Sparkonomicks at GT Toyota

Last Saturday’s event was the National Youth Congress 12: The Millennial Puzzle, The State of the Philippines, Piece by Piece. The convention is held annually at the University of the Philippines (U.P.) It was hosted by the UP Economics Society and UP School of Economics Student Council. NYC is a nationwide economics convention for high school students. The theme of this year’s convention is to see the Philippines under the lens of the millennium development goals as it surges towards sustainable development. Today was the first day held at GT Toyota Building in the UP Diliman campus. U! Happy Events was one of the NGO partners for this year.

There were hundreds of delegates who attended the event. These are student leaders and teachers from high school all over the country. It is inspiring to see our youth being molded into great leaders of our future.

As it was the first day the students were starting to arrive for the registration. They were given IDs and the official NYC shirts. After that they can visit the U! Happy events booth where we offered face painting. The students enthusiastically had their faces painted of their favorite superheroes, musical instruments, a funny mustache, and others.

I was able to talk to some of the delegates. Some of those I talked to came from Philippine Science High School Cebu. It was interesting to know there was a lot of activities planned for them for the weekend. As they were from Cebu they flew in a day earlier to visit their campus in Metro Manila before the convention started. I also talked to some of the student organizers and one of them said he used to be a delegate when he was in high school and now he’s part of the team that made the event possible.

As the delegates visited our booth we had the opportunity to invite these young leaders to join our volunteering events. They showed interests and asked questions about what kind of activities we have. We were able to discuss with them what U! Happy Events is about and inspire them to participate with us as we reach out to children of communities with lesser opportunities. We go to orphanages, schools, hospitals, and communities and create unique activities for these children. I was able to talk about the mural paintings we did, ice skating activity, as well as our range of workshop options like art, acting, singing, and dancing.

One of our core team leaders, Kuya XP, is an alumni of UP. He used to be part of the UP Economics Society. Few years back he was part of the organizing team for the NYC. Now he’s one of the core leaders for U! Happy Events. It’s was nice to see him be reunited with his previous org-mates during the event. It was also fulfilling to know that U! Happy Events serves as inspiration to our future leaders.

Yorkhill Children's Charity Ball, Glasgow 2015

Tables are now on sale for one of Glasgow’s most prestigious fundraising events, The Yorkhill Children's Charity Ball. Now in its 9th year The Yorkhill Children's Charity Ball has raised more than £800,000 to help support Scotland’s sick children and their families.
Hosted by TV and Film Star Alex Norton, join the glitz and glamour and enjoy a sparkling welcome drinks reception, 4 course meal and star auction. There will also be first class entertainment including special performances by GAMTA and Scottish Soprano Nicola Cassells.

Money raised from the Yorkhill Children's Charity Ball will help us to fund the purchase of a state of the art cardiac scanner, the first of its kind in the UK, for the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow.

Tables of 10 are £1,100 and are selling fast.

The Yorkhill Children's Charity Ball 2015 is extra special as this will be the first since our move to the new Royal Hospital for Children. Our home may have changed but our mission remains the same. We aim to ensure that Scotland’s sick babies, children and young people receive the best care and experience possible and you can help us achieve this.

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Source: http://www.yorkhill.org/

Ate Issa & Dr. Guy’s Christmas Tree Making with Children of Infanta, Quezon

This is probably the most memorable birthday celebration that I could think of – I was in a mountain province with my closest friends doing an outreach event for kids and after that, explored a rainforest starting from 700 feet above mountain going below.

It was a blessing that I was able to speak to my friend, Dr. Guy Paguio, about my plan to do an outreach for kids on my birthday. Since we have the same special day, he immediately said he was approved of my idea and he is very much willing to partner with me. He said he recently bought a new place in Infanta Quezon and there is a school nearby called Little Baguio where we can have an outreach. We carefully planned everything from activities to be done to people involved. Considering I’m part of U! Happy Events, I decided to make this outreach part of ours. It was my vision to bring us to a different level- to partner with communities that are not being reached out yet. So on November 11,2015, my church friends together with Art teacher Ate Blanca Fuentes and Kuya Ed Crisostomo, we braved to go up in Infanta Quezon.

When we got there, Dr. Guy was already there greeting us with his wife, Paz, and some of their friends from CCF. The kids were 45 in number so we divided them into 5 teams, each team named after an animal namely, Leon team, cat team, tiger, team, dragon team and dog team. The teachers of the students were also there so we decided to included them along with the volunteers so they can have fun with the kids. To start of, Dr. Guy led the prayer and thanked God for all the blessings that we have received and for blessing the activities that we are going to do that morning.

