Fundraiser for St. Dominic’s a hit!

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Published on Thursday, September 1, 2016

Submitted photo

By Kira Paterson

The Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

Last Saturday, the community got a chance to take in a sample of the Filipino culture. St. Dominic’s Catholic Church in Neepawa organized the fundraising event showcasing the background of many of the area’s newcomers.The money raised goes to fund the church’s Raising the Roof fund, to help pay for a new roof for the building. As of Aug. 31, the exact amount raised is still unknown. About 570 people came out to experience the sights, sounds and flavours of the Philippines.

The Filipino Cultural Festival featured two presentations during the evening, free samples of pancit (a noodle dish) and spring rolls and displays that featured information about the Philippines’ geography and history. The two presentations were about an hour long each and included some of the different regions’ traditional dances, some of the history of the country and more. 

Photo by Tony Eu

“As far as showcasing the Filipino culture, I felt it was a great success,” noted Kathleen Guillas, who was involved in organizing the event. She added that there was a lot of positive feedback from both the attendees and the Filipinos who were involved in the festival. 

The participants were glad to share their culture with the community, as well as get their kids involved in their background to learn the history about where they came from. 

The performers who were a part of the presentations had been practicing for about a month, perfecting their dances, songs and the narration. The variety of dances created quite the spectacle, with bamboo poles, fans and colourful costumes. 

Guillas added that the turnout was exactly what they’d hoped for, but they were hoping to make a bit more money through food and beverage sales. They are hoping to make this an annual event, but Guillas noted that they might change it up a bit. She said they’re not sure what exactly they’ll do next time, but they do want to have something. 

“As far as bringing the community together and sharing the culture, it was great,” Guillas reiterated. She said it did exactly what they had hoped in that regard and everyone – spectators, organizers and presenters alike – was very pleased with how it went.