| Teresita Ricafort Calderon Alarcon Leesburg, Virginia Tireless Leader of Humanitarian Causes A leader of the new breed of dedicated and unsurpassed spearheaders |
Teresita Ricarfort Calderon Alarcon is unique and unequal in all
aspects of community leadership. Tessie, as she is fondly called
by legion of friends, is an epitome of a tireless and dedicated new
breed of global humanitarian leader. Once she set her eyes on
her goal, she never lets go until the job is done. Well done!
The mission statement of FEED THE HUNGRY, INC. says it all.
“To uplift the spirit and well-being of the poorest of the poor, the
abused and the desolate through gift-giving, livelihood, nutritional
and educational programs, classroom and housing projects and
natural disaster and medical assistance.”
It is a tall order for a petite lady born, raised and educated in
Manila. One of the six siblings of Manuel Ricafort of Manila and
Socorro M. Ledesma of Iloilo, one will immediately notice that
Tessie exudes determined and calculated leadership – the kind
that legion of followers gladly follow – with a smile.
FEED THE HUNGRY, INC., or FtH for short, was co-founded by
Tessie’s husband, the amiable and soft-spoken Pablito Alarcon
in 1992, while Tessie was actively employed, from 1979 until she
retired in 2001 with IMF, the International Monetary Fund, as
aspects of community leadership. Tessie, as she is fondly called
by legion of friends, is an epitome of a tireless and dedicated new
breed of global humanitarian leader. Once she set her eyes on
her goal, she never lets go until the job is done. Well done!
The mission statement of FEED THE HUNGRY, INC. says it all.
“To uplift the spirit and well-being of the poorest of the poor, the
abused and the desolate through gift-giving, livelihood, nutritional
and educational programs, classroom and housing projects and
natural disaster and medical assistance.”
It is a tall order for a petite lady born, raised and educated in
Manila. One of the six siblings of Manuel Ricafort of Manila and
Socorro M. Ledesma of Iloilo, one will immediately notice that
Tessie exudes determined and calculated leadership – the kind
that legion of followers gladly follow – with a smile.
FEED THE HUNGRY, INC., or FtH for short, was co-founded by
Tessie’s husband, the amiable and soft-spoken Pablito Alarcon
in 1992, while Tessie was actively employed, from 1979 until she
retired in 2001 with IMF, the International Monetary Fund, as
senior administrative officer. Since 1992, FtH is an organization that pride itself as the most respected and
admired nonprofit, nonpolitical and nonsectarian humanitarian organization dedicated mostly, if not all of its
efforts, to assist the less fortunate Filipinos specially in remote areas in the Philippines. In 1995 after three
years of dedicated and fervent toils, Fth was granted by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service the most coveted
501-C-3, a tax exempt status. With the IRS approval, FtH launched and attracted Filipino-Americans to
financially contribute and fund various humanitarian projects of the group.
From its inception, the FtH executive board of directors headed by Tessie and her husband Pablito make sure
that none of the legion of volunteers going to the Philippines for humanitarian reasons are being paid or
subsidized in any form by the funds raised by FtH. According to Gloria Caoile and Lottie Buhain, both past
TOFA and both active executives of FtH , “Everyone, including Tessie and Pablito pay their own ways with their
own funds to go to the Philippines. None of us who go to the Philippines receive any money for our services.”
FtH received the most coveted and the highest Philippine Presidential “Lingkapil” Award for Overseas
Filipinos in 1998 by the then Philippines President Joseph Estrada.
“It is an accolade that all of us, Filipino-Americans, and more specially the officers and members of the Feed
the Hungry, deserve receiving. It is the combined efforts of all of us. The Presidential Award is not for just few
individuals, but rather for all of us,” declared Tessie Calderon Alarcon.
The most recent project of FtH which was highly hailed by the Philippine Government was the completion of
constructions, and officially turned over to the Department of Education of two (2) classrooms donated by the
FIL-AM IMAGE and the Roxanne Andrea Mendoza (RAM) Memorial Foundation.