After that, one of the volunteers, Kuya Ariel, led the praise dance in the song ” Let’s go”. He taught the kids the proper way of dancing for the Lord. The thing is, there is no electricity in the area. Imagine what luxury we have and how simple their life can be up there. Knowing the condition, Dr. Guy brought out his wireless speaker so every kid can hear the music. Kuya Ariel did a pretty good job as all the kids and even the teachers were dancing to the beat of the song. It was their first time to do a praise dance. We are very glad that the Lord was being glorified in the event. After that, we led the kids inside the classroom. It was time for our next activity- cheese ring relay game.

The game is to transfer the cheese ring using a straw from one end to another. I officiated the activity. As soon as we started, the area was filled with laughter and so much noise. After a while, we awarded Leon team as the winners who were able to transfer 4 rings. Then it was time for the art workshop headed by Ate Blanca. Since Christmas time is very near, she taught the children how to make a paper Christmas tree. Everyone was very excited to make one including the volunteers.

As soon as everyone were done, Ate Blanca picked 5 best artworks, one for each team. The winners were given prizes respectively and had their photo taken with me and Ate Blanca. It was nearing lunch but we prepared another exciting but short activity for them- storytelling with Kuya Ariel. Kuya Ariel made a very nice visual presentation to better illustrate and explain God’s creation. As Kuya Ariel were discussing, the kids were seen to be all listening attentively. They seemed to be amazed by how wonderful God’s creation is. Thanks to Kuya Ariel for his dedicated heart for God and for the children. Because of that activity, the children learned how to take care God’s creation.

After that, it was time for lunch. We distributed meals from Jollibee and cupcakes for dessert. During the distribution, Dr. Guy taught the kids how to say thank you every time they receive something. Also during lunch, I make the most of time by discussing to the kids how to have a proper hygiene. I pointed out to them the different uses of toilet materials we are distributing later on.

After eating, with the help of Kuya Andy and some teachers, we gave away the toilet set give always. The kids were all very happy. It’s so heartwarming to see that their smiles are very precious and pure, they are not used to receiving a lot of things. Truly, the spirit of Christmas was present in the area. Before we hugged everyone and said our goodbyes, we had a group photo at the field overlooking the magnificent view of mountain province. This is an experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Everyone were so blessed to be part of that event and were looking forward to having another one. Thanks to the wonderful team who was with me during that time, to Uhappy events for supporting me and for Dr. Guy, my co-birthday celebrant for his kind accommodation and amazing heart of service.

Volunteer Opportunities in Los Angeles

Pick one of these volunteer opportunities in Los Angeles to donate your time, money and more to local charities in need

LA is an amazing place, and we have lots of reasons to be thankful for living here. We also have a responsibility to take care of our city—its people, animals, trees, beaches and more. If you're looking for ways to give back, volunteer opportunities in Los Angeles abound. Start your charity work by choosing from our list of some of the best places to feed the needy, from Santa Monica to Downtown Los Angles and even in the SGB.

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Source: http://www.timeout.com/

Ate Chessika and Ate Ram’s Ice Skating with CCT Puypuy

What makes you HAPPY? 

The usual question that many of us couldn’t find the answer, still. But I am beyond grateful to have discovered the answer a year ago. Yes! A year ago when I’ve started to become a volunteer for the children.

With busy lives, it can be hard to find time to volunteer. Why would you want to spend your time doing things for someone else, when there are so many really good things you need to do for yourself and people you care about? When you have to work forty hours a week, or more, just to make your end meet your other end? Why on earth would you want to do more work? I remember someone asked me, “Hindi ka ba napapagod sa ginagawa mo? Hindi ka naman binabayaran, nauubos pa oras mo.” (Don’t you get tired of volunteering? You don’t even get paid and your time is just wasted).

WHY?

Because volunteering has a very special power that many people don’t realize until they actively start volunteering. That power may best be described as “happiness”. As a volunteer, I find that the events we execute do not make me tired. In fact, these activities motivate me to do everything else in my life, in a very happy way.

Volunteer work is love. It allows me to love the people I’m working with and for. I think that many of us do not love enough and are not loved enough in return. We may begin to feel we’re not that important or that we just aren’t contributing in our lives. I believe that volunteering lets us give the love we have, get love in return, and know we matter.

Since the day that I have attended my first volunteer event, I’ve always set a “giving-back day”, usually on Saturdays. I do this not because “I have to” but because “I want to.” Volunteering makes my heart happy. And I’m sure it will make your heart happy too! :)

When I celebrated my birthday last March, U! Happy Events helped me to organize an Acting Workshop with the kids of Bahay Maria. But, it doesn’t stop there! Now that I’m celebrating my 1st year anniversary as a volunteer, I thought of having another event for the kids! Birthdays celebrate life. Therefore, volunteerism should also be celebrated because it gives meaning to life.

I’ve always wished to become a Figure Skater and though I wasn’t able to pursue that dream, I wanted the kids to experience the dream of being an Ice Princess as well! A dream that turned into a reality last November 8, 2015 with the children from Center for Community Transformation (CCT).

