3M’s Fun Run for Hungry Minds

The fitness craze in the country has been on a roll in the last few years, with runs and sports activities being put up by various organizations. What made last Saturday’s Fun Run special though, was that it benefited not only those who were running in the event, but it was for an underprivileged sector as well. A few months back, our friends at 3M Philippines asked us to partner with them for a Fun Run for a children’s NGO in need of support. 3M has always been active in their Corporate Social Responsibility, staging programs and even donating to one of our beneficiaries in the past. We were happy to take on the task of organizing this Fun Run for them, and tapped community-based partner Food for Hungry Minds as the event’s beneficiary. Food for Hungry Minds aims to create schools for disadvantaged children, so they can succeed academically through Philippine basic education–to serve in life and to dream of a better future.

The day started early, with 3M Philippines employees and friends coming in at around 4AM. We distributed customized singlets for the run participants, and started off the program with welcome remarks from 3M Philippines’ Managing Director, Anthony Bolzan. Before gunstart, we also called on kuya Josh Berin, a pro-runner and coach who is part of Team Rio. He woke up the participants with his energetic stretches and exercises, also meant to lessen the risk of any injuries while running. The fun run soon commenced, and over a hundred participants went on their way to finish one round of 2.5KM, or more–depending on the number of cycles they were willing to run. Bananas and water were located in various stations to ensure the participants were getting enough hydration and energy, and U! Happy volunteers also acted as marshals to lead the runners in the right direction.

Once everyone had completed the run and got to the finish line, we did a cool down exercise led by kuya Josh. It was a pleasure seeing the runners ecstatic to have finished the route, and having done so for a very good cause. Raffle prizes were up for grabs also, which were in the form of various 3M products that ranged from stethoscopes to car tint. It was overall a great event, and we capped off the jampacked morning with a group photo to capture the event. We would like to thank 3M for being a consistent partner in CSR campaigns, and we look forward to working with them again!

Ate Rvy’s Star City with John David Salvador

Today was a very exciting afternoon as we brought 25 kids to Star City. I always love our field trip events. It is an opportunity for children to experience things outside of school and home. Most of these marginalized kids do not get to go out often and see different kinds of places. Today was the birthday celebration of Ate Rvy. As a flight attendant she gets to travel around the world and see all sorts of beautiful places. She wanted to share this exciting experience with the kids of JD Salvador. Before we went in Ate Rvy gave out gifts for the kids. They got Frozen, Spiderman, and Minion backpacks with gifts inside. They also got party hats that they happily wore inside the park.

I personally haven’t been to Star City for a while. I have forgotten how much fun it was to be adventurous once in a while. As they always say, “life is like a roller coaster!” Most of the kids haven’t had the opportunity to try the kinds of rides offered in Star City so they were very eager to try. In addition to the existing rides the park is offering, they opened up an Annex in the outdoor area. It features several new attractions including the Classic Carousel.

The first adventure we got to try was the Telecombat. Here you get to zoom through the universe on space ships that circle, dip, and climb. The kids shouted as the space ships went up and down. As it went around the kids were able to turn the individual ships around. One of the children wanted to have a solo spaceship. It was adorable as he closed his eyes holding tightly on the sides while he tried peeking every so often.

We then got to try the Dragon Express. It is a mini dragon roller coaster that travels through China. It could fit all sizes of the family so we all had fun as we were able to ride with the kids. The U! Happy Events core team partnered and sat together with a kid. We had so much fun as some of us even tried taking selfies while the dragon was moving.

Then we tried the popular ride The Viking. It is the classic swing ride where the huge ship rocks back and forth. They hugged and held on to each other as the ship rocked upwards. As the ship rocked downward the kids shrieked in delight as they waived their hands up in the air.

We also got to try several other attractions like the Happy Swing, a huge swing that rocks back and forth, Jumping Star, this ride bring you all the way to the top, then all of a sudden drops you all the way down, and others. The kids shouted in delight as they felt like their hearts were dropping to the ground.

Some of the kids went on the Giant Star Wheel. it is the third tallest Ferris Wheel in the country where you get to experience the beautiful view of Roxas Boulevard and Manila Bay. The kids were excited in anticipation as they waited for their gondola to reach the top. They were amazed how stunning the view was from high up. It’s not everyday one gets to be at about 205 ft above ground!

The last attraction we got to try was the Classic Carousel. The ride was quickly filled by our kids as most of them wanted to try it. Ate Rvy joined our kids in the carousel. She was able to go around and bonded with some kids as the carousel went around.

As we reached the end of the day we gathered the kids around. They gave us their heartwarming hugs and thank you’s for a great day. They sang Ate Rvy a Happy Birthday song. That day was her actual birthday which made it even more meaningful as she was able to spend it with these delightful children. For Ate Rvy, the best way to make yourself happy is to help others. Lifting other people’s spirits will lift you up too. She further added, “Doing a good deed makes you feel like you have a purpose in the world – a purpose that’s much bigger than yourself. Isn’t that the best feeling ever?”