Tessie’s first serious Filipino community involvement started in September 1986 when she successfully
coordinated the now famous “Festival of Lights” to welcome then President Cory Aquino. Then in 1987, she
co-founded with Ramon Paterno, the Filipiniana Fair and from that moment on, Tessie’s services
to be a Filipino community leader was successful in all endeavors but her expertise was on fund raising
where she usually raised more funds than anyone else.
Tessie’s involvement with the World Bank Group/International Monetary Fund (WB/IFC/IMF) Filipino
Association, the organization of Filipinos in three of the biggest international financial institutions,
unanimously voted Tessie Calderon Alarcon the “Most Outstanding Member” in 1986-88. In 1989,
she was elected Vice President; and in 1991, she was elected President of the World Bank
Group/International Monetary Fund (WBG/IMF) Filipino Association serving until 1992. Her
peers in 1993 voted and awarded Tessie “the Outstanding Leadership Award.”
Educated a devout Catholic all her life, Tessie started kindergarten and completed high school education
from the Holy Spirit College, an exclusive school for women in the heart of the City of Manila. After high school,
she attended college at the University of the East, and graduated with a degree of Secretarial Science and
Business Administration, majoring in Economics and Finance. From 1954 to 1965, she worked with Procter
and Gamble PMC (Executive Assistant to the President and General Manager) in Manila. Tessie gained
exceptional experience working with Makati Medical Center as office manager and executive officer from 1965
to 1978. From 1975-76, she coordinated international meetings when held in the Philippines (UNCTAD, ADB,
DBP, Human Survival, World Peace Through Law, etc.). Her other work experiences include as office manager
for B&S Development and Investment Company; Executive Officer for the DOF and the Central Bank of the
Philippines; DBPand as Program Officer for Thomas Jefferson at the U.S. Embassy in Manila. In 1977, she
joined the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. as an accredited researcher and at the United
Nations, N.Y. Population Control. Tessie joined IMF in 1979 until her retirement in 2001 as senior
administrative assistant.
A widow before getting married to Pablito Alarcon, a retired District of Columbia employee and currently a full
time real estate broker, Tessie has four highly successful grown children with her former husband. “They are
my pride and joy,” declared Tessie. Her children are: Ramon with an AB degree from De La Salle University
and Computer Sciences degree from the Asian Institute of Management; Rafael with a Business
Administration and Computer Sciences degree from the University of the East; Roberto with an Engineering
degree from St. John’s Military School and Computer Sciences degree from George Mason University; and
Lorna with a B.S. Economics degree from Sarah Lawrence College and Oxford University.
Tessie and Pablito have a house in Manila where they stay to spend more quality time with their
humanitarian tasks as non-paid workers for Feed the Hungry projects which are mushrooming in the
Philippine archipelago. “We need to spend time to give assistance to less fortunate Filipinos,” Tessie
explained. Somebody has to do it full time. Pablito and I have dedicated ourselves to the tasks of helping
the less fortunate.”
We salute the officers and members of the Feed the Hungry, Inc. for their dedication. FIL-AL IMAGE and the
RAM Memorial Foundation are blessed to help FtH help others. (NM)#
admired nonprofit, nonpolitical and nonsectarian humanitarian organization dedicated mostly, if not all of its
efforts, to assist the less fortunate Filipinos specially in remote areas in the Philippines. In 1995 after three
years of dedicated and fervent toils, Fth was granted by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service the most coveted
501-C-3, a tax exempt status. With the IRS approval, FtH launched and attracted Filipino-Americans to
financially contribute and fund various humanitarian projects of the group.
From its inception, the FtH executive board of directors headed by Tessie and her husband Pablito make sure
that none of the legion of volunteers going to the Philippines for humanitarian reasons are being paid or
subsidized in any form by the funds raised by FtH. According to Gloria Caoile and Lottie Buhain, both past
TOFA and both active executives of FtH , “Everyone, including Tessie and Pablito pay their own ways with their
own funds to go to the Philippines. None of us who go to the Philippines receive any money for our services.”
