Written by: Kuya Justin Regino, Core Team Member
To celebrate the birthday of their baby, Cas, couples Av and Iris Acuna chose share their joy with family, friends and the children of Gawad Kalinga Cainta last December 30, 2017. The event started at around 9am and was held in in St. Camilius Health Center, Selecta Village in Cainta, Rizal. Upon arrival of the Acuna Family and friends, all 25 children have already assembled, eager to meet their ate’s and kuya’s for the day. Given that Christmas season has just passed and New Year is around the corner, the kids were extraordinarily energetic, dancing each of the tunes played such as “Dahil Sa’yo”, “Baby Shark” and “Uptown Funk”.
As an ice breaker, the team played a little exercise entitled, “The Boat is Sinking”. The goal of this game is for all participants to group themselves according to the number specified by the facilitator. In the last round, they were asked to form four teams with two volunteers and five to six kids per group. Everyone was asked to sit with their respective groups and get to know each other by introducing themselves and sharing their favorite food, subject and dream job. Afterwards, they came up with their own unique team names such as Team Cutipie, Team Rainbow, Team Black Magic, and Team Black Pink Oppa.
The first game they played is called, “Replacements”. Per round, each team will send a representative to look at a photo shown by the host. Afterwards, they must replace or recreate the same photo using their remaining team members. The group who is able to paint the most identical picture, based on the judges’ discretion, wins. In every round, expressions of confusion and laughter were seen in the volunteers’ and the children’s faces. Though some photo’s required them to perform hilarious and awkward poses, the participants stuck to their role in the name of fun, bonding and friendly competition. In the end, the all-girl Team Rainbow won after having coordinated choreography and cheerful executions in each of heir poses.
The second game they played is called, “Beach Ball Relay”. To start, the four teams were regrouped into two: Team Black Pink Oppa and Black Magic versus Team Rainbow and Cutipie. The teams formed two lines each, side by side, making nine pairs. The first pair must walk from the starting point, around a chair, and back, while carrying a beach ball without using their hands. Afterwards, the ball is passed onto the next pair until they reach the last – the first group to finish is declared the winner. The relay game suited the energy level of the kids since it required athleticism and creativity in strategizing how to carry the ball without using their hands. After a best-of-three, the combined team of Black Pink Oppa and Black Magic claimed the prize by using their strategy of pairing kids according to their height.
The third activity was led by Kuya Jeff, the magician. Before unleashing his bag of tricks, Kuya Jeff prepared two games to set the fun mood. The fourth game they played is the longest birthday greeting. The participants simply needed to perform the longest greeting, “Happy Birthday Cas”, with one breath. But to add a twist, they formed groups of three and added the individual scores of the members per group. The fifth game they played is “Guess that Tune”. Once a random music is played, anyone who knows the title of that song must rush to the stage, sit on the chair provided, and say the answer. Despite the kid’s generation, they were still familiar to classic tunes such as A Whole New World, Beauty and the Beast, Man of Steel (Superman soundtrack), and the Voltes 5 soundtrack. After the primer activities, Kuya Jeff amazed everyone with his unusual magic, including a really instant way (approximately 2 seconds) of transforming hard, raw noodles, into freshly cooked and edible noodles.
After all the fun-filled activities, the children and volunteers were served a heavy packed lunch of two-piece fried chicken with rice and mixed veggies. On the side, the sponsors also cooked delicious finger foods including cheese sticks, squidballs, fishballs and hotdogs. The kids also lined up for ice cream and face painting made available to all.
Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. Indeed, our event was an embodiment of this statement. Through sponsors like the Acuna Family and friends, we are able to provide support and teach values to marginalized children through meaningful activities. As we put the year to a close, our celebration is a perfect way to promote the spirit of generosity and begin a prosperous 2018.
