Written by: Ate Ren dela Cruz, Board Member
When we think about kids during Christmas time, a common thought would be lively, playful children running around toy stores choosing gifts, or going around homes and visiting relatives, serenading Christmas carols. While this familiar picture is true for majority of the kids during the holidays, there are those who are spending the season in hospitals, battling various illnesses through a time we often associate with cheer.
That is why we were thrilled to partner with ate Gabbi and her loved ones, who reached out to us for an outreach even in National Children’s Hospital in QC last December 14. We headed over to bring love and blessings to 41 kids and their parents in the 4th floor wing of the hospital, giving them much needed hope and celebration as they spent their holidays confined in NCH. We started the morning by allowing our volunteers to get to know the kids, and asked everyone to get the bonding started by introducing themselves and discussing their favorites. This was a delightful sight to see as the kids opened up to their visitors who came especially to spend time with them.
To bring entertainment both to kids and kids at heart, we also invited our resident magician, kuya Koby, who showed off his magic tricks and delighted his audience! To celebrate the season even more, we gave our volunteers and the kids more time to bond through crafting Christmas cards, which the kids excitedly designed and wrote on to share with their newfound ates and kuyas.
Ate Gabbi and her family and friends also extended their generosity with meal time and gift packs, which the kids were delighted to have. It truly felt that Christmas was bring brought to them through our heartwarming event which ate Gabbi and the team prepared. We made sure to capture the meaningful time we all had via a group photo, and before the day ended our kids gave their new ates and kuyas big smiles and warm hugs for taking the time to spread their love and generosity.
