Written by Secretary, Glenn Costales
Since 2006, U! Happy Events has been blessed with over 370 interactive and fun-filled events. The group finds joy not just in being able to reach out to marginalized children, but also in providing an avenue for our younger generation to step up to this cause. Ate Tisha Soliven is one of these inspiring young people as she chose to celebrate her birthday with the kids of Bahay Maria Orphanage.
Located in Makati City, Bahay Maria provides shelter to abandoned and surrendered children from different communities. U! Happy Events is no stranger to the kids here with a number of events already in the books for this year alone. Aside from her supportive parents, Ate Tisha also brought along her friends to join in on her birthday celebration. Several volunteers likewise showed up to participate in the event.
As always, the kids were just brimming with energy even before the event got started. After everyone settled down into groups, the kids and volunteers spent the next few minutes getting to know each other.
The event then proceeded with its first game – Pyramid Cups. The groups were given 45 cups each which they had to assemble into pyramids of different sizes. The game sure did not lack excitement as the groups attempted to stack and re-stack their pyramids to get the right number of cups and the exact sizes being asked for.
Next up was the Banderitas Challenge. In this game, the groups were given colored papers which they had to cut into banderitas and glue to a piece of string. One team eventually emerged the winner after cutting and gluing the most number of banderitas in the time allotted.
The 3rd and final game of the day was called the Shoot Me game. Once again, paper cups were used in this U! original. The teams were given 6 Ping-Pong balls each which they had to bounce off the floor and shoot in the cups assembled a few feet away. The kids channeled their inner finesse as they tried to direct the balls gently into the cups. One team soon made all 6 Ping-Pong balls and came out the winner.
U! believes in being able to tap the creativity and resourcefulness in kids. A lot of the games played during events use everyday items and it still certainly provides enjoyable and unique amusements for children.
After the 3 games, lunch was served with the volunteers and kids spending some more time talking with each other over the hearty meal. The entire group then gathered for a final photo to cap off the day’s celebration. The day finally concluded with Ate Tisha handing out her gifts to the joyful kids of Bahay Maria.
U! again thanks Ate Tisha, her parents, and all the volunteers for their support. We hope that the day’s experience continues to inspire everyone to recognize that there is always an opportunity to be a blessing to other people.
