Written by: Kuya Carl Tan, Admin Officer
Colin is no stranger to outreach events, having previously attended events with U! Happy before. And this year, he decided to spend his birthday with the kids of Nayon ng Kabataan, along with his parents and his little brother Dylan.
Nayon ng Kabataan was not unfamiliar with Colin or his family either, with some of the kids having previously attended an event with Colin’s family before. Both the parents and children were recognized and greeted with gleeful smiles from the kids, with even a staff member remarking at Dylan’s growth from his last visit.
After a few introductions from Ate Amy, the kids formed 4 groups, and the program opened with a few warm up games in preparation for the Basketball Workshop arranged by the sponsors. After a few rounds of Beach Ball Relay that quite literally brought the kids closer together, the basketball workshop finally began. With basketball being the favorite sport of both father and sons, it made perfect sense for it to be the workshop of choice for today’s event.
Headed by Coach Dennis, the basketball workshop began with exercises without the balls such as relays, warm ups, and running exercises. Once it was time to practice with the balls, the energy and excitement from the kids increased further. The kids went through the exercises prepared by Kuya Dennis, including shooting, passing, and both offensive and defensive exercises. With balls bouncing, kids laughing, and whistles blowing, the court that day was filled with happiness as the kids worked up a sweat from basketball. The workshop concluded with the teams matched up against each other for a total of 2 games.
After the conclusion of the games, it was lunchtime. The kids were treated to delicious meals from KFC as well as shrimp courtesy of family friends. As the kids sat down and enjoyed their meals together, a surprise visitor came in the form of Colin’s grandparents who brought with them not only their joyous smiles and warm hearts, but also a special gift for the kids: a National Book Store Gift Certificate.
At the end of the program, Ate Amy and Kuya Dennis sat down to talk with the kids, remarking at how much it showed that they loved basketball. Ate Amy, being a former athlete herself, remarked at how perseverance, discipline, and determination were important factors in sports, citing an example that not even Steph Curry became a basketball star overnight, and that even until now, he works hard and trains hard to be as good as he is at the game. Kuya Dennis shared Ate Amy’s sentiments, and noted Dylan as an example of one who perseveres, with him playing in the game despite his minor injury.
After processing and collating the lessons and morals learned from the workshop, the family proceeded with the gift-giving. Along with the aforementioned gift certificates, the family also gave out basketballs to each kid, wrapping up what proved to be a blessed day for both the sponsors and the beneficiaries.
