From left, Ross Manglona, resident executive, Indigenous Affairs Office; Joshua Villagmoez, intern, IAO; Melanie T. Wennio, cultural specialist, IAO; Bart Jackson, vice president/general manager, Bridge Capital; and Gus Litulumar, treasurer, Music of the Marianas Association.
BRIDGE Capital has once again renewed its vow to assist the Marianas during times of natural disaster. With a $1,500 check ready to present to Music of the Marianas Association or MMA volunteers, the regionally renowned investment firm became a Silver Sponsor to the upcoming “Un Marianas Dinner Concert” to be held at the Aqua Resort poolside on July 14. Tickets are actively being sold at $100 per person throughout the island as MMA volunteers are scouring the villages selling the tickets at the grassroots level.
The company’s donation helps the island musicians that have assembled for this cause get closer to their goal of sending construction-related supplies to Guam and Rota. According to MMA Treasurer Gus Litulumar the efforts being made are similar in nature to the effort Dandan Marianas put forth during Yutu and Soudelor.
Litulumar further said, “Their musicians held a concert in Guam and sent us a ton of tools and construction materials. We want to return the favor with a brotherly gesture of our own.”
“This marks the third occasion that Bridge Capital has bestowed their confidence in philanthropic organizations I’ve been involved with,” according to Ross Manglona, resident executive of the Indigenous Affairs Office which is assisting the nonprofit group in the coordination efforts. “It is important to note that Bridge Capital consistently gives back to our community in a multitude of forms, making them a responsible stakeholder and we must be cognizant of their efforts,” Manglona further states.
When asked for comment on the substantial donation, Bart Jackson, Bridge Capital’s vice president and general manager responded, “We have offices on Guam and so we empathize with our colleagues there who are currently going through some rather inconvenient times alongside their families. With infrastructure still requiring major repair at this point, we are very happy to present a check in the amount of $1,500 to MMA and their volunteers as we too experienced similar calamities not so long ago.”
“Our community is so fortunate to have stakeholders like Mr. Jackson and his colleagues at Bridge Capital that actively subscribe to our call for humanitarian assistance,” Manglona said. “So far tickets are selling at a steady pace giving me confidence that our fundraising efforts will be rather substantial considering it’s a one-night event. I remain confident that our community will come out and support MMA’s fundraising endeavor as it’s in our island nature. There are early signs it will be a full house that evening at Aqua Resort. One such indicator is the number of early in-kind contributions already received from the private sector.”
