Who: Marichu Antonio and Cesar Cala
What: Advocates and volunteers for Calgary immigrant and newcomer groups
Why they’re on the A-List: They’ve spent more than 30 years acting for immigrants, and live their beliefs every day through their work, volunteering, advocacy and leisure.
For most new immigrants to Canada, no matter where they’re from or where they go, one thing is the same in their experience.
“It’s the feeling of being uprooted from your country of origin,” says Marichu Antonio, community development manager at the Centre for Newcomers. “All sorts of problems arise from that: isolation, lack of confidence with day-to-day issues, economic issues and cultural difficulties, too.”
But beyond focusing on these challenges, Antonio and her husband, Cesar Cala, are dedicated — in work, life and volunteering — to recognizing the rich cultural experiences and skills people can contribute to their new communities.
Cala, the Neighbourhood Strategy lead at the United Way of Calgary and Area, says that, too often, the general assumption is people in need of support can’t contribute meaningfully to society.
“It’s not true,” he says. “All the people we work with, they want to give back. The challenge is to work within those groups so they become more aware of their own power, their capacity to make change, and build on it.”
In 2003, the couple brought together visible minorities and helped form the Ethno-Cultural Council of Calgary to connect various cultural groups and address policies affecting their full participation in their communities. Antonio is a former board member of the Women’s Centre; she also started Babae: Council of Filipina-Canadian Women to lift the status of Filipino-Canadian women in Calgary. Cala was a board member with Oxfam Canada and advocates for children’s rights as one of the founders of the Children’s Legal & Education Resource Centre (CLERC), which provides legal support for youth.
For more than 12 years, the couple has also hosted newcomer families and individuals in their 1,800-square-foot home. Some stay a month, others a year or more. Antonio and Cala encourage their guests to get involved in the community through volunteering and often assist them with resumé building and budget planning. Many of their former guests now host other newcomers in their own homes.
Last year, following the rape and murder at an LRT station of Arcelie Laoagan, a Filipino live-in caregiver, Cala and Antonio were instrumental in organizing a community healing session and vigil, raising money for an education trust fund for Laoagan’s five children and facilitating discussions around community safety.
“I see myself as an enzyme, a mobilizer,” says Antonio. “When things are stagnant, when an enzyme strikes, it creates this ripple and movement and change.”
Cala agrees with his wife’s metaphor. He sees his mission as helping others realize and strengthen their voice: “An
individual who finds their voice is creating change, not only for themselves but for the community.”
What Can You Do?
Both newcomers and established Canadians can volunteer at the Centre for Newcomers to help with language tutoring, childcare, literacy and event planning by calling 403-537-3395 or visiting centrefornewcomers.ca.
Return to the Avenue A-List 2009 Main Page
Post new comment