556 Ate Denise Celebrates with Philippine Children’s Medical Center

Written by Board Member, Rica Leyritana
Last Saturday, August 8, we held an event sponsored by Ate Denise Palafox at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC). The event started a little late than the intended time as there was a miscommunication on the logistics of the event. But once everything got fixed, we immediately started the program.
We began with the usual orientation of the volunteers on what U! Happy Events is all about and what to expect. Even if we started a bit late, we were happy to see that enthusiasm is still high among our volunteers. However, after the orientation, we noticed that our microphone and sound system weren’t working. We have to admit this caused some panic on our end but hey, the show must go on! So despite not having a microphone and sound system, we proceeded with the grouping of volunteers and kids. Once grouped, we gave them time to get acquainted.
After the volunteers and kids got to feel more comfortable with their new found friends, we then proceeded play the game “Show Me Your Face.” In this game, specific emotions were to be given to the groups and they then had to express it with their faces. The group whose facial expression is closest to the given emotion, wins. It sounded pretty simple and choosing a winner should be easy but were we in for a surprise — the competition was tough! The volunteers and the kids, despite being ill put up a good fight. We really had a hard time choosing a winner for that game.
After the game, it was now time for some story- telling. The kids were so entertained by the story telling done by Ate Dyaly, one of U! Happy Evets resident story- tellers. The kids were so engrossed in the story as you can see them acting out the scenes plus, their facial expressions gave them away! Great job, Ate Dyaly!
It was obvious that the kids wanted more stories so we asked them to return to their respective wards and asked our volunteers to have a one-on-one story telling session with them. Normally, we give the gifts to the kids at the end of the event but we decided to give it already so the volunteers and the kids will have more options in their one-one-one session.
It was a little bit past the lunch time when the food arrived so after distributing the food to the kids and volunteers, we already asked the volunteers to say their goodbyes to the kids. Despite encountering a few difficulties during the event, we were glad to see that volunteers were touched by the kids to the point that it was already difficult for them to leave. We ended with the usual group photo but this time with more expressed emotions.
One of the goals of U! Happy events is to make sure that the sponsors, volunteers and kids will have a rewarding experience that is why we make sure that our events are organized and well- manned. Then again, there are times when we encounter hitches, like for this one. In times like this, patience and ingenuity are most needed so as to execute the event as smoothly as possible. We are very grateful to have Ate Denise and her friends, as well as the other volunteers for this event as they are the epitome of what volunteers should be- results driven, passionate, collaborative and energizers. They thought more of what they can contribute more than what they can get from the experience.
Do you also have the mind and heart of a volunteer? Join us in our next event! 

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