Written by Core Team Leader, Ren dela Cruz
As the song “I’ll be home for Christmas” states, for many of us who celebrate the season, Christmas is that special time of the year which we get to spend with our loved ones at home—joyfully singing carols, eating Noche Buena, and opening the presents under our Christmas tree. However this is not the case for children currently confined in the hospitals this holiday, who are all away from home this time of the year, so they could get their much-needed treatment. That is why last December 23, through the generous sponsorship of Fujimi Filipino Catholic Community and NKKP Japan, U! Happy Events and our dedicated volunteers braved the Christmas rush traffic and went to the Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC) Pediatric Ward, to visit these sick yet adorable children who are very much in need of some Christmas cheer.
To start off the event, we gave the volunteers some time to get to know the 35 children currently confined in the ward due to different illnesses. Despite their ailment, the kids and their parents gamely chatted with the volunteers–telling them about themselves and their favorite holiday food. Excitement filled the air after the introductions portion, as a magic show was done courtesy of Kuya Kobe, who also called on one of the kids–Blake, to help him out with some of the fascinating tricks he was performing for the audience.
To energize everyone, we also called on some children and their parents in front to do a dance, which I was fortunate enough to lead along with one of our newest core team members, ate Mikel. Once everyone got on their feet and got pumped up, we called on Kuya (guy who sang) for a song performance. The song number was not an ordinary one though, as he made the audience guess the missing lyrics of several well-known Christmas songs. To end his portion, Kuya (name) sang “Ang Pasko ay Sumapit” and got everyone to sing along.
Of course no Christmas celebration would be complete without food and presents, which we gave out much to the delight of the children. We ended the festivities on a high note as the group posed for a picture, and the kids warmly hugged our volunteers for bringing the Christmas spirit to the halls of QMMC. Our sincerest thanks to the sponsors and volunteers for spreading the love this holiday not only to their family and friends, but to the children who need it most!