NGA Human Resources Art Workshop with Ysiro Elementary School

Going to San Ysyro Elementary School was difficult. Not only were the roads rough, it was far from the commercial establishments of Antipolo. Houses sprung up every once in a while, but not too often. So you could imagine the distances that San Ysyro students traverse to get a chance to learn. The difficulty to get to the location was something that the NGA CSR team recognized, as such they partnered with Team ICE and U! Happy Events to make a fun filled art activity for the kids.

It took almost 2 hours to get to the school. But upon arriving, the school’s backdrop was very picturesque – there were just hills upon hills and green pastures in sight. It was also surprisingly chilly, a sign that it’ll be a perfect day for an event.

There were almost 200 children at the back of the open court waiting for the teams to arrive. You could see in their faces how giddy they were to start. For the first activity, the kids grouped themselves into 10. Around 5 volunteers from NGA were assigned to each group. The host asked the groups to introduce themselves by saying their name, their favorite color, and their favorite celebrities. To energize the groups, a game of Bring Me Shapes had the groups forming themselves into stars, triangles, squares, trees and even roller coasters for a chance to win prizes. As everyone settled in from the energizing activity, it was time for the art activity.

The art activity was simple, but useful – a fishing game. Materials distributed to the groups were barbeque sticks (with the tips cut off), yarns, paper clips, scissors and papers drawn with fishes. The first task was to create the fishing rods. A foot length of yarn was simply tied to the barbeque stick. The paper clip was then reshaped into a hook, then yarn was tied to it. After that, the volunteers were tasked to help the children cut the fish shapes off the paper. A finger length of yarn was then tied from the fish’s mouth, knotted to create a round shape. Basically, the fish shapes would just be spread on the ground, with the fishing rod’s hook attempting to catch the fishes. You could see the joy in the children’s eyes as they try their best to hook one fish after another.

It was finally time for merienda – chicken adobo, vegetables and rice. The volunteers were asked to eat with the kids to foster more interaction. Once everyone’s done eating, it was time for gift giving. The NGA CSR Team and Team ICE had a lot of gifts to give, like school supplies, ice creams, and goodie bags. More importantly though is that they’d be giving away Crocs to the children because they saw how far these children walked just to get to school, and how damaged their current slippers were.

The event ended with a group picture and a round of hugs.Thank U! to the NGA CSR Team and Team ICE for making this event a joyous success.

Camp Pag-Ibig Year 2

What a way to celebrate Valentine’s. It was a privilege once again to be part of Camp Pag-Ibig which is now on its 40th year. Last year was our first time to collaborate with JCI Quezon City Capitol, QC Government and other Government agencies like DSWD and Manila Water which hosts the venue for the annual camp.

Our role was the same. We primarily execute the activities for the three camps, Giliw, Sinta and the biggest one Irog. We took care of doing acting workshop through Kuya Rich Rodriguez, Zumba by Kuya Alvin and I conducting two games- Inside Out and Kuya Harvard says. U! Happy Events also assisted while the kids take a swim.

Camp Pag-Ibig started with a mass at 730AM and finishes with camp palabas (some schools present) and closing ceremonies at 4pm. It is a whole day activity with almost 2,000 SPED children with their teachers and guardians. An event that’s physically tiring but memorable.

Thank you to around 15 volunteers who showed up and assisted our activities for the children. Next year again?

Kuya Dominic’s Dance Workshop with Little Lights

We all know that kids have this seemingly boundless energy in their body that’s why dancing is one of the best ways to channel it. Dancing is a great alternative to other dangerous activities for children and can be offered even indoor. With that, thanks to Kuya Dominic “Nico” Santiago for making this possible!

Last Saturday, February 13, 2016, we conducted simple hip-hop dance lesson with Little Lights kids. Hip hop is kind of a hard dance for the kids but thanks to Kuya Gammy for guiding and teaching them. We used Justin Bieber’s Sorry as our song.

Before dancing, volunteers joined the kids for some cool games. Winners of each game came from different groups and it was a proof that all teams were doing their best and actively participated to be on top. After such, the team, together with the volunteers distributed food recharge the lost energy and gave gifts to the kids.

Even though Kuya Nico arrived late on the said event, he still felt that happiness that the kids felt during the whole duration of event. A great decision where to celebrate his birthday!

Accenture BST Team’s Art In Island with ECPAT

January was definitely a great way to kick-off the new year. With eight events for the month and a continuously growing team, we can definitely say that this year is looking pretty good for us. For our 706th event, and the last one for the month, Accenture BST showed how much they cared. From the list of our many partner beneficiary organizations, they chose ECPAT to share their experience with in Art in Island, Asia’s largest interactive 3D art museum.

