Written by: Ate Ren dela Cruz, Board Member
For a lot of kids, birthdays are filled with new toys and love from family and friends as they celebrate their special day, most often with a party and a program to boot. Last December 15 was also a similar birthday celebration for Rigo, who turned 1, but made even more special – it was indeed filled with blessings and love, but shared with underprivileged kids who need those blessings and love the most.
Ate Julie reached out to us to celebrate Rigo’s first birthday in a meaningful way, and so we did – with 30 kids from our partner Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid (2KK) Foundation. We gathered the kids, and ate Julie’s family and friends over to McDonalds for a joy-filled birthday celebration. We started the afternoon with the volunteers getting to know the kids, and vice versa. We also grouped them into smaller teams and to add to their bonding moment, we played games — such as a U! Happy favorite, speed cone, which got everyone both alert and excited!
For entertainment, ate Julie got resident magician, kuya Koby, to wow the kids with his amazing magic tricks! Everyone oohed and aahed over the display of talent that kuya Koby prepared that afternoon. We also invited one of our favorite storytellers, ate Dyali, to read the children a story and fuel their imagination and story-telling skills.
Of course, no birthday would be complete without candle-blowing and giveaways! Ate Julie and her family made sure to make the day special not just for Rigo but also for our 2KK kids. We made sure to capture such a heartwarming afternoon via picture-taking. We ended the afternoon on a high note with the kids hugging their ares and kuyas goodbye. Thank you to the Laxina family for creating a celebration for Rigo that blessed other children as well!
