Written by Core Team Leader, Jap Paragsa
Last August 21, we visited Sparrow Music Learning Center in Payatas, Quezon City to celebrate Kuya Romeo’s birthday. We were joined by 27 kids from the Center with some of their parents/guardians in the audience. The afternoon was filled with high energy and excitement since it was the first time for us to visit the Center and interact with their kids.
Together with Kuya Romeo’s friends and other volunteers, the event was made as interactive and fun as it can be which started with a creative introduction of the volunteers. This aims to loosen up and make everyone comfortable before the actual program. The volunteers were assigned to different groups so they can get to know the kids more personally and interact better. After everyone has completed the introduction and came up with their group name, we prepared them for the game of the day, “Show me your face”. This game aims for the participants to express different emotions/feelings through their face. And these kids did not disappoint. We may have some budding young actors in the bunch.
We wanted to push further their inclination to the arts, so we brought Kuya Eric to facilitate a Face-painting Workshop. He walked the kids through the creation of their first ever face-paint masterpiece. I must say, for their age, they have real potential. Of course, the workshop will not end without Kuya Eric showing off his talent by painting the face of all the kids with various designs and patterns which they surely loved.
The kids and volunteers bonded more while sharing a meal and a lot of “groupies”. We also took this time to distribute the gifts and tokens to the kids which they can use for school. While the some kids were busy going through their gifts, some were already preparing for the music performances. They are not a Music Learning Center for nothing after all. Everyone in the audience was happily applauding all performances because what we have seen is real raw talent. With a little more time and experience, I’m sure they can be Pros.
After the activity, I spent a little time with Kuya Ferdie Medina (Founding/Executive Director) to get more details about the Center. The center started with a summer program in March 2014 with a vision of transforming the lives of the children of Payatas through music. At present, there are 48 kids (8-14 years old) who are currently part of the different programs in the Center. Some of these programs include music education, tutorials, feeding, life skills and character development, bible study and healthcare/medical missions. The Center also aims to get college scholarship grants for their students to sustain the program and hopefully change the lives of the kids for good.
It’s very inspiring to meet people like Kuya Ferdie and Kuya Romeo who share the same passion for true volunteerism and do whatever they can to positively influence the lives of marginalized children. Kudos to both you and to everyone who share the same values and passion!
