Written by Vice President for External, Ate Charmain Tan
It was a family affair as we celebrated the birthday of Ate Kathryn. Together with the rest of the Joson family and some of their friends, we spent our Sunday afternoon at Bahay Aruga. Located in San Marcelino Manila, Bahay Aruga is a free halfway house for pediatric cancer patients. Most of the patients are undergoing chemotherapy at Philippine General Hospital (PGH) while some of them just had their surgery and waiting for more treatment.
The children and their parents got to know the volunteers as they introduced themselves and talked about their profession. Ate Kat is a lawyer while her brother Kuya Kalvin is an architect. They were joined by their two other sisters Ate Camille and the youngest Ate Klean who is finishing up dentistry. We then grouped the children into three. Group 1 of Ate Camille was The Big Ones. Group 2 of Kuya Kalvin was Team Cardo. Group 3 of Ate Kat was Team Probinsyano. The volunteers also got to know the children and the mothers in their group.
The first game we played was Bring me Art. Everyone was given colored papers and scissors. We gave an object that the teams had to make cutouts of. The challenge was everyone in the team had to finish doing the cutouts as fast as they could. The first team with everyone finishing first got a point. We started out with easy objects like triangle and heart. We then asked them to make bunny ears and hat. It was fun to watch as the the ates and kuyas helped the kids make their cutouts. In the end The Big Ones won the game.
The second game we played was Pass The Bottle. Each team was given two big baby bottles. As we played the music the team had to pass the bottles around. When the music stopped the two people holding the bottles had to stand up. The first team with both members standing up first got a point. The kids had so much fun passing the bottles around. Some of the volunteers were so competitive. Kuya Kalvin of Team Cardo always ended up holding the bottle and he stood up very fast every time. The other two teams tried beating him but in the end it was Kuya Kalvin and his Team Cardo who won the game.
The next program we had was by the clown Kuya Mark. Mark the Clown did some balloon twisting for the kids. He did some amazing objects like huge machine gun and flying mechanisms that the kids got to wear as wings. He also did a huge bicycle and an arrow. I have seen numerous balloon twisting shows before but so far Mark the Clown created the most unique and elaborate balloon objects. We were very impressed and all the kids watched in awe as he made balloons for everyone. He also made flower bouquet for the ladies and giant hats for the children.
We then got to enjoy our hearty afternoon snacks. We gave out prizes for the winners of the games. Ate Kat and her family also gave out gifts for the children. It was heartwarming to see the smiles of these children. Some of them are only a year old but already have to go through so much at such a young age. Some of the mothers said they were scared at first as their husbands have to stay in the province to work. They have to remain strong for their children. They are also very thankful for the love and support they receive. As they say, sometimes real superheroes live in the hearts of small children fighting big battles. The Joson family does regular outreach events during birthdays. We thank Ate Kat and the rest of the Joson family for partnering with U! Happy Events and sharing their blessings with the children of Bahay Aruga.