At first, I was concerned that some of the kids were slipping and falling inside the rink. But I was amazed when they became very independent after some time. Whenever we (with fellow volunteers) tried to hold the kids’ hands, they will just say “Ate, okay na po. Marunong na ako, kaya ko na po!” (Ate, no need to guide me. I’m an Ice Princess, I can do it already!) Made me even happier that for each time I asked the kids “Are you happy?”, it felt like I don’t even need their answers anymore—the smiles, laughter, and fun say it all.

After the Ice Skating fun, we had a quick but a hearty meal for everyone’s lunch! The “Little Figure Skaters” also received school supplies and toys to keep their dreams in school and back home. I asked one of the children’s guardians, “Ate, nag-enjoy naman sila?” (Ate, did the kids had fun?) She answered, “Yes! The kids were too excited that they woke up at 12midnight and waited ‘til morning already! They were up all night!” Hearing those words made my heart smile and my soul, the happiest.

The Ice Skating event finished with big hugs from these children! My happy ears received a lot of “Thank you’s” too! To be honest, I’ve never imagined how a simple “Thank you” can actually make me feel fulfilled, happy, grateful, all at the same time. It’s probably the best “Thank you!” in my life!

Taking this chance to thank U! Happy Events and Kuya Harvard for organizing this event with me and for creating other activities to make the children happy, to the Core Team for dedicating their time and hearts for this activity, to other volunteers for having the will to serve (keep it up! Yess!), and thank you CCT for loving us in return! :)

Also, this event has been made possible through the help of my dear friend Ate Ram. She lives abroad but her helping hands know no distance. She kept on checking, “How was the event?” “Is everything okay?” “Everybody’s happy?” I will forever be thankful to have friends like her! Ate Ram is a proof that anyone can find a way to help whatever the circumstances are. Anyone can be a blessing to others!

Just imagine the collective impact we could have in creating a better world if each of us volunteered a little more often. Not only can our efforts help to make our community a better place for all, but volunteering can lead to a happier and more fulfilled life for us too! That’s the power of volunteering; it doesn’t just help those in need.

So, “What makes me happy?”

Love, the power of giving, life and not just living —everything I get from volunteerism. Being a volunteer makes me happy. :)

“When I was 5 years old, my mom always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”

Happiness that started a year ago, and will surely last forever. It is forever with U! Happy Events, indeed.

Brick Donation Keeps Sick Children Entertained

LEGO® fans Mohammed Ghouri (8) and Abigail Curwen (11) were delighted to receive a huge donation of LEGO® on behalf of Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

The Birmingham youngsters who are both patients on Ward 7 (a general medical ward), were presented with £2,500 worth of LEGO® from Fairy Bricks, which will be shared out to children of all ages across the hospital to entertain them during their treatment.

Fairy Bricks, a charity set up to give LEGO® to children in hospitals all over the UK, dropped off 125 LEGO® sets to the city centre hospital – funded by the generous donations from visitors to BRICK 2015, the UK’s biggest LEGO® show, held at Birmingham’s NEC. Members of the charity also surprised staff and patients with a Lego replica model of the hospital.

Sue Davies, Play Lead at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, said: “We are overwhelmed with this year’s LEGO® donation and cannot thank Fairy Bricks enough. This will bring hours upon hours of fun playtime for our children and young people. Play is very important for all children while at hospital and is such a key part in their overall treatment and recovery.”

The LEGO® model of the hospital, measuring 51cm by 38cm was constructed in just two days using almost 3,000 LEGO® parts.

Kev Gascoigne, Chief Fairy at Fairy Bricks, said: “As soon as we knew we would be part of BRICK 2015 at the NEC it was clear that with our policy of linking local fundraising to local hospitals, a long overdue visit to Birmingham Children’s Hospital needed to happen.

“We cannot thank the people of Birmingham enough for their support. Without their generosity at the event this donation wouldn’t have been possible. The reception given to us by the staff, parents and children at the hospital was phenomenal and I’ve no doubt this won’t be our last visit!”

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Source: http://brickshowslive.com/

Ate Ish Celebrates with SOS Children’s Villages

Birthday celebrations become more meaningful when one celebrates it among those who truly appreciate it. For this year, Ate Ish’s birthday wasn’t celebrated like any regular birthday party — she celebrated her birthday with her family and friends and the kids from SOS Children’s Village in Alabang with a total of 30 kids and 24 volunteers.

To start the celebration, we divided the kids and volunteers into 5 groups for them to have some time getting to know each other. After that, we had a few games that showed everybody’s competitiveness, and yet despite losing, still showed good sportsmanship. We then had a bubble show where kids really enjoyed. They were amazed at how the bubbles got bigger and bigger every time, and they even had the chance to be put inside it.

