On Friday, August 22nd, 2025, the sparkle wasn’t just from the jewelry, it came from the hearts in the room. Hosted at Eleven + Vyn LLC in Cerritos, CA (shoutout to Filipina business owner Roselyn Marie), the Heart for Home charity fundraiser proved that when empowered women link up for a cause, magic happens.
At the center of it all? Christine Almarines, CEO of Heart for Home, a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit helping 400+ children in the Philippines gain access to free quality education, healthcare, meals, vitamins, and life-changing trade skills. Christine’s speech? Pure fire and soul.
“In order to live abundantly, you must love and give yourself unselfishly,” she shared, explaining the nonprofit’s guiding mantra: Live. Love. Give.
What’s Heart for Home All About?
Christine explained how every trip abroad includes a mission to find grassroots, transparent organizations to partner with and Heart for Home finally found their perfect match.
“It’s not just about helping kids,” she said. “We educate their parents too, so when those kids come home with big ideas, they’re lifted, not shut down.”
Case in point: a young man from a remote island, once stuck in high school at age 21 due to access issues, is now in college thanks to Heart for Home’s support.
Watch Christine Almarine’s speech below:
Raffles, Auctions, and That Generous Pinay Energy
The fundraiser didn’t just warm hearts, it served high-value prizes and community flavor:
$25 Raffle Ticket Prizes Included:
- Apple Watch
- iPad (128GB, A16 chip)
- Hisense 50″ Smart TV
- AirPods 4 (with active noise cancellation)
- Nespresso Essenza Mini Espresso Machine (w/ Milk Frother)
- $300 gift card 💸
✨ Auction Items Included:
- Island Barbie Bayong Bags @islandbarbiek
- Spa packages
- Salon gift cards by @Salon Drew
- Baklava by @baklabaes
- A 2-night lake house stay
- Russ Ward Autobody – Trusted since 1958
Live Performances, Desserts & Big Vibes
- Live music + hosting by MJ Racadio, who also led an emotional Q&A with Christine. Watch his “Never Be Like That” concert below:
- Desserts by Baklā Baes, the iconic Filipina-run baklava biz brought crispy, flavor-packed sweetness to the party. The Ube, Dubai Chocolate, and Matcha flavors hit. Follow them on Instagram and check out their official website. Read my Product Spotlight on Baklā Baes, when I first met them at the CA Restaurant Show at the Anaheim Convention Center on 8.17.25.
Filipina-Powered Venue
Let’s not forget: the event was held at Eleven + Vyn LLC, a stunning jewelry boutique created by Roselyn Marie, a Filipina entrepreneur leveling up Cerritos with shine and style. Supporting this cause inside a Filipino-owned business? The alignment was flawless. Follow Eleven + Vyn on Instagram. Visit their official website: https://elevenplusvyn.com/
Final Words from Christine Almarines
“If everyone just did one little thing to help another person, imagine the ripple we could create.”
This wasn’t just a charity event. It was a movement.
Want to Donate or Volunteer?
Head to heartforhome.org to get involved or join the next volunteer trip to the Philippines. Stay up to date and follow them on Instagram.
Let’s keep living, loving, and giving—with style.
Interview Transcript Below:
Christine Almarines: Everywhere we travel, we always try to stop at an orphanage to see if we could be a match. So, it’s a pattern of ours to go look for organizations every time we travel to go find a place for us to support from Heart for Home. And it’s very difficult to find a perfect match. We were referred to this organization by a hotel owner and when we got there, they were very transparent and that’s what you want in an organization who’s transparent about what they do. Transparent about their finances and very open. We didn’t have to ask and we knew exactly through education it’s a gift that can last forever. The fact that it was a holistic program that parents are assisted as well because the kids could learn and can grow. If they don’t have that kind of support at home, they can regress. So because the parents are also being taught, we just knew it was the perfect match.
MJ Racadio: That’s amazing. I’m really curious about Heart for Home. I love the slogan “live, love, give.” Can you give us a little bit of why, “live, love, give? “
I mean, there’s so many meanings to it. If you just sit with the three words, live, love, give, right? Everyone can really sit with that and have a meaning. For me, in order to live abundantly, you must love and give yourself like unselfishly, like just give out there. And sometimes it can hurt you. However, that’s only a small portion, right? And then people that you’re able to love and spread the love, allows them to spread it after you help them and make an impact, it really is just a ripple that you start.
MJ Racadio: So, one last thing, what legacy do you want to leave?
Christine Almarines: Legacy… I mean to spread it, right? I don’t want it to end here, right? To impact every single person that they will then go back to their chosen community and make that impact in their community as well to inspire others to do the same. Imagine in the world that we live in, if everyone just does one little thing, impact someone, and then someone else, right? So, one of the communities that we serve is a remote island and they need to take a boat to even get off the island to go to school and there is a child there that we met last year and um he couldn’t really go to school. I think he was like 21 and like still in high school. Right now, he is going to college. It’s his first year, and so we’re supporting him for his college expenses as well.
MJ Racadio: So, thank you so much for what you do and give her a round of applause.
Christine Almarines: It’s not just me you guys, the board members and then the volunteers. We actually have volunteers in this group that have traveled with us to the Philippines and volunteered and when I say volunteer, you guys, they spend their own travel money to get out there. And so that’s that’s really giving. And then once we get there, we actually go into each classroom and each person has their own specialty and they go into those classrooms and educate the kids and also the parents. So one of the things that we do is we teach quantum leap to the parents so that they can learn how to think bigger and that way when the kids come home from school and they have these big bright ideas the parents can support it and not bring them down.
MJ Racadio: So wow that is beautiful you guys and that’s the reason why I’m here tonight. Heart for Home. It’s really close to my heart. Absolutely.
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About the Author
Christy started Disarray because she missed writing what she wanted. With a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from California State University, Northridge (CSUN), she covers conventions, expos, concerts, fashion, food, and events. From hiring writers, to contacting publicists and making assignments, Christy is responsible for the editorial strategy of Disarray. Questions, comments or interview requests? Contact Christy@disarraymagazine.com – You can also follow her on Instagram and TikTok or check out her travel blog: ChristyWanders.com ✈️
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