FtH received the most coveted and the highest Philippine Presidential “Lingkapil” Award for Overseas
Filipinos in 1998 by the then Philippines President Joseph Estrada.
“It is an accolade that all of us, Filipino-Americans, and more specially the officers and members of the Feed
the Hungry, deserve receiving. It is the combined efforts of all of us. The Presidential Award is not for just few
individuals, but rather for all of us,” declared Tessie Calderon Alarcon.
The most recent project of FtH which was highly hailed by the Philippine Government was the completion of
constructions, and officially turned over to the Department of Education of two (2) classrooms donated by the
FIL-AM IMAGE and the Roxanne Andrea Mendoza (RAM) Memorial Foundation.
Tessie’s first serious Filipino community involvement started in September 1986 when she successfully
coordinated the now famous “Festival of Lights” to welcome then President Cory Aquino. Then in 1987, she
co-founded with Ramon Paterno, the Filipiniana Fair and from that moment on, Tessie’s services
to be a Filipino community leader was successful in all endeavors but her expertise was on fund raising
where she usually raised more funds than anyone else.
Tessie’s involvement with the World Bank Group/International Monetary Fund (WB/IFC/IMF) Filipino
Association, the organization of Filipinos in three of the biggest international financial institutions,
unanimously voted Tessie Calderon Alarcon the “Most Outstanding Member” in 1986-88. In 1989,
she was elected Vice President; and in 1991, she was elected President of the World Bank
Group/International Monetary Fund (WBG/IMF) Filipino Association serving until 1992. Her
peers in 1993 voted and awarded Tessie “the Outstanding Leadership Award.”
Educated a devout Catholic all her life, Tessie started kindergarten and completed high school education
from the Holy Spirit College, an exclusive school for women in the heart of the City of Manila. After high school,
she attended college at the University of the East, and graduated with a degree of Secretarial Science and
Business Administration, majoring in Economics and Finance. From 1954 to 1965, she worked with Procter
and Gamble PMC (Executive Assistant to the President and General Manager) in Manila. Tessie gained
exceptional experience working with Makati Medical Center as office manager and executive officer from 1965
to 1978. From 1975-76, she coordinated international meetings when held in the Philippines (UNCTAD, ADB,
DBP, Human Survival, World Peace Through Law, etc.). Her other work experiences include as office manager
for B&S Development and Investment Company; Executive Officer for the DOF and the Central Bank of the
Philippines; DBPand as Program Officer for Thomas Jefferson at the U.S. Embassy in Manila. In 1977, she
joined the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. as an accredited researcher and at the United
Nations, N.Y. Population Control. Tessie joined IMF in 1979 until her retirement in 2001 as senior
administrative assistant.
A widow before getting married to Pablito Alarcon, a retired District of Columbia employee and currently a full
time real estate broker, Tessie has four highly successful grown children with her former husband. “They are
my pride and joy,” declared Tessie. Her children are: Ramon with an AB degree from De La Salle University
and Computer Sciences degree from the Asian Institute of Management; Rafael with a Business
Administration and Computer Sciences degree from the University of the East; Roberto with an Engineering
degree from St. John’s Military School and Computer Sciences degree from George Mason University; and
Lorna with a B.S. Economics degree from Sarah Lawrence College and Oxford University.
Tessie and Pablito have a house in Manila where they stay to spend more quality time with their
humanitarian tasks as non-paid workers for Feed the Hungry projects which are mushrooming in the
Philippine archipelago. “We need to spend time to give assistance to less fortunate Filipinos,” Tessie
explained. Somebody has to do it full time. Pablito and I have dedicated ourselves to the tasks of helping
the less fortunate.”
We salute the officers and members of the Feed the Hungry, Inc. for their dedication. FIL-AL IMAGE and the
RAM Memorial Foundation are blessed to help FtH help others. (NM)#
Washington D.C. Since 1987
Washington D.C. Since 1987
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