After the games and bubble show ended, everyone ate together in groups, sharing their stories to one another. Ate Ish also prepared special gift packs for the kids in SOS and these were given away after they had their meals. Ate Ish was co-celebrating her birthday with 4 other friends plus one of the kids in SOS. They were all called in front and the whole group sang on top of their lungs as they blew out their candles in their individual birthday cakes in a bottle.

Two gallons of ice cream went by very quickly as well. After all the festivities, we had a group photo and everyone had to bid their Ate’s and Kuya’s goodbye. This special day will not only be a special memory in the hearts of the celebrants but to those who took part in the celebration.

Save the Children CEO: It's Time for Better Charity Fundraising Regulation

The fact that charity fundraising is currently embroiled in controversy won’t have escaped anyone’s attention. The allegations that members of the public have been pressurised into making donations is something I take very seriously as a charity leader. There is a problem that needs fixing.

Supporters – donors and volunteers – are the beating heart of British charities. The relationship between them and the organisations they support has to be one of mutual trust and respect.

We have to continue to make the case to the British public about why we should help
The time has come for better regulation over how charities fundraise from the public. We need one strong body to regulate charity fundraising, like the Advertising Standards Association, rather than the current confused structure. And, there needs to be sanctions against any charity which fails to meet the new standards set. That could include publishing mistakes on our own websites, like newspapers do, to show when we have been found wanting.

But there is a balance. The donations provided by the public are a lifeline to many in need – in our case it helps families who are caught up in wars and natural disasters. It is our role as charities to strike the right balance between raising much-needed funds and ensuring that every member of the public who wants to help feels respected and valued.


This is why Save the Children has chosen to make a promise to our supporters. Our Supporter Promise, launched last week, gives people greater control over how they donate and ensures that no one is aggressively targeted. The promise guarantees no telephone cold calling to members of the general public, no sharing or selling of individual’s details and allows supporters to choose how they are contacted. If they never want to hear from us again, or only want to be contacted by text or email, we will honour those wishes.

This could cost us money in the short-term. But what is most important to Save the Children, is that we maintain the trust and confidence we have built over 95 years.

Charities are being increasingly relied upon. As our annual report out this week reveals, we worked on 97 emergencies in 54 countries last year – up from 88 the year before. From Syria to Ebola to South Sudan, millions of children urgently needed our help.

In more than a quarter of a century working in the humanitarian sector, 2014 was one of the hardest years I’ve seen. And, in light of funding cuts I know that it was challenging for the voluntary sector as a whole.

Meeting this challenge is a huge stretch. The voluntary sector must continue to make the case to the British public about why we should help those in need and how, with their support, we can do it. I have seen for myself the difference we can make, whether it’s at a classroom for Syrian refugee children in Lebanon who haven’t had the chance to go to school for four years or at a treatment centre for Ebola victims in Sierra Leone. These are things our donors, whether they are major philanthropists or people giving £5 a month, have made possible.

At Save the Children, we have a vision of a world where no child dies of preventable causes and every young person has the chance to learn. In order to achieve this, we will continue to seek new partners and new supporters to change the world together. But we cannot do it without the generosity and support of the general public. My charity, and the rest of the voluntary sector, need them with us as we fight for a better world for everyone.

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Source: http://www.theguardian.com/

Ate Nycel and Ate Mac’s Accessory Making with Children’s Joy Foundation

Together we’re creating a bigger dent as we establish more opportunities to marginalized children through events. As of this writing, U! Happy Events is about to hit 200 events just for 2015. We are only able to accomplish such task with more sponsors generously giving their time, talents and treasures to our cause. Case in point, are sisters Ate Nycel and Ate Mac Ramiro. They celebrated their birthday with their families, close friends and orphans of Children’s Joy Foundation.

Ate Nycel was the one who coordinated with me. I felt her eagerness through email as she had so much questions and replied to my answers quick. I haven’t met Nycel yet but I felt her positive energy online. Most of our sponsors we meet through the events already. The word of mouth about our services have traveled. She heard about us through another sponsor, Kuya Anton Darlucio. Coincidentally, he will be celebrating his 2nd event in Children’s Joy Foundation as well next week.

It was a jam packed afternoon filled with enriching activities. After getting to know each one, we had two games: Beach Ball Relay and Let it Go. Beach balls found itself in between pairs as they traverse a chair in front of them. In the next game, balloons were blown and let go in the air.

Accessory making gave time for everyone to take a breather and listen to Ate Blanca. The girls were thought how to design headbands while boys made their own bracelets using felt paper. As I watch from a distance, I saw every Ate and Kuya giving their all in making sure they create masterpieces together with children.

Final activity stop was Zumba. Ate Rissa, a certified instructor was joined by the sisters’ mom, Ate Maricel. They both head the front and got the crowd moving all parts of their body. I couldn’t help but join their very enticing steps. Ate Nycel did her best to copy while sister Ate Mac was a natural.