ECPAT is an international organization connecting networks around the globe to fight against sexual exploitation of children. Although the general public might be aware of the negative impact that it has on children and to society, only a few of us might actually know the gravity of the situation. Over 1.8 million children worldwide are victims of sexual exploitation through prostitution and child pornography. It is also believed that around 16% of human trafficking victims are children for sexual exploitation. This billion dollar industry thrives not only on those who support it, but also on those who tolerate it.

On January 30, 2016, Accenture BST served as an example on how to take a stand against sexual exploitation of children. The day started out with the volunteers meeting the children and through a simple game of searching your matching number, the volunteers and the children instantly clicked with each other. The next few hours were spent posing and taking photos in Art in Island. As a “buddy system” was established, the Ates and Kuyas of Accenture BST and the children of ECPAT really got to bond and know each other. It was amazing to watch how each pair found comfort in each other as they went through each attraction in the museum. The event was concluded with a few games and the volunteers and children sharing a meal… And hugs! …which turned into tears for some of the children as they parted with their partner volunteers.

The event showed that, in our own way, we can give hope and share love to one another. Regardless of how little (or big) those acts may be, we can show support to those who need it the most.

Ate Cristelle’s Story Telling with National Children’s Hospital

As we continue our 10th year celebration serving marginalized children, we had another packed weekend last week.

We had two events last saturday morning. One of the events was the birthday celebration of Ate Cristelle. She turned 21 last January 19th. This year she wanted to celebrate her birthday in a different way. She invited her friends and family to spend time at the M3 ward of National Children’s Hospital. This hospital has been a partner hospital for six years now. Thanks for the support of the doctors, nurses, and staff of NCH, this is our 12th event with them to date. The children we spent with today had had different kinds of illness. Some were being treated for dengue, dermatitis, bad case of indigestion and infection. Most of them were younger than seven years old. There was even as tiny as a 4 month old baby, who was suffering from difficulty breathing so a tube had to be placed to aid in her breathing.

Books are a great way for us to travel and experience the world. It is a way for us to instill good values to children. Today was a day of stories. Our excellent story teller, Ate Dyaly, started the morning with a couple of great stories. Our event was held in 2 rooms, where we simultaneously did the activities planned for the day. Ate Dyaly first spent time with the children of the first room. She told the story of a boy named Mario who got to learn about the different animals. Ate Dyaly taught the kids the different kinds of animals through the sounds they make. She made animal sounds of dogs, cats, pig, and others.

While the first group enjoyed the animal stories, Ate Te and Kuya Glen were in the second room facilitating games for the older children. They did the point to the body part game where they would repeatedly say a body part then finally say the correct part the children were to point to. For instance, Kuya Glen would repeatedly say: “nose, nose, nose, nose,…… shoulders!” The kids had to point to their shoulders. The tricky part was that Kuya Glen also pointed to a different body part when he said “shoulders” which could cause a bit of confusion. The children laughed as they tired to stay alert and accurately point to the correct body part. Some had to point to several parts first before finally pointing to the correct one.

After the game Ate Dyaly came to the second room to do the story telling. She told the story of a boy who did not give importance to personal hygiene. Every time it happened vegetables would grow from the boy’s body part. In the end Ate Dyaly was able to teach the importance of keeping ourselves clean. After the main story telling we gave out story books so our volunteers can tell a story to each of the children. We partnered the ates and kuyas with the children in the ward. The volunteers got the chance to get to know the parents and children. After that they told a story to their kids. The children got to keep the story books as our gift to them.

We then had our early lunch and Ate Cristelle gave out gifts to the children. We sang a happy birthday song for the birthday celebrant. The volunteers each offered a simple message and prayer for their children as they said their goodbyes.

These children being at a very young age, we were glad to someone alleviate the discomfort they are suffering through the different stories we told. The children smiled as the volunteers tried their best to tell the stories as best as they could. The kids have been confined in the hospitals for days and weeks. Through our stories, we were able to transport these kids to a different world and share some lessons and values they can always carry with them.

Kuya Chester’s Baking Workshop with Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid

Another balikbayan Filipino took the time to give back to children this Christmas season. We’ve been getting a number of these this 2015. Thanks to our Create Your Own Event form, we got to communicate well with Kuya Chester Chan while he was still in Singapore. He is a friend of our Singapore Ambassador, Ate Joanna Villagarcia-Blanding. We are ecstatic that we are slowly tapping international.

One of regular baking workshop supporters, Chef Paul Samson volunteered and sponsored our main activity. He was joined by two of his students who were a big help in managing 50 children from Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid. We did three rounds of non baking. We had make your own Pastillas, Peanut Butter with Strawberry Jam Crepe plus Cupcake decorating. The photos speaks so much on how much fun everyone had. It