Written by: Kuya Justin Regino, Core Team Member
It was a hot and sunny afternoon on the 2nd day of September 2017. However, it did not prevent Ate Tin, a fine arts student from UP DIliman, to share her blessings and celebrate her 19th birthday with the children of Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid (2KK) in Escopa, Quezon City.
The event started at around 2pm and was held in Gawad Kalinga Tanglaw Court. Upon arrival of Ate Tin’s family and friends from school, all 31 children have already assembled, eager to meet their ate’s and kuya’s for the day. The kids, composed of 17 boys and 14 girls with ages ranging from 5 to 8, made the event fun-filled and very interactive.
As an ice breaker, the team played a little exercise entitled, “The Boat is Sinking”. The goal of this game is for all participants to group themselves according to the number specified by the facilitator. In the last round, they were asked to form five teams with two volunteers and five to six kids per group. Everyone was asked to sit with their respective groups and get to know each other by introducing themselves and sharing their favorite food. Afterwards, they came up with their own unique team names such as Team Power Rangers, Team Sinigang na Fillet, Team Yehey, Team GK, and Team Baymax.
The first game they played is called, “Bring Me Art”. Like the popular game, “Bring Me”, the first one to bring an item which the game master requests will be the winner. But to make things more interesting, Bring Me Art requires the group to cut out the item from colored papers. Both the volunteers and kids showcased their hidden talent for art by cutting out figures such as an apple, an undershirt or sando, a kite, and a castle. At the end of four rounds, Team Sinigang na Fillet emerged victorious, using not only their artistic skills but also their speed, precision and teamwork.
The second game they played is called, “Hula Hoop Relay”. To start the game, each team was asked to form a straight line and stand side by side each other. Then, while holdings hands, they must go through the hula hoop one by one until it reaches the last member. The first one who is able to relay through the hula hoop to the end of the line wins. Among all the games, this induced the competitive spirit of the participants. Everyone wanted to finish first. After several rounds, Team GK had the earliest finishes which gave them their first win.
The third game they played is called, “Replacements”. Per round, each team will send two representatives to look at a photo shown by the game master. Afterwards, they must replace or recreate the same photo using their remaining team members. The group who is able to paint the most identical picture, based on the judges’ discretion, wins. In every round, expressions of confusion and laughter were seen in the volunteers’ and the children’s faces. Though some photo’s required them to perform hilarious and awkward poses, the participants stuck to their role in the name of fun, bonding and friendly competition. Team GK was once again declared as the winner, after leaving the judges and other participants beaming with smiles, through their all-out effort in posing and facial expressions.
After three rounds of fun-filled games, it was now time for everyone’s favorite part: merienda. Ate Tin offered a healthy balanced meal of toast bread, and pancit with vegetables. This was the perfect snack to reenergize everyone after a series of tiring exercises. Shortly after, in order to conclude Ate Tin’s celebration, everyone gathered around to sing her a happy birthday. As a way of giving back for all her blessings during the past year, Ate Tin and the sponsors distributed giveaways to the kids consisting of school supplies and a special coloring book they created entitled “Magkulay at Magbigay”.
It was very heart-warming to see complete strangers sharing a special moment with each other. At a young age of 19, Ate Tin has taught us a valuable lesson that the purpose of life is to contribute to society and to make a difference in the quality of other people’s lives. The kids, in their own little ways, were also able to give back by imparting their joy, energy and child-like innocence to our maturing adult volunteers. With more sponsors like Ate Tin making an impact in Filipino children through meaningful activities and values integration, sooner or later, the country we live in will be the happiest place to be.
