Underwriting support from:
The Marasigan Family in the Philippines
Marasigan Thanksgiving, marrying an American tradition with our love of family, food, and togetherness
For Immigrant Heritage Month, I asked several friends and connections who immigrated to Grand Rapids to share a little about their heritage. The goal of this endeavor is to help educate and inform myself and others in the community about the rich cultures of our neighbors. And, to celebrate the ways that these individuals have contributed to what we know as American culture today. I asked each of them the same questions and their responses are all featured here in the Profile section of The Rapidian.
Ace Marasigan is a Banking Center Manager in the Grand Rapids area. He is a deeply devoted family man and eager community advocate who is kind and generous to his core. He is also humble and might not like me saying that, but it’s all true.
I met him at a Rapidian event last fall. We became friends and, through that relationship, I became involved with helping promote the first Grand Rapids Asian Festival.
Ace is the leader of the eight-person committee that organized the GRAF and the event’s primary founder. In our conversations, he shared with me his commitment to preserving his Filipino culture and to providing a link to his heritage for his son, Redd. In fact, it is this promise to his son that inspired him to initiate the Grand Rapids Asian Festival in the first place. He hopes someday his son will carry the torch as the next leader of the event.
I asked Marasigan: What is an important part of your culture/heritage that you want to preserve in your life and also want to share with American culture?
Marasigan said: “I would like our son to understand Filipino values that both my wife and I grew up knowing. To be hospitable, to take care of others, to be generous, and be helpful. To show respect to others especially elders. Our respect extends to work life, to give our best to our employer and to enjoy any job given.
I would like to preserve our strong family ties and our sense of religion.
I believe Filipinos are the sweetest and most loving people in the world. I'm not just saying this because I'm one; if you know my wife, I think you will agree.
My name is Ace Marasigan and I emigrated from Manila, Philippines in 1993.”
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