Filipino-American Club of the Jersey Shore, Monmouth County, New Jersey, filamorg.com

Called September Affair, the 40th anniversary awards gala and fundraiser for the Filipino Association of Greater Kansas City will be Sept. 20 at the downtown Marriott-Muehlebach Tower. Guests will wear traditional garb of the Philippines, with the men in embroidered shirts and the women in long gowns with butterfly sleeves.

Racela left the Philippines in 1963 with his wife, Luz, to complete his residency at the University of Kansas. They later raised a family in Kansas City. He is a pathologist.

“I became involved with the Filipino Association when my children were growing up,” Racela says. “My wife and I realized that we needed to preserve the best of Philippine culture for them and for others. I didn’t want them to forget where we came from.”

One of Racela’s biggest accomplishments was pushing for construction of a local Filipino Cultural Center. When the first Fiesta Filipina was being planned in 1974 at Crown Center, Racela challenged the committee to use that fundraising money over the years to build a cultural center.

By 1978 the Filipino Association had raised enough money to purchase a site in north Overland Park. The community has outgrown the center, Pardo says.

“We’re about to pay off our loan, and it’s time to expand,” she says. “We need more room for meetings and permanent cultural exhibit space.”

Pardo says that because of Racela’s vision, today the cultural center serves as a model for many other ethnic groups who want to create a gathering place for their members, as well as a venue for cultural exhibits, programs and educational workshops and a welcoming place for visitors.

In addition to providing vision and money to get the center started, Racela has worked hands-on, curating an exhibit of ceramic artists that brought widespread visibility to the center. He also writes grants to benefit the center and the association, which is made up of about 300 Filipino families.

Outside the Filipino community, Racela also founded the Society of Contemporary Photography in Kansas City and is a charter member and founder of the World Outreach Lion’s Club, a civic organization where he has worked hard to engage other Filipino-Americans, young and old, in community service.

“It’s been a wonderful experience for my wife and I and my family over the years,” Racela says. “I’m looking forward to the party.”