senen CabalfiN

SSenen Cabalfin, RN, MSN, CNOR, will lead Fiesta In America 2023 as the festival’s Grand Marshal. “She is a successful entrepreneur who broke down barriers to women-owned companies in the U.S.,” remarked Nanding Mendez, Fiesta In America’s President and CEO. “As our first Grand Marshal since 1996, Senen will set the mold for her successors.”

Senen reflects the spunk and vision behind Fiesta In America itself, which has evolved into the biggest annual indoor Filipino event on the east coast. While studying for her Master’s degree in Nursing Administration, she learned of a funding opportunity from the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). Sensing a breakthrough, she founded the not-forprofit Special Care Community Services, which built two New Jersey group facilities for older adults. “After a year,” she recalls, “I purchased Harbor Hall at Egg Harbor City that houses and supports 16 elderly and special needs individuals, as well as Freehold Manor at Freehold Township, which houses 20 elderly clients.”

She traces the roots of her nursingto-business career switch to her deep passion for home healthcare. “Being an entrepreneur means having a keen eye for spotting opportunities where others see obstacles,” Senen asserts. “I honed my skills in identifying gaps in the market, studying emerging trends, and understanding consumer needs.” Her move could not have been better timed. “ The healthcare industry now has the highest success rate among all small business categories,” according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “It’s the industry where small businesses succeed the most: 85 percent of small businesses in social assistance are still running after one year, 5 percent above the average rate.”

Senen is quick to credit her husband Pete, who worked in the home improve - ment industry, as well as a male friend, who was in construction, for their crucial role in expanding the business. “We started Mobility Special Care Housing, a nonprofit that builds permanent housing,” Senen recounts. “We were able to build and own 11 group homes in Central-South Jersey.” In Florida, the company operates in Boca Raton and Broward. It helped that people close to her have lent their own skills to the expansion. “My son’s expertise in home construction helped Mobility Construction to soar, and my daughter’s credentials as Doctor in Physical Therapy ensure total care for our clients who needed recuperative services,” says Senen.

Public recognition naturally followed in her wake. She has been honored as a Parent of the Year, and has received numerous awards for Community Service and for Clinical Excellence, as well as the 2012 Nursing Excellence Award for Structural Empowerment, the 2013 PNANJ Care Award for Nurse Entrepreneur of the Year, and 2023 Bayani ng Mundo – Nursing Heroes.