(Speech delivered at the Volunteers of America Senior Companion Program Recognition Night last November 16, 2007, at the Beacon United Methodist Church in Seattle, WA)

        Let me begin by thanking the organizers of this event for inviting me tonight. When I was invited by Esther Villanueva, a member of your advisory council, to be the featured guest speaker of your annual Volunteer Recognition Event, I said yes, without thinking what I was getting into. When I realized days later that I would be giving a speech before an impressive group of people, whose credentials include countless volunteer hours caring for the weak and the vulnerable, I started having second thoughts. I really felt intimidated because I’ve never done the kind of volunteer work that you do. I also felt humbled because I came from a culture where the elderly or the seniors are considered the sources of wisdom. I should be getting advice from you. I should be the one listening to you tonight and not the other way around.

        But then I thought I also have my own credentials. At age 58, I can still play basketball and score 47 points in one game. I can also look for the cheapest CDs in town that only cost 85 cents and they are of excellent quality. But more importantly, despite having HIV – hair is vanishing – I continue to remain healthy without taking any medication.

        You know, I thought a lot about what I was going to say tonight. And it was difficult choosing a topic.

        A basketball buddy suggested talking about the parallelism between my own volunteer work at the Life After Forty Basketball League (LAFBL) during the last 10 years and your volunteer work at the Senior Companion Program.

        A professional colleague said I should talk about my book on Carlos Bulosan, the Seattle-based Filipino migrant worker, whose life has become the symbol of the Filipinos’ struggle for justice and equality in the United States.

        An acquaintance said that I should talk about the role of physical fitness in sustaining volunteerism.

        I even thought of talking about my wife’s several pairs of shoes and their importance in doing volunteer work.

        All of these – basketball, Bulosan, physical fitness, my wife – have been part of the story of my life. They have influenced me in so many ways.

        But at the end, I’ve decided to speak what’s most in my mind right now.

        In all candor, let me start by saying that I salute all the volunteers being honored tonight for making extra efforts to help frail elderly and disabled adults live independently and with dignity. May I ask the audience to give these “heroes” a round of applause?

        You will notice that I call you, Heroes, and that’s what you are.

        What is a hero? The American Webster Dictionary defines the word as a “person noted for courageous acts or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life.”

        Most of the heroes we read in books or watch in movies are famous politicians, legendary soldiers, and liberation fighters.

        The Vietnamese, for example, have the Trung Sisters – Trung Trac and Trung Nhi who organized a rebellion against the occupying Chinese Han Dynasty in the year 39 AD. With the support of various tribal lords, they formed an army of about 80,000 men and women. Thirty-six of the generals were women, including the Trung sisters. The Trung sisters became symbols of the first Vietnamese resistance to the Chinese occupation of their land. Folk belief had it that the sisters drowned themselves rather than surrender to the Chinese.

        The Americans have Gen. Douglas MacArthur who led the 42nd Rainbow Division of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War One. With real feats of courage on the battlefield, MacArthur became the most decorated soldier in American history.

        We, Filipinos, have Andres Bonifacio who fought the Spanish colonizers. He never wavered in his belief that the Spaniards had no right occupying the Philippines. He fought for Philippine independence from Spain.

        But the heroes that I am going to talk tonight are not famous politicians or legendary soldiers. They are ordinary people, who have improved the lives of others and, like you, they are caring individuals. Their arsenals are not of weaponry, but dedication, commitment, love and sense of purpose.

        In 1990, Moses Zulu opened Children’s Town in Zambia to serve children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. At the age of 40, he decided to devote his life to helping these orphans find their way in life. The program has grown from a handful of children living in tent shelters to almost 300 children. In the capital of Zambia alone, it is estimated that there are 75,000 AIDS orphans. These children are overwhelmed by chronic illness, lack of shelter and frequent abuse by adults. Moses’ program is designed to give these children basic life skills and hope for the future. To me Moses is a hero.

Continued on next issue