88 Mission Possible: Kids with Concern Marikina

Written by Kuya Harvard

March 26, 2011 was a fulfillment of our dream to finally tap on the health aspect of kids in one of our projects.

Mission Possible: Kids came about after a meeting with our first-time partner CONCERN or Center for Emergency Aid & Rehabilitation Inc. Kuya Harvard and I met up with Kuya Eugene and his team including Ate Mercy and Ate Rowena in January. We targeted one of CONCERN’s cared-for sites and landed our finger on Nangka in Marikina. It will be the first time for us to do a medical mission and we started with a blank slate. CONCERN team helped in putting the vision together and we all together believed right there during the meeting that the mission is possible.

We visited the community a few weeks after and met the leaders of the barangay including Ka Rene and his able team. It is admirable that the community has leaders like them who are committed to helping organize this community of 22,000 households. We saw the strong potential of this huge neighborhood to be an integral player in social building. The kids, being the future generation of Nangka, also play a vital role in this process of community development. Thus, we decided to tap the 300 most indigent kids between 7-10 years old among all households by careful selection process to address their immediate health-care needs in our project that we coined Mission Possible: Kids.

Fastrack to two months after since our first meeting with our partner, we were all set to get this mission on. On March 26, Saturday, all 130 volunteers, medical doctors, dentists and nurses met at 8am at KFC in Bayan-Bayan in Concepcion Marikina for an orientation led by Kuya Harvard and Kuya JB. All in red, they geared up for their roles – to be grouped with kids, help in mobilization during the medical mission, and to have fun with the kids while learning.

At the venue, Ate Jo-e, Kuya Glen and Ate Malou, three of the core team members of U! Happy Events set up the covered courts of Twinville Subdivision in Nangka where the big event is to happen in a few hours. It was a task to gather the kids and their mothers, providing them with name tags and sitting them on their respective sections in an organized manner. Health care workers and team CONCERN lead the health assessments of the kids.

As soon as the volunteers arrived at the venue, a number of them were called to help in organizing the kids and the parents. It was a great privilege for the volunteers to help in tasks that will be vital to get the program started. We’re glad that the volunteers happily participated in the tasks when it was crunch time already. Thank you!

At 10:30, the mothers, the kids and the volunteers were all on their designated areas. The mothers were seated on the other end of the venue to listen to a talk about soap making, a livelihood project introduced to the community, by Markina Livelihood Center. On the other end of the court meanwhile were the kids who were entertained by Kuya JB with his comedy and Kuya Harvard with his hosting skills.

While the moms were all ears and were putting their hands on soap making, the movie RPG Metanoia, brought in by our partner Ambient Media, started to play on the big screen. It was a privilege to get this highly acclaimed, Filipino-produced movie for free. Simultaneously, on the other side of the court, the medical missions commenced. 7 volunteer doctors checked up on the vitals and the conditions of the kids. After the kids’ session with the doctors, they sat with a group of Christian Light Foundation volunteers for a small group session talking about the purpose of why health is important in relation to God’s amazing love for us.

Towards the end of the medical sessions, the Ate’s and Kuya’s started fetching lunch packs for the kids and they came back enjoying their time together over meal. Over lunch, a stream of videos was played teaching about disaster preparedness, which made use of puppets as characters. They were very engaging for the kids indeed. Right after lunch, we did our usual profile exchange activity where the kids and volunteers write about themselves to include their personal likes for school subject, favorite food and what they want to be when they grow up. This provides and opportunity for the kids to get to know their Ates and Kuyas more and for the volunteers to get the chance to connect with the kids even after the event.

A touching performance by a primary grade schoolers tandem from Sisters of Charity Learning School performed a dance number to the tune of Josh Groban’s music. This was followed by the entertaining and awestruck magic show by “The Magicman” Kuya JB and followed by another fantastic magic by Kuya Ron. The performances were capped by an ethnic dance number of intermediate grade school students also from the Sisters Charity Learning School.

Kuya Harvard closed off the program with acknowledgements of all the volunteers, sponsors, doctors and medical aid, core team and our fantastic partners, whose participation made the mission possible. Kuya Harvard and Ate Jo-e each rallied for continued support and participation in the cause of U! Happy Events for the young generation. A couple of volunteers shared their testimonies on the spot. The change the we see now hopefully encourages everyone to continue taking part in the events and to keep sharing their blessings to the children of our society.

With our heartfelt gratitude, we would like to thank the following for sharing your time, talents and treasures to the kids! Indeed, God is blessing you already as you give!

The 130 volunteers!
Our Medical Mission Doctors:
Dr. Ayz Ligot
Dr. Camille Mendoza
Dr. Hemetha Agnes-Lopez
Dr. Jay Ibanez
Dr. Eugenio Mondoc Jr.
Dr. Mitzi Andin
Dr. Nenita Sta. Inez
Dr. Karren Carnero
Dr. Lynn Silao
Dr. Shahdad Paul Valinia
Our Medical Mission Medical Aid and Nurses:
Donita Lopez
Don Lopez

Marikina Livelihood Center and Joan Vela and Cornelia Layosa for the talk for moms.
Volunteers from Christian Light Foundation headed by Ate Eva Palalay
Health Integrated Development Services Inc. for the medicines
Nangka Barangay Health Workers for the health assessment of the kids
Balubad Rescue Volunteers for security and ushering headed by Ka Rene
Siters of Charity Learning School and their students for the dance presentations
Kuya Ron Mariano and Kuya JB dela Cruz for the fantastic magic
Ambient Media for the permission to show RPG Metanoia

Our Sponsors:
Ava Samson of OTTO shoes for the slippers
Jill Ngo for the Toiletries
Atin Uysiuo for the fruits
Gavino de Leon and Pediatrica for the vitamins
Unilab for the medicines
Lani Lao for the Magic Flakes
Grace Rivera for the toys
Chezka Vidal, Kaka and Friends for the toothbrushes and toothpastes

The U! Happy Events’ Core Team: Kuya Harvard, Kuya JB, Ate Te, Kuya Glenn, Ate Malou, Ate Amy and Ate Shy!

All our Pledge Partners!

And our major partner Center for Emergency and Rehabilitation Inc. (CONCERN) especially to Kuya Eugene Orejas, Ate Rowena and Ate Mercy for planning, preparing and executing with us Mission Possible: Kids. Thank you for the opportunity to tap into Nangka community to share what we have for the the common goal of uplifting the society.

Thank you Lord for Your amazing grace that poured out from day 1! May more hearts be touched by your enormous love that it overflows and blesses more young children for Your greater glory!

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