Family Values Award

Yesterday was the Family Values Award banquet. We went over to Clark to stay at a Marriott before the Award banquet. This time it was held at the Cultural Hall of the Urdaneta Stake Center in Urdaneta City where a new temple is being built.

 Dr. Rosario de Guzman Itchon was the woman who received the award. She is an 80 something year old lady who is also a Medical Doctor and has dedicated the last part of her life, after she retired in helping the unfortunate around her.

Dr. Itchon first  built a free clinic and now she extended her community outreach to The Divine Mercy Family Community Outreach Inc. which is a shelter of 12 bedrooms where she resides. In other words, she lives among those she is helping. She has done all of this with her own money and donor friends. She reminded me of Rosita and John Behner.

What I like about this event is that they invited the people that they are helping as well as family members and close friends so in a sense this was a very unique award banquet. Dress code was Semi formal so It wasn't all glamorous but in a way it felt even more special.

In this event they had a key note motivational speaker who so happened to be a Bishop in the Catholic Church since the woman is Catholic and they had our Area President who is a lawyer and an excellent speaker also say a few words at the end to close the meeting about the Family, a Proclamation to the World.

This recipient received a statue or a family reading the scriptures, A framed Family a Proclamation to the world and a special Family Award plaque as well with another porcelain figure. Dr. Itchon was very touched as she received four gifts! amazing! The tables had names so all the VIP people would sit together.

The Family Values Award (FVA) is given by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to recognize the honorable efforts of moral, upstanding community leaders who are striving to advance standards and valued that are consistent with the Church's position on sanctify of the family. The FVA  is presented annually in Asia, Europe, Australia, Latin America, The United States and The Philippines.

This award is done every year on the week of the family. A Filipino proclamation where there is a week dedicated to the family in the Philippines. We sat a a table with a priest from the area and two of her close friends who went to medical school together.