Written by U! Happy Events’ Volunteer, Ate Camille Rosales
“Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others.”
Since Christmas is just around the corner; and blessings keep on pouring this holiday season, our team from BDO TBG – Fraud Management Unit decided to give back and share some of our blessings to the kids of AHA Learning Center in Makati. It is a free tutoring center for public school kids. With all the hustle and bustle that comes with the Christmas season, it can be a bit difficult to focus on the things that really matter to us. We get so caught up in the craziness of shopping, parties and presents that we tend to forget about the importance of blessing others as well.
This does not have to be something grand or costly, but when you take time out of your busy day to do something nice for other people, you’re not only blessing them but also bring something special on yourself. As the saying goes, “It’s better to give than to receive” – and this is really what sharing is all about. When you choose to bless others, you are also sharing the love of Christ. A simple act of kindness is never ever wasted.
Saturday, December 10, 2016, as we entered the venue, the children greeted us with a very warm welcome. Ate Te, our friendly host that time, started by introducing us to the kids. Then we also welcomed them back by dancing the PPAP song. Then each of us introduced ourselves by stating our name, and our favorite larong pinoy. After that, we started playing the boat is sinking for the groupings. I can say that the kids were really very hyper and their energy was super! As soon as we found our own group, each group was given the chance to get to know each other. The kids shared their favorite larong pinoy and what they want to be when they grow up. Most of them wanted to be a police. But this little boy in our group wowed us when he told us that he wants to be an astronaut and travel the space and the moon.
Of course, the event won’t be complete without games, which all of us enjoyed. We played several games like the Cheese Ring Relay and Pass the Charade. Everybody was so competitive and it’s really nice to see how the kids participated energetically in every single game, and how excited, thrilled, and happy they all were. The entire room was filled with laughter.
Food was served after the games. We had 1 pc. Chicken Joy with rice and a drink. And after that heavy lunch, our contractuals prepared a dance number for the kids. They danced the Jumpshot song by Darwin and we were surprised that the kids know the song. They were all singing along while some of them were dancing as well.
As a way of expressing our gratitude for all the blessings we received, we gave each kid a baon pack which they can also share with their family this Christmas. Everybody was ecstatic and seeing their smile on their faces really made our hearts melt and we could not help but to feel overjoyed and grateful that we were able to share a part of our blessings to these less fortunate kids.
Words are not enough to describe how elated we all were and most especially the kids. I would just like to quote what Denzel Washington said, “At the end of the day, it’s not about what you have or even what you have accomplished… It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.