As meals were served including cupcakes, the kids also prepared their personal and touching thank you song for the adults. As they sing, the sisters sat and were greeted a Happy Birthday as well. They even got personal letters from the kids.

Thank you once again to our dear sisters. We look forward to seeing you and your circles to our events!

Children with Cancer Ball

The 2015 Christmas party season started on Saturday 14th November with a spectacular evening of entertainment - and even more spectacular fundraising!

Later this week we'll have all the photos to show you, stories of extreme generosity and the grand total of how much was raised to help children with cancer.

A spectacular evening of entertainment

A champagne reception in the stunning Great Room of the Grosvenor House Hotel put everyone in the perfect mood for this lovely evening.

As ever, there was a spectacular night of entertainment. Our very funny host for the evening was comedian Al Murray. Fantastic tribute acts The Bootleg Beatles and Paul Metcalf as Rod Stewart performed and we danced into the small hours with DJ's The Nextmen and everyone's favourite danceband, Rollacoaster!

With a delicious three course dinner, exclusive auction items and contributions from a host of celebrity guests and stars of the stage and screen, this year’s event was as magical as ever!

Why your support is important

A complete hush fell over the Great Room as Claire Rumble told us about her son Louis' diagnosis of leukeamia and how it affected her whole family.

You can watch Claire and Louis' story below.

Standard Chartered Bank’s Fitness Workshop with Habitat for Humanity

Today’s event was held at a Habitat for Humanity project at the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) complex in Taguig. The multi-story residential development was completed in 2008, where homes were handed over to 96 families. The Habitat home families used to be part of an urban informal settlement that had formed at the FTI complex. The three-story housing project is now a place they can call home. We were fortunate to be given the opportunity to spend some time with the children in this community.

The volunteers from today’s event were from Standard Chartered Bank mostly from the Taguig branch.

It was a dynamic Saturday as we planned energetic activities for the kids. We started by introducing the volunteers to the kids. The volunteers spelled their names using body language. Then we grouped the kids and volunteers so they can get to know each other. They talked about their favorite sport, food, and color.

We then moved on to the fitness workshop by our fitness trainer Kuya Joshua Berin. He started with the warm up exercises. He asked them to so some stretches and jumps to start off. He then gave a specific animal that the volunteers and kids had to act out. For instance, he said frog, and everyone had to jump up and down mimicking the animal. Kuya Josh then said penguin and they had to walk like one. Another animal he gave was monkey and everyone was laughing while mimicking the animal.

They then did some leg workouts by doing squats while holding the balloon in front of them.

After the hard work came the fun. We did the super fun calamansi relay. Each member of the group had to hold a spoon with the calamansi and run all the way to the chair in front and go around it. The challenge was to be as fast as they could without dropping the calamansi. Everyone was cheering and encouraging their teammates to be fast so they can win.

We had our last game which was balloon relay. The first member of the team had to pass the balloon to the person behind them and then the next and so forth. When the balloon reached the last person he had to run to the front of the line and pass the balloon to the person behind. The members had to keep passing and running to the front until their line reached the front finish line. After the intense fitness and games everyone had to cool down a bit. We then gave the food and story books to the kids as they said their thank you to the ates and kuyas for spending time with them.

Variety Children's Christmas Party

The annual Variety Children’s Christmas Party has been running for almost 30 years and in its time has welcomed over 140,000 children through its doors.

The annual Variety Children’s Christmas Party is especially for children who may have an intellectual or physical disability, terminal illness or come from a low socio economic background.

The annual Christmas Party brings together over 5,000 disadvantaged children plus 3,000 carers, family members and volunteers on the day.

The Christmas Party gives these special children the opportunity to experience something many of us take for granted – a Christmas Party that gives a break from the stresses and strains of everyday life, unconditional acceptance and a chance to be surrounded by family and friends. It is a day of celebration with the children enjoying live entertainment, activities, carnival rides, interactive displays and all-ability rides.

Santa and his helpers ensure it’s a Christmas to remember and that EVERY child receives a present and show bag to take home on the day!  There is no cost to the children and their carers to attend this event.

This year we celebrate the 29th Variety Children’s Christmas Party. Each year the demand is growing and we need your help so that as many children as possible can attend this very special day. Over the years Variety has welcomed in excess of 135,000 children to this special event.

Variety receives no government funding and relies on the generosity of the community to enable us to put on events such as this. We are eagerly seeking funding to help us continue this happy Christmas tradition in 2015.

