Written by: Ate Ren dela Cruz, Board Member
For a lot of children, Christmas is a season easily described as one filled with gifts and love of family – where friends and relatives gather together and the kids experience a lot more giving than the usual. However this is not always the case, especially for those who live in orhpanages and who long for love and affection not just during the Christmas season but throughout the year. That is why we were delighted to hear that a team from the Philippine Army, headed by Sir Mike Pascua, wanted to reach out to kids and share their blessings to those who needed it most. It was one thing to be asked to do an outreach, and another to get the request from much-respected men and woman comprising the Philippine Army – which we were sure would be an even more inspiring experience for the children they would visit.
And so last December 11 we headed over to Nayon ng Kabataan, with our brave men and women from the Army displaying that not only were they courageous, but also filled with love and generosity as they gave back to 125 kids and spent an afternoon learning about them and spending time. We grouped the kids with the volunteers and asked everyone to bond through our Getting-to-know activity, which got everyone to open up and learn more about one another as they spent the day together. We also played games that filled the air with much laughter and excitement! To add to the entertainment, our Philippine Army team requested a magic show which we happily obliged to, courtesy of our resident U! Happy magician, kuya Koby. His performance delighted everyone and got them smiling and amazed.
Of course we didn’t let the day pass without mealtime, and gift-giving – which the Philippine Army truly prepared for. To cap off the heartwarming day, we made sure to take a group photo, and asked the kids to hug their new ates and kuyas as a sign of their thanks for giving them not just blessing in the form of gifts, but blessing in the hope that they too, could be living with such purpose and meaning like them as they grow up. Thank you, sir Mike and the Philippine team for inspiring the kids, and us!
