Jefferson Award Winner: George Garcia Gange
SAN JOSE (CBS 5)
You'll rarely find George Garcia Gange without a 14-stringed Filipino folk instrument in his arms. Dubbed the "Music Man With a Mission," he makes music to make others feel good, from veterans in Palo Alto, to seniors in nursing homes.
"Like my wife says and my parents, who have the same passion, I like to help people who cannot pay me back," George explains.
George, a retired U.S. Navy air traffic controller, founded his musical group in 1998 with other Filipino American veterans. They're called the Fil-Am Vets Rondalla. The group wanted to share with the Filipino community the rondalla introduced by Spain that's become part of the Filipino folk tradition.
"I would like them to know their roots and that we have a culture we can be proud of," George says.
"You feel at home," adds Ray Tanjoco, who works in Hospice and Palliative Care at the Palo Alto Veterans Administration. "It's like you're back in the Philippines again, you get that nostalgic feeling."
Ray says he's seen George perform for free at events ranging from Filipino American festivals to community fundraisers.
"I don't know if he loves the music, loves the instrument or want to help others," Ray says.
All of the above, says George. In the last decade, his rondalla team has raised money for a number of causes, including tens of thousands of dollars for the USO and its equivalent in the Philippines, victims of Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, and last year's flood and mudslide in the Philippines.
"If a small group of people that I'm leading can do it, I hope much bigger organizations and individuals can follow my lead," George says.
George is also known for helping hundreds of people in San Jose who can't come to the Philippine Consulate General's Office in San Francisco because of failing health or transportation problems. He arranges a South Bay meeting so officers like Vice Consul Leah Rodriguez can help Filipino American seniors with legal matters like passport applications.
Leah explains, "He's a selfless individual. He's very patient and it's very easy to work with him."
George is happy to help: "When I see the self-confidence, the self-esteem goes up when I help those people, I feel good inside."
So for sharing rondalla music and fundraising for disaster victims worldwide, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to George Garcia Gange.