This year the Children's Christmas Party will be held on Thursday December 10 2015.
For more information, call us on (03) 8698 3900 or VarietyAtWork@varietyvic.org.au

Our thanks go to everyone who contributes to help make a difference in the lives of sick, disadvantaged and special needs children. Thank you:

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Source: https://www.variety.org.au/

Cathay Pacific’s Baking Workshop with CCT Pasay

It was an afternoon of firsts as it was our first time partnering with both CCT Waterhope and Cathay Pacific. For this morning’s event our sponsors were from the departures department of Cathay Pacific. Their group chose to spend their off days bonding with the kids of this community. CCT stands for Center for Community Transformation. It is a Christian group that focuses on poverty and social injustice. It currently operates in 49 cities all over the Philippines. Waterhope in Gamban Pasay is a collaborative social enterprise that addresses the social needs of its communities. One of its goals is to provide safe, clean, and affordable drinking water to the communities. CCT Waterhope was launched in August 2010. It is operated by Waterhope’s NGO partner CCT.

We started the day with an ice breaker. Some of the volunteers spelled their initials using body language and kids cheered for their favorites. The rest of the volunteers then introduced themselves.

It was a full house and full morning as there were a good number of kids and volunteers and there were lots of activities prepared. The kids first had face painting of their favorite characters. They had so much fun that some of the mothers even had their toddlers’ face painted.

We had a couple of fun games to start the day. The first was a contest of the loudest cheer for all the groups. Then we had the facial expression game. We gave a specific emotion and the groups were supposed to show it through facial expression. The group that had the best and most convincing expression won. In the end group 4 won both of the games. The ates and kuyas were so energetic as they bonded with the kids.

We then had the bubble show where the kids watched in awe as our Bubble Man created different sizes of bubbles. The kids were so delighted they were trying to pop the bubbles. To culminate his show he created a huge bubble where a kid and volunteer were able to fit inside. We called on a couple of pairs for a chance to be inside the balloon.

It was followed the baking workshop. The kids were taught to make pastilles, tortilla wrapped dessert, and mini chocolate cupcakes. The kids had a chance to do the baking by groups. The kids showcased their talents as they took time decorating the cupcakes and doing the tortilla dessert. They had a chance to enjoy and share their work with their friends.

We then had our lunch and gift giving. The kids were given school supplies and gift packs. Winning teams got to bring home lots of prizes. The volunteers also prepared a candy buffet to the delight of the kids. They also gave other essential items, like groceries, to the center.

MAHAK Charity Day 2015

Benefactors and supporters attended this ceremony and undertook the expenditures required for providing medicine and treating the children with cancer.

The Sweet Dream

At the beginning, Dr. Javad Karbassizadeh, the spouse of the late Afsaneh Dabiri, the Chairman of MAHAK Board of Directors and also one of the key sponsors building the MAHAK hospital, welcomed the guests and explained the most crucial achievements of MAHAK within its plus 24 years of activity. These achievements mainly include: Being ranked in the top ten globally among over 260 non-governmental organizations benchmarked by the Société Generale de Surveillance (SGS) for NGO benchmarking, gaining the consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), receiving Quality Silver Trophy from GIC International Institute, the gold award from the International Project Management Association (IPMA) and also the silver plaque of GPM from the IGPMA in 2014.

In addition, Dr. Karbassizadeh stated: “the construction of MAHAK hospital was started 16 years ago in conjunction with a Sweet Dream of Ms. Afsaneh Dabiri and with the help of it supporters, it is about eight years that this hospital is providing the children with cancer with the most high-quality medical equipment in cooperation with a group of experienced specialists. Now, it is about eight years that this sweet dream has come true, and this has only been performed due to the great support and help of MAHAK supporters. By adhering to four crucial principles of MAHAK ‘Transparency, Appreciation, Accountability, and Integrity’ and counting on the continuous support of MAHAK benefactors, we always wish to be a pioneer organization in treating the children with cancer.”

Well-Being of MAHAK Children Brings Happiness

Abbas Nassiri, the financial sponsor of the ceremony, stated that human beings could only reach to the pure happiness if they can show their affection and companionship to each other.

Moreover, he said: “MAHAK is a place to which we come by hearing our inner voice to seek the healthiness of the children with cancer, which helps us feel more contented. We should all collaborate to make MAHAK as strong as possible and make it a capable organization that can offer the most comprehensive services to children with cancer and empower them to fight against this disease heroically.”

With the Help of Our Supporters, We Can Look Forward to a Brighter Future for MAHAK

The CEO of MAHAK, Arasb Ahmadian, welcomed the attendants and acknowledged the continuous presence of MAHAK supporters. Then he presented a report about MAHAK performance during 2014. The CEO started his report by explaining the worldwide and nationwide statistics on childhood cancer, and mentioned: “According to WHO statistics in 2006, 160,000 new cases of cancer occur yearly among people aged under 15. In the USA, the rate of cancer among the people aged under 15, is 14.9 cases per 100,000 people. Moreover, according to a paper published in the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Journal, this rate is 32.2 cases per 100,000 people. According to MAHAK’s statistics, the average annual growth rate of cancer during the period of 2005 to 2014 is 9%, and the number of people newly diagnosed with cancer in 2014 is 2075. MAHAK’s statistics show that the total number of people under MAHAK’s coverage has reached to 13583 cases in 2014, which has the growth rate of 12%. In addition, the average treatment expense per child has increased from 4.4 million Rls in 2005 to 38.9 million Rls in 2014, which has the growth rate of 31%.

