Written by Core Team Leader, Richard Yatar
“Life begins at 40” is what most would say. By this age, people have traveled and experienced enough to know what they want for their lives. For our bubbly birthday sponsor, Kuya Mike Miranda, life begins everyday and that is why he decided to make last Saturday extra special not only for him but also for the beautiful kids from New Faith Family Home in Cainta.
What made it extraordinary was the participation of 40 energetic kids and the presence of Kuya Mike’s family and closest friends. Some of them actually didn’t know each other but all of them were colleagues and dear friends of Kuya Mike.
The core team started orienting the volunteers for the dos and donts during the whole event. After the orientation, Kuya Mike asked for a few minutes to thank everyone for spending their time with him. Unexpectedly, the man of the hour got emotional while thanking everyone. Everyone felt the sincerity and appreciation from Kuya Mike. Even though a part of those tears were from sadness, those tears from him made everyone see how happy and thankful he was.
To start, the core team divided the kids into four (4) groups namely Super Pabebe, Super Marvels, Supernaturals and Mighty Kids. Since the event’s theme was all about Heroes, the venue was full of colors. In fact, our guests were wearing superhero costumes and shirts. They also distributed props to the kids for them to be one with the theme. The first game played was a mind exercise called Hero Trivia. The core team asked questions and all answers were superheroes which the groups had to act out. Everyone was so proactive and competitive that it looked like they didn’t have a hard time at all. After that, the next activity was a physical challenge. U! Happy invited Kuya Japs, a dance instructor, to shake their bodies and stimulate their hearts and breathing after an intense mind exercise. It was fun because most of the steps were patterned from superhero signature poses. What made it more fun was that our kids were unstoppable and tireless. All the songs we danced to were modern ones that’s why our kids truly enjoyed the aerobics session.
Lastly, the most exciting part of the day was the art session wherein they designed and made their own superhero costume. Kuya Mike distributed plain shirts to everyone. They had markers and sample logos which they used to design their shirts. Of course, we invited an art master to assist our kids to have better and more colorful outputs. In only a short span of time, they were all able to finish their designs. What was great to see was the collaboration between the kids and their ates and kuyas. They all wore their shirts after they finished designing them. To add more spice to their costumes, Kuya Mike also prepared capes for everyone which made the whole venue filled with colors.
Of course a party wouldn’t be party without a sumptuous treat. But before they started eating, the party was graced by every kid’s favorite mascot – JOLLIBEE! Kuya Mike made everyone’s tummy happy with all the food that he distributed to the kids. He even prepared a candy/sweets buffet for everyone. We had doughnuts, chocolate bars, candies and many more.
It was indeed a happy day for everyone. Kuya Mike gave gifts to all kids before they left. The kids were very thankful for making their Saturday special. But for sure, what our kids didn’t know was that they even made someone happier, and it was Kuya Mike. Everyone especially his friends were all thrilled to see Kuya Mike’s sincerity and happiness. Another hero was truly born that day.
