Written by: Ate C, U! Happy Core Member
Christmas is truly a fascinating season for the feelings of merriment, love, and togetherness that come with it, and every year we look forward to December for the joy of celebrating it with our loved ones. Some people look beyond their friends and families and figure out ways to extend the spirit of Christmas to ones with no ability to pay them back. Ate Catherine Bitancor and her friends from Team Broncos did just that – they reached out to U! Happy Events again to be rays of hope and inspiration to 30 children from Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid (2KK) Escopa.
It was ten days before Christmas, and most of us would probably be busy preparing for various parties or doing our last-minute shopping for presents. However, for that day, we were about to do something special. We arrived at the venue to find 30 kids waiting for their Ates and Kuyas for the day. These children come from poor families in Escopa. 2KK helps these children by providing them educational opportunities and empowering them to someday be leaders in their communities.
When our sponsors arrived, we were ready to kick off the program, and they introduced themselves to the children, singing their names to a Christmas tune. They were then seated to get more acquainted with the kids. They spent some time learning about the children’s names, favorite Christmas food and their Christmas wish. When the children have become well at ease with their Ates and Kuyas, we assigned numbers to their teams to signal the beginning of our game.
Our first game was Fit the Team, where the whole team had to fit in a mat that was halved in every round. We were all laughing by the last round with how the remaining teams were able to fit eight team members in a square foot of paper. Our second game was cone relay, where every team member had to line the given cones and collect them again. The first team who finished the race wins. This was a very physical game, but everyone was very energetic and gave their best to win. Our last game, Speed Cone, was different because it was the kids versus our sponsors. Within a given time, the kids would topple the scattered cones while the volunteers would put them up. Our seemingly untiring children eventually won the game.
The game was followed by a performance from our magician, who wowed both the kids and the sponsors with an enchanting magic show. It was very fascinating to watch the wonder and awe on the innocent faces of children in such a moment, and it was a joy be able to provide them an experience they can share to their families and friends.
After the magic show, we started distributing the food so our Ates and Kuyas can continue getting to know their partner kids for the day over a filling lunch. Prizes were also given to the teams who won in the games. When everyone was done eating, our sponsors went ahead to give the loot bags they thoughtfully prepared for the children. Every child had a present to bring home and it was simply amazing to see how generous our sponsors were.
We huddled for photos before the children bid their farewell to their Ates and Kuyas with warm hugs. Thank you, Ate Catherine and Team Broncos for giving the 2KK Escopa children one very memorable Christmas!