Furthermore, Arasb Ahmadian stated: “MAHAK as an NGO has mainly focused on three crucial areas of ‘Charity, Treatment, and Research’ in vein of its vision and mission statements. By relying on the voluntarily supports managed by a systematic approach, MAHAK has emphasized on producing added value for the donations with establishing MAHAK hospital with comprehensive supportive services and performing research projects related to pediatric cancer. In fact, MAHAK has had a systematic approach in performing these activities and it has always avoided the philosophy of helping the people by merely donating money to them. The total amount of donations to MAHAK in 2014 was approximately 127 billion tomans. These donations are spent for different purposes and they are allocated as follows:

 - 53 billion tomans for treatment of children with cancer in 32 university hospitals nationwide in addition to MAHAK hospital
 - 13.5 billion tomans for providing the facilities and infrastructures required for interacting with the donors and increasing the social participation
 - 7 billion tomans for operational expenses of MAHAK
 - 10 billion tomans for constructing Building No. 2 of MAHAK

In addition to the above expenses, 44 billion tomans were designated for equalizing the nationwide supporting services of MAHAK and geographical expansion of MAHAK activities for covering the needs of all children with cancer. These services are based on the 10-year development plan of MAHAK, which is currently being developed. Indeed, after operating for about a quarter of a century, the progress and expansion of MAHAK does still require social participation, similar to the beginning years of its activity.”

Narrating a Story

During the ceremony, Dr. Mohammad Ali Goudarzi, the consultant of the CEO of National Petrochemical Company (NPC) and the chief of the CSR Strategic Council, contributed a precious Shahnameh to MAHAK and mentioned that Iranians have the culture of beneficence and charity from the very ancient time and its examples can be obviously observed in the ancient books such as Shahnameh.

Also, Ms. Saideh Ghods, the founder of MAHAK, said: “the presence of the supporters of the children with cancer makes a very beautiful story for the future generations which could be indeed a tangible Shahnameh that contains the goodness of the people in this era”.

The Warm Presence of Popular Figures

Loris Tjeknavorian, Mohammad Sarir, Majid Derakhshani, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, Pouri Banayi and some other artists attended this ceremony. Moreover, the volunteer art therapy group of MAHAK performed some pieces of music for the attendees. This group plays music for the psychology division of MAHAK regularly, which is a supplemental psychological treatment for the children.

We Are So Grateful to Our Supporters

With your kindness and support, our children will be able to say goodbye to cancer and continue on with their sweet childhood days.

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Source: http://www.mahak-charity.org/

Smile’s Challenge Island with Tulong Sa Kapwa Kapatid

Our first partnership with Smile brought us their Challenge Island activity. We also made this our Halloween event for children and our volunteers this 2015. Challenge Island offers fun, hands-on programs where kids learn creative problem solving and thinking tasks. It provides an enriching atmosphere where they can develop their curiosity and creativity, while having fun and interacting with others. (Taken from their website)

The program has hundreds of different activities conducted in an “island”. For our event we choose three dynamic activities: Tribal Spirit Rally, Tree Top Tower and Coasters 101. Although each challenge had different set of tasks and goals, each one required team work to be able to win.

The Tribal Spirit Rally was a much needed boost to get everyone started in the morning. It required a 20 second cheer to highlight their teams color. We had green, red, purple and blue. Tree Top Tower was all about building the highest structure by only utilizing hard straws, paper, one roll of tape and an eyeball which you needed to place on top. The winning team reach more than 100 inches! The most unique and last one was Coasters 101. Everyone had to make sure 5 marbles pass through corrugated pipes. While I host with Ate Tatit of Smile, we were amazed on how involved each participant was. Truly they were an island.

Thanks to long time beneficiary, Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid, they invited 50 children from their site in Escopa, Cubao. Executive director, Ate Kritzia Santos was also around to make sure her group enjoyed and learn from what we were doing.

The morning ended with strings of blessings from sponsors. Each child had a taste of trick or treat as they lined up for candies inside a Halloween spooky container and a bag of goodies from Smile’s sponsor, Oishi.

We also would like to thank as well Ate Aichu Congbalay for celebrating her birthday with Challenge Island. :)

Alabang School Principal Finds Private Sector Aid for Children Beneficiary

Dr. Antonio Rocha, Principal of Alabang Elementary School (AES), walks into the institution with more than 6,000 kids every morning, five times a week, 10 months each year. In Muntinlupa’s pioneering SPED (Special Education) public school, the demands are different, especially with a mixed demographic of kindergarten, grade school, and SPED students belonging to either the special or the gifted category.

