Written by Board Member, Ren dela Cruz
At U! Happy Events, we organize a great number of outreach events sponsored by awesome volunteers who are celebrating special occasions, most of which are birthdays. It is amazing to see how birthday blessings are extended even to kids who are in need. It was an extra special time for us last September 27 though, because not only was the birthday celebration of ate Rio Villamor an outreach for the kids of Nayon ng Kabataan in Mandaluyong, but her entire family was there to be hands-on at the event too!
We started off the afternoon by grouping the kids and volunteers, and asking them to get to know each other. Friends and relatives of ate Rio’s family were present, and were excited to get acquainted with the kids. Once done, a magic show commenced, hyping up the kids and kids at heart. To keep up the hype, we proceeded with our game, Pass the Message. This one was pretty exciting, as Kuya Harvard whispered the answer to kids in front of the line, and who had to pass the answer via acting out the answer, and passing it to all the rest in line. The winner of the game would be the team who got the most number of guesses right.
After several competitive rounds, we invited ate Blanca to do the accessory making workshop, which was friendship bracelets for the kids and volunteers. It was such a fun moment seeing everyone bonding over their craft making! A snack booth, ice cream booth, and cotton candy booth were also available for everyone to enjoy while doing their creations.
To cap off the event, the kids were given gifts and cupcakes courtesy of ate Rio and her family. Wishing ate Rio a happy birthday, everyone present also gave released their wish balloons up in the sky! The heartwarming afternoon was completed by a group photo, after which the kids and volunteers exchanged their thank you’d and good byes.
