Pro Bono Service for Non-Profit Organizations- Luau Decor Event

Last week I provided my probono (labor of love) services to an organization that is church oriented and members are devotees of the Blessed Virgin Mary praying the rosary. The luau event was held in a church in Buena Park, CA and there were approximately 250-300 people who attended the luau.

The event turned out to be a challenge since those days, when we were working, were hot and humid. My friend, Nenita and I had to go to Los Angeles, CA to buy some supplies and flowers and go to the different areas for crafts , party supplies and fresh flowers for better pricing since our budget is very limited considering the luau event is to raise funds for church related projects. I had also to go to several homes to get plants and flowers from generous homeowners who are passionate gardeners - from Anaheim to Huntington Beach then Fountain Valley. We used aqua blue and yellow as the the theme colors considering ocean and sunshine that are typical of the island like Hawaii where luaus are common. Getting enough help was also a challenge in order to deliver a good result. I had to request my daughter and my husband of which I am very grateful to them who helped me set up the centerpieces for 36 tables. And we did finish on time before the crowd came in! I was so exhausted and had to go home before the event was over. Luckily, my friend and her husband took care of bringing my supplies (after some members of the group gather them together) to my home later. Lessons learned are the thoughts that I brought home after the event.

Here are some pictures of the decor. As a designer, I tried to use tropical fruit- calamansi and wild plant, tropical flowers like hibiscus, birds of paradise, orchids and plumeria for the vases underneath banana leaves that are strategically placed on a bilao or fan on top of designer fabrics that had tropical prints to bring out the island (luau) effect. The vases turned out unique and beautiful which I thought and made them on the spot after assessing the flowers and plants I had. I also used Japanese umbrellas considering Hawaii plus umbrellas are used to protect yourself from too much sunshine on a tropical island.

I have also included some pictures of the attendees in action - registering the guests, showcasing their dance prowess, talking and just having fun. I also created a special booth where people can take pictures with the tropical island picture as a background, courtesy of my friend.

More to come! Be one of my follower if the blog is of benefit to you but the main thing is you enjoy reading them!

Pro Bono Service for Non-Profit Organizations

It is always fun, exhilirating and satisfying to volunteer your services to worthwhile causes.

I have volunteered to do the decor on fun events for my church and also for Rotary Club fund raising projects. Here are some samples of what I have done.

First seven pictures is a fund raising effort for three Rotarians who are birthday celebrants. They requested that instead of gifts given to them , their voluntary contribution to Rotary projects would be appreciated. Guests were more or less 100 people.

The last three pictures were taken during a Christmas celebration and the money collected goes to the church as a fund raising activity. Guests were more than 100 people.

This week, I have also volunteered to decor a luau for a federation of rosary group as one of their fund raising efforts and guests expected will be 250 to 300 people.

More to come. Thanks for reading my blog.