“Most of the kids enrolled here are from the immediate community — with the exception of SPED kids who come all the way from Bicutan, Parañaque, and even Laguna. For us and the teaching staff, no two days are the same— everyday we face different challenges brought about by the unique circumstances of the school children. With the limited resources of some of our students, we figured that one of the best ways to help provide for them is by collaborating with our local stakeholders,” says Dr. Rocha.

Public-Private collaboration

Among Alabang Elementary School’s longstanding corporate partners is Convergys Philippines, particularly its Alabang sites. Over the last four years, Convergys Alabang has been supporting a feeding program for the school, and for the last two years, also a year-end Christmas activity for the students. It started with supporting students in the SPED program, and has expanded to include the school’s other students over the years.

This year, three Convergys Alabang sites have decided to sustain their partnership with Alabang Elementary School through their project called “Give a Bag of Hope.” Activated and enabled by employee contributions, the campaign seeks to address the lack of school supplies of public school students by distributing backpacks complete with all the necessary items at the start of the school year. In just two months, Convergys Alabang has already donated and distributed 1,000 bags of hope to the school’s Grade 1 pupils.

“Dire poverty is a problem for most kids: having no money for transportation, food, and even school supplies — but this problem is already being alleviated because of projects like “Give a Bag of Hope.” The hurdles are being replaced by positivity. Our kids have no reason not to go to school anymore because they already have what they need, and many of them also benefit from the free feeding program. All these support mechanisms inspire and strengthen them to do well in school,” added Dr. Rocha.

A system of collaboration has been instituted between Convergys and AES in order to make short and mid-term plans work best for the students. While Convergys helps the pupils with their school supplies, a partnership with the Philippine Red Cross also ensures that children who are severely malnourished are also fed one complete meal a day.

“We have a nice system in place to support students. We just have to be strategic — catering to the kids in need, while maintaining good classroom standards, as every school should,” adds Dr. Rocha.

Hope!

During the turnover ceremony of the bags of hope last July, kids from AES presented a short dance number. Of about 20 young performers clad in red sandos and bandanas, two were more than glad to share their wholehearted ambitions.

Arylle and John Philip are both Grade 1 students enrolled in the SPED program for gifted children. The former wants to become an accountant like her aunt, while the latter wants to become a teacher. The two actually enjoy Math, Science, and English, and they relish the lessons everyday, thinking nothing could ever stop them from reaching their dreams.

Everyday they walk into the school with about 6,000 other kids, for five times a week, 10 months in a year. They have no reason not to go to school. Equipped with what they need with the help of partners like Convergys employees, they can continue to study and hope for a bright future.

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Source: http://www.philstar.com/

Ate Abe’s Animal Mask with Virlanie Foundation

It was a hot and humid afternoon of October 30, 2015. After an event in the morning at Quezon memorial circle, the U! happy team was divided and went to Bahay Maria and Virlanie foundation respectively. I was tasked to volunteer in Virlanie. It was my first time there. We haven’t even started but the kids were all hyped up. They were very excited to see the ates and kuyas who will be with them that afternoon.

The birthday celebrant, Ate Abby Monge came in early. She has that lovely smile on her face as she interacts with the kids. As soon as most of the volunteers arrived, Ate Amy, the host for that day and treasurer of U!happy team, grouped the kids and volunteers for the getting-to-know part. They were asked to share their name, favorite past time activity and color. After that, the much-awaited workshops begin. We needed that because the kids are becoming restless and excited. The kids were in need of affection and that’s what the Abby and her friends provided them. Caring has become part of the culture of Filipinos.

A magic show was performed by Kuya Koby and all eyes were finally glued to the show. Astounded by the tricks, some kids can’t help their amazement and were moving closer to the magician. After that, it’s time to play a game – Stack It Up. Each team were given set of cups. Ate Amy gave her instructions and asked the volunteers to be the team leaders in their respective teams. It was a close fight for all the teams but finally, a winner was given recognition and awarded.

The event was not yet over as Ate Abby prepared another exciting workshop for the kids. An art workshop was done by Kuya Robby, U! Happy Events in-house artist and art teacher. He taught the kids how to make animal masks. The children and volunteers painstakingly listened to Kuya robby’s instructions. Prior to the workshop, Kuya Robby already made his own version of animal masks. After that, Kuya Robby selected 3 best artworks from the teams and handed over the creative animal masks he made as prizes for them. The children were very joyful. Then it was time to eat the sumptuous meals prepared for them.

Before we said our goodbyes, Ate Abby distributed the give aways he prepared for the children. We sang her a happy birthday and had a group photo. Thanks to a volunteer like Ate Abby and her friends who generously share their time and their blessings to the kids like the Virlanie Foundation. People like you are those that makes a great change in the society.