Vision-Mission and Projects

Reasons for Being

TRAVELING BONFIRES
A program of community events that advocate a peaceful convergence vibe—dovetailed on family closeness, neighborhood connected-ness, and multi-cultural harmony.  Events include musical concerts/festivals, poetry readings & and other performances, filmshowings, a variety of cultural/artistic presentations (improvisational dance, street theater, traditional/cultural gatherings, food gatherings etc), and group discussions. 
 
OBJECTIVES
[1] To advocate a peaceful/non-violent consciousness in the community, thereby initiating venues for collective discussion towards this end.
[2] To raise fund for the producing organization and its nonprofit beneficiaries.
[3] To promote, network, and market a like-minded community organization or (independent) entrepreneurial program.
[4] To usher exposure to starting performers, help them to connect with other venues and market, and possibly forge business and advocacy relationships in the process.
 
BONFIRES for PEACE, and other programs
[1] Bonfires for Peace. Usually a one-day free park concert or a nighttime club music event. The Bonfires has produced/organized events of this persuasion in Asheville and Mars Hill, North Carolina (ex: an unprecedented 16 weekends in downtown Asheville in 2004, and still happening to date); Baltimore, Maryland; Washington, DC; New York City; Manila/Quezon City and Baguio City, Philippines; and Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, California.
[2] Vagrant Wind. Café/gallery/bookstore events that are usually a mix of poetry and singer-songwriter mini-concert, sometimes short films and discussions included. 
[3] Wander Women. A women-produced and organized small-venue shows and gigs that promote and advocate women issues. 
[4] Bonfires for Vampires. A fun family event (DJs, concerts, food, costume party, games etc) that is traditionally held on Halloween.

NOTE: We occasionally organize similar events—like, community/family block parties, benefit garage sales and `hood barbecue, crafts/nonprofit tabling, children’s playground (clowns, piñata, games, open mic), park musical shows, and other “fun” activities.
 
BENEFICIARIES
Both The Bonfires’ Asheville/US and Philippine networks work closely with various international, national and local humanitarian organizations. Past and present beneficiaries include: Association Compassion Asian Youth/Missionaries of Mary, DESAPARECIDOS (families of victims of involuntary disappearances), YsraPhil Philippines Network Development Organization (supports surviving Holocaust victims in Israel), breast cancer patients, and tyhoon/calamity refugees. The organization also organizes benefit shows for individual people.

SPONSORSHIP
Co-sponsorship and organizational/business donations are very much welcome—both in terms of financial aid, media exposure/publicity, production/events needs (sound system procurement, food, program printing).  Co-sponsors business/corporate logos are prominently displayed or printed in all production banners, posters, flyers, and postcards. 

Popular posts from this blog

NOSFERATU (or Dracula) movies or films inspired by Bram Stoker's 1897 novel “Dracula.”

Image
<>“Nosferatu” (2024, Amazon Prime), written and directed by Robert Eggers . Production design is haunting, photography is disturbingly sinister, sound editing kneads your spine. And, of course, Nicholas Hoult (as Thomas Hutter) expectedly delivers and Lily-Rose Depp (as Ellen Hutter) is a revelation.         Meanwhile, with the prosthetics or masks, it is hard to rate the performance of Bill Skarsgård 's titular Count Orlok but Simon McBurney (as Herr Knock otherwise known as Renfield) is chillingly hilarious although a bit exaggerated, I think. But Aaron Taylor-Johnson (as Arthur Holmwood) is miscast.        Take note that Nosferatu/Count Dracula, Jonathan Harker and Lucy Harker, Abraham Van Helsing, Lucy Westenra, Renfield, John Seward, Arthur Holmwood etcetera assumed different names in this version. 🎥👍📽 <>“Nosferatu The Vampyre” (1979, Tubi), directed and written by Werner Herzog . A remake of...
Read more

“The Alto Knights.” / “The Irish Mob.”

Image
“The Alto Knights” (2025, Max) biographical crime drama. Story: In a failed assassination attempt orchestrated by his ambitious underboss, Vito Genovese , Luciano family boss Frank Costello finds himself at a crossroads. Robert De Niro both portrays Mr Genevese and Mr Costello , which can be confusing a bit because both speak like De Niro and both talk like Mafia bosses. As is though, this is not a bad movie although nothing is really new here. But a tired retelling of what we already knew or watched in so many mob cinema tropes.         Plot: In a failed assassination attempt orchestrated by his ambitious underboss, Vito Genovese , Luciano family boss Frank Costello finds himself at a crossroads. Weary of the constant bloodshed and betrayals that define his life, Costello informs Genovese of his intention to retire and cede control of the Luciano family. However, Vito, a man consumed by ambition and paranoia, refuses to believe Costello's in...
Read more

FUTURISTIC THRILLERS: “Please Don't Feed the Children.” / “Lazareth,” / “The End We Start From.”

Image
“Please Don't Feed the Children” (2024, Tubi) psychological thriller. A group of orphans head south in search of a new life after the country's adult population is wiped out from a viral outbreak. Soon they discover a dangerous secret from a deranged woman.           This movie was directed by Destry Allyn Spielberg , daughter of the master, Steven, and Kate Capshaw. Alas, dad's filmmaking genes didn't do well in this debut work by Destry.  Yet somewhere there's promise in this dystopian nightmare until the nightmare got real. A creature showed up.        Dad Steven's first movie (which he also wrote), 1964's “Firelight,” made when he was 17, showed hints of the future genius. Destry is 28. 🎥💻📽 “Lazareth” (2024, Hulu) thriller film , starring Ashley Judd , Sarah Pidgeon , and Katie Douglas . Plot: A woman protects her orphaned nieces from a self-destructing world, raising them in isolation until...
Read more