Written by: Ate Char Tan, Vice President-External
It was a meaningful event as we celebrated the birthday of Ate Corz. Almost teary-eyed, the event was close to her heart as it was also a way to remember her father. She chose to celebrate with the children of Bahay Aruga, whom at a young age has to go through an uphill battle. Bahay Aruga is a halfway house for children with cancer. These children had to travel all the way from the province for their scheduled chemotherapy at Philippine General Hospital (PGH). It takes a toll on the kids and their mothers who are also struggling financially. Bahay Aruga provides a home for the kids and their parents so they can focus on their treatment. Mortality rate of the children have been increasing due to the support of Bahay Aruga. The home is located in San Marcelino Manila and is headed by Miss Mayet.
We welcomed the children and their parents at Jollibee, Taft Ave where Ate Corz and her friends and family eagerly waited for them. Ate Corz was joined by her friends from her profession as a lawyer, most of whom were friends since their law school days in De La Salle University. We introduced Ate Corz and her friends to the kids and their parents then they joined the children in their groups.
To start the activities we grouped everyone into four. The first group was Team Lloyd, named after one of the volunteers Kuya Lloyd. The second group was Team Bubbles of Ate Mae-Mae, the third group was Team Avengers of Ate Corz, and the fourth group was Team Hashtag of Kuya Hermie. The volunteers got to know the children in their groups by asking their names and favorite food. Most of the kids said their favorite food was chicken, especially Jollibee’s chicken joy.
After getting to know one another we had our first activity, the Puzzle Game. Each team was given one puzzle. The first team that finished first got a point. We then rotated the puzzles onto the next team so the kids got to try different puzzles. Team Lloyd got the first point really fast but eventually all the teams caught up. In the final around it was Team Bubbles who got the most points and won the game.
The second activity we did was Bring Me Art. Teams were given colored papers and we named items which they had to cut out. The challenge was all the kids had to hold the item and the volunteers had to help them cut or fold. Teams were very competitive as we asked them to cut out shapes like heart, birthday cake, lifesaver, Jollibee, children holding hands and others. Some teams were very creative as they were able to cut out a group of children holding hands and shredded paper that resembled Jollibee fries. In the end Team Lloyd won the game.
The next activity we had as Balloon Twisting. Ate Divine created shapes from balloons as the children guessed what it was. The one who guessed first got to keep the balloon. The volunteers kept answering so fast so they could win he balloon for their kids. Ate Divine made cute items like poodle and sword. She also created big items like machine gun and bouquet of flowers. The kids had so much fun guessing the items.
We then had the Art Workshop by Ate Nikki. She taught the kids how to make puzzle on popsicle sticks. The kids had to first put together huge popsicle sticks and those were to be their canvas. Ate Nikki then gave out drawings of sea animals for them to choose from. There were whale, turtle, seahorse, shark, shell, and others. The volunteers also helped them draw on the canvas. The drawings turned out really nice. Ate Corz gave out storybooks as prizes to the kids whom she picked as best drawings. The kids from the winning groups in the earlier games also got prizes.
After all the fun it was time for everyone to enjoy a Jollibee lunch. The volunteers ate with the kids and parents as we enjoyed our chicken joy and pineapple juice. Ate Corz then gave out loot bags, pillows, and other treats for the kids. We sang a Happy Birthday song for Ate Corz as she thanked everyone for celebrating her birthday with her. We had our group photo as she blew out her birthday candle and said our goodbyes to the kids of Bahay Aruga.
