Written by: Kuya Glenn Costales, President
Last Saturday featured a pair of pleasant reunions for the U! Happy Team. First, it was a much due gathering at Gawad Kalinga (GK) Selecta in Cainta, Rizal. The last event here, surprisingly, happened almost 5 years ago with a lot of the U! Happy Core Team still relatively new. Secondly, it was the 2nd year of Kuya Luis’ birthday event. Now 11 years old, Kuya Luis had his 1st birthday event with us around December last year at Quirino Memorial Medical Center. This time around, we were welcomed by 25 beaming kids at a health care center near GK Selecta which served as a nice and cozy venue. Kuya Luis was accompanied by his wonderful parents, Daddy Edwin and Mommy Maricel, as well as some relatives, friends and a few volunteers.
We grouped the kuyas, ates and kids into five teams and gave them some getting-to-know time to get things started. With the formal introductions out of the way, we played the Stack Me Up game to ease our participants into a very active morning. Using paper cups, this game called for some math and a lot of teamwork as the groups tried to form perfect pyramids according to the number and size needed.
Our 2nd game was a fitting primer to our main activity. We played the Pass the Dance game to limber up our volunteers and kids. While standing in a line, the groups raced to pass a simple 4-step-dance routine to each member. While some struggled, others definitely found their groove and this game perfectly ushered in our featured workshop activity.
Core Member Ate Ren, an active performer/ dance herself, led the group in a lively dance workshop. Dancing to the song ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling,’ Ate Ren demonstrated steps which the kuyas, ates and kids spiritedly followed. In the end, we were able to complete quite the dance routine, and our volunteers and kids discovering some hidden talents themselves.
After sharing a meal for lunch, we sang happy birthday to Kuya Luis with his supportive parents standing by his side. Our cheerful family finally gave out pillows to the kids before we gathered for the last time for a group photo.
Happy birthday again Luis and we certainly hope that this celebration of yours continues into a yearly tradition as we are literally seeing you grow before our eyes. With God’s guidance through your parents, may you continue to develop a heart of service and kindness.
