232 Ate Bianca Celebrates with Quirino Memorial Medical Center

Written by Board Member, Glenn Costales

The sun shone brightly on the volunteers and sponsors of U! Happy Events at the Quezon Memorial Medical Center (QMMC) in Quezon City. It may have been a slow Sunday morning but there was nothing to be listless about with what was in store for 26 children from the hospital’s pediatric ward. This was made possible through the generosity of Ate Bianca, who sponsored the day’s event likewise attended by her family and friends. Needless to say, the children were going through some ‘aches and pains’ (to put it mildly) but their energy evidently radiated beyond their IV lines and bandages once the event started.

As always, the festivities began with the volunteers pairing up with the kids through the Profile Exchange. This allowed each ate and kuya to know more about their kids (as well as their parents) and about what they were going through. Questions about their aspirations and their favorite subjects, food, and actors, were flying around the room in what seemed like an extensive interview gathering.

Bodies finally started to move around as the group played the ever popular Arrange Yourselves Game. It was quite a scene to watch because even though the kids had some difficulty moving about, they were still as eager to participate (and win) as their ‘competitive’ ates and kuyas. In the end, one group proved to be more organized than the rest and took home the prizes prepared by Ate Bianca.

The volunteers were then put front and center as they competed for their kids in an innovative game by U! Happy Events. For the sake of this article, we will call it the Pass-The-Message-Charades Game. And yes, it literally involved passing-the-message and a bit of acting too. The volunteers were given a word which they had to act out to each member of their group until it reached the last person in the line. The team that got the word right and did it the fastest took home the prize for their kids. It’s been said that there’s a child in every one of us, and this was on display in the volunteers as they played this game. The kids enjoyed it as well as they watched their parents, ates and kuyas act the word out, flap their arms around, and guess the word right (or wrong for some, which was hilarious).

In store next was the highlight of the day’s event, the Kokoru Paper Art facilitated by Ate Erika (Ate Bianca’s sister). Kokoru is a colorful set of corrugated paper that can be rolled into different shapes to form a number of things – from animals, to cars, trees and airplanes. Ate Erika showed the group how to form their paper strips into crafty works of paper art. A panda, a snake, and even a submarine, were just some of the creations around the room as the kids really let their creative wheels roll in producing masterpieces they can display by their bedside.

As the event drew to a close, the kids were treated to lunch and giveaways prepared by Ate Bianca. The volunteers bid their goodbyes in what was a Sunday truly worth the time and effort.

In Romans 5:3-4, it says: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Although the kids were burdened physically because of their illness, there was still much to be content about and much more to hope for because of the blessings shared that day – the blessings from Ate Bianca, the blessing of companionship from each ate and kuya, and most especially, the blessing of life that allowed the kids to experience that special Sunday.

Add a comment

*Please complete all fields correctly

Related Blogs

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop