. Our health, our jobs, our friends, our families, and specially the gift of life.
My point to all this is……. we can only say thank you properly, if we give back what is given to us…. I say that because, “to whom much is given, much is expected……” I firmly believe, the more you give of yourself, the more blessings come around, especially when you are doing good deeds without expecting anything in return. Or am I the only one here who notices that when you help out with all your heart, it comes back twofold??…..
So how can we give back to our Creator, to our community, to our fellow human beings? Well, I can suggest a few things…
First I want to raise the awareness of the importance of volunteer service and to celebrate the legion of volunteers like you, who contribute personal time, skills, and resources to help others here at home and abroad.
Whether you help families rebuild their lives after a disaster, deliver meals to homebound elderly citizens, assist clients at temporary shelters, mentor youth, build homes or schools, plant trees to sustain our environment, or work tirelessly to eradicate poverty and inhumane conditions, you do more than offer service: You offer hope to those you help and restore our faith in the simple goodness of humankind. Your work and devotion is commendable. Much work has been done. And then, there is still work left to do.
Formidable national challenges such as food insecurity, illiteracy, and homelessness, and global challenges such as global warming, inadequate education, the spread of preventable diseases, and the lack of clean, drinking water, all sound a clarion call for action. Gender inequality, human trafficking, domestic violence, the rise in premature births, hate crimes and incivility are among a host of additional significant issues as well.
One can ask, why somebody doesn't do something about that, but we don't realize that we might be that somebody. What are we doing to help others?
We all have unique talents that we can offer to help preserve our communities and shape the future of our world environment. And the issues mentioned above are summoning us to service.
Now, I know that not everyone of us can volunteer time, resources and talents because of the demands of our everyday life. However, I still believe that in our own simple little way, we can make a difference.
I’ll give myself as an example. Many of you know that time is a resource that I don’t have the luxury of, no matter how much desire I want to get involved. No matter how brilliantly I thought I have scheduled my commitments, I always don’t have enough of this resource. So, I do what I can with what time I have. One of causes I made commitments to is the Combined Federal Campaign. I was so lucky enough to be appointed as the Division Chairperson for the Metro Atlanta Combined Federal Campaign – the only fundraising allowed by law in federal government. In that capacity, I was able to encourage a few non-profits to apply and be accepted as one of the registered CFC non-profits organizations thereby, they can accept donations from the CFC. During the campaign, these non-profits, get a chance to introduce themselves and their work to federal employees, who in turn make pledges for donations to these organizations. So, in aside, to my fellow Filipino federal employees, the next time you make a pledge to CFC, please consider giving to “Galing Foundation”, “Gawad Kalinga” “CPACS” and many other Filipino non—profits listed in the CFC book.
I am a consultant to the Filipino Associations, I spend three to 4 hours a month teaching Tagalog and Ilocano to youngsters. I choreograph Philippine dances for yearly cultural shows. I know this isn’t much, but the idea is sharing what I have. God gave me mouth to speak, I might as well use it to teach. God gave me the ability to move, I might as well use it to dance and teach our young ones to dance our beloved native dances.
Many of you are more talented and skilled than I am. I therefore challenge you to do something for even just one person this coming year…. take a child under your wing to mentor--- or read to an elderly person in a nursing home…. Just do something. Volunteer at a nursing home or local hospital to either distribute lunch or sit with a patient. I guarantee you --- the feeling of having done something good for our fellow human being is much more fulfilling than any performance award you can receive at work. I know --- I’ve been there.
Let us then assess what we have to offer and then make a plan, and follow through, on how we will help others through regular, ongoing acts of volunteer service. Let's volunteer and help others live happier, live healthier, live longer.
Now, I don’t want to be the person between you and the dance floor! Therefore, I close by saying……“Remember, what you are is God’s gift to you…… What you make of yourself, is your gift to God.
Thank you, See you at the next volunteer event, magandang gabi sa inyoung lahat. Maraming salamat po." - J. Rolen
About Jane Rolen
Jane Rolen (Mary Jane Basilio-Rolen) has been the Team Leader for the Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity Office of SSA since April 2008. Jane began her Social Security career as a Claims Representative in Asheville, North Carolina in 1998. As a graduate of the 2003 SSA National Leadership Development Program (LDP), she has held a number of positions including Operations Supervisor, Labor Relations Specialist, Management Analyst, and Executive Assistant to the Regional Commissioner.
Jane is also the Regional Chair of the Pacific Asian American Advisory Council (PAAAC) of SSA. She is also PAAAC’s National Vice-Chair for Field Offices. As a PAAAC officer, she has received awards in recognition of her excellent representation of and outstanding outreach to the Asian community, and her dedication to the mission and goals of the Asian-American Associations. Under her leadership the PAAAC North Carolina Chapter was the most active and successful PAAAC Chapter in the Atlanta Region. Now spearheading the Regional PAAAC, she is leading the region in numerous initiatives including recruiting, career development and upward mobility of Asian employees in federal government.
Jane is an active community supporter. She has served as an officer to the Filipino-American Community of Western North Carolina. As one of the leaders and consultants in the Filipino community, she is a strong advocate for the Filipinos and is always ready to help the newcomers get acclimated in their new environment. She refers them to agencies; coaches them for job interviews; takes them in her home and teaches them to drive. She is very involved with the civic and volunteer activities including fund raising, feeding the homeless, collecting donations for unwed mothers, and performing Christmas carols at nursing homes. As a member of the Filipino Dance Troupe, she performs during cultural shows every year, and also teaches the young Filipinos the culture, language and native dances.
In August 2006, and again in March 2008, Jane donated 12 inches of her hair to “Locks of Love,” a non-profit organization that make wigs for cancer stricken children. In July 2007, Jane was named as one of “Who’s Who in the Asian-American Communities,” honoring her success as an Asian-American who has served as a role model in the Southeast. She was one of the only 6 Filipino recipients for 2007.
Jane was born and raised in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. The daughter of teachers, and armed with a scholarship and determination, she worked her way through college and graduated with honors from St. Joseph’s College in Quezon City, Philippines. Jane is married to William (Bill) T. Rolen, Jr., a retired FBI agent. The eldest of six children, Jane has three wonderful brothers and two lovely sisters. She is a dotting aunt to 14 nephews and nieces!!!
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