Written by: Kuya Justin Regino, Core Member
After five days of tiring work, most people would go for a shopping spree in the mall, a treat in their favourite restaurant, or watch the newest cinema film during weekends. But for Ate Ann, last Sunday of May 13th was unique. Not only was it our Mothers’ special day, but it was also Ate Ann’s belated birthday celebration with the children of Bahay Aruga.
Bahay Aruga is a half-way house that caters to Pediatric cancer patients, located in San Marcelino St., Ermita Manila. The objective of Bahay Aruga is to provide free accommodation for young patients, undergoing chemotherapy at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), who visit all the way from the provinces. As what we always say in our events, the best way to celebrate a happy occasion is by helping those in need. Ate Ann’s initiative of sharing her blessings with the beneficiaries of Bahay Aruga was the perfect way to contribute to the organization’s vision of providing a second home for children struggling with cancer.
The celebration was held at Shakey’s UN Avenue, Orosa branch and began at 11am in the morning. After coming from a mass, the children went straight to the venue to meet their new Ate’s and Kuya’s for the day. The kids were assembled into four groups of five and joined by one of Ate Ann’s friends and a U!Happy volunteer. They introduced themselves to each other by sharing their name, their favourite summer activity, and their dream job in the future. Afterwards, they came up with their own personalized group names such as Group Makulit, Group Malikot, Group Ex-Battalion, Group Magaling and Group Maganda.
To kick start the event, the first activity was a game called “Shoot that Ball”. Each group was given five pieces of paper cups and table tennis balls. As the name implies, the goal is to shoot the five balls into each of the paper cups by bouncing it off the table. The first group to finish in the shortest time possible, for two rounds, wins.
Despite the discomfort felt by some kids due to their condition, this game brought the mood of life, excitement and friendly competition to the room. All participants, including our volunteers and parents of the children, gave their all-out efforts in beating the clock. After four rounds of non-stop shooting and close calls, Group Malikot emerged victorious and was rewarded with finger puppet prizes for the kids.
For the next activity, the kids were greeted by Kuya Better, our guest performer for the day. Kuya Better is a ventriloquist, an entertainer who makes their voice appear to come from a dummy of a person or animal. Together with him was Tetet, the African Raccoon, and Junior, a six year old boy puppet. Their performance brought huge smiles and laughter to both the kids and volunteers. It was a mixture of jokes, sing-a-longs, and question & answer that piqued everyone’s curiosity and sense of humour.
After an hour worth of activities, the group was treated to lunch, care of our birthday celebrant. Ate Ann prepared a special treat for our kids, a friend chicken with rice, pizza, and mojos meal, just enough to fill their tummies. Unbeknownst to everyone, there was another guest awaiting our team for the day. The Shakey’s restaurant management showcased the appearance of Zappi the Pizzaman Mascot, upon seeing the happiness of our Bahay Aruga beneficiaries. Sammy visited each table and had their photo taken, as remembrance for this wonderful day.
As Zappy waived goodbye to the group, it was also time for our volunteers to bid farewell to the kids. Ate Ann distributed giveaways of food and snacks to our beneficiaries as a way of showing gratitude for all her blessings. Our event ended with a group photo and hugs of appreciation from our kids to our volunteers.
We’ve heard that even the smallest act of caring for another person is like a drop of water that makes ripples throughout the entire pond. Ate Ann is one of our previous volunteers who first experienced a U! Happy Event with the Children of 2KK Escopa last November 2017. She was inspired by this small act of volunteering to share her special occasion and give it more value through meaningful activities with our young cancer warriors. With more sponsors and volunteers making an impact in Filipino children, these gifts of kindness, like small ripples, can turn into tidal waves that can affect the lives of many.
Thank U! and Happy Birthday, Ate Ann! 🙂
