Written by: Ate C, U! Happy Core Member
Life begins at 40, they say. Perhaps, this holds true for Kuya Ernan Cantos who wanted to mark this milestone by celebrating his fortieth birthday with 40 children from Youth Mobilization in Barangay Wawa, Taguig. Together with his friend Kuya Jerome, Kuya Ernan sponsored his first outreach and shared his blessings to 40 Youth Mobilization kids – one child for every year of Kuya Ernan’s life.
Youth Mobilization is a youth ministry arm of Jesus King of Kings Community Church in Makati. It is currently headed by Kuya Mackie Custodio who has been working with the children of Barangay Puwang, Taguig to provide them development opportunities through educational programs and other community-based initiatives.
The U! Happy team came to the venue early to spend time getting to know the children of Youth Mob. Everyone was excited and was eager to meet their benefactor for the day, so when Kuya Ernan and Kuya Jerome arrived, we wasted no time to have them introduce themselves to the whole group. As a bonus, they both sang Christmas carols to further delight the kids.
They were then grouped with the children. Some of our core team members also happily joined other groups to assist other youngsters throughout the program. We gave them time to get to know their groupmates by sharing their names, their favorite Noche Buena food, and what they want to be when they grow up.
When the kids have warmed up to their kuyas and ates, all groups were assigned numbers as everyone was ready to get competitive for the games! We played the Banderitas Challenge, Cheese Ring Relay, and Arrange Yourselves. During the Cheese Ring Relay, the kids were all very cheery and excitement cannot be missed in the shouts of the children, but they were forced to hold their voices in, because they were not allowed to talk while arranging themselves according to given categories, in the Arrange Yourselves game.
When the games were over, everyone was given the opportunity to replenish their energy as the Kuyas and Ates started distributing the food. Kuya Ernan and Kuya Jerome, took this time to mingle and get to know the kids in their group better. We asked Kuya Ernan what his wishes were for his birthday, and he gave us three: that the kids will all be strong and healthy, that the kids’ Christmas wishes will come true, and that more sponsors will invest in the children of Youth Mobilization. It was very heartwarming to hear that Kuya Ernan’s wish was not at all for himself, but for the children of Youth Mob to have better lives.
When done eating, the kids thought the party was over, but that could not be farther from the truth, because they were still about to be mesmerized by Kuya Rico’s magic show! The children stared in amazement as Kuya Rico made things appear and disappear quicker than the kids could blink. He also invited some kids to join him in front and learn some magic tricks! When the magic show was over, he proceeded to entertain the children by bringing out a special guest – a puppet! Kuya Rico gave us a puppet show to give more fun and laughter to the children of Youth Mob, and to Kuya Ernan and Kuya Jerome who were enjoying the show as much as the kids.
After the show, the winning teams were given their prizes. Kuya Ernan and Kuya Jerome also distributed their gifts of Hunger Packs to all the children. These gifts will surely help fulfill Kuya Ernan’s wish for the children to be well-nourished with healthy food!
For the last leg of the program, we all huddled for group photos. The children also expressed their gratitude to Kuya Ernan and Kuya Jerome by giving them warm hugs and ”thank yous” as they bade goodbye.
It was truly a beginning of a life for Kuya Ernan, a life of positive impact as he selflessly shares his blessings to those in need. Thank you Kuya Ernan, and happy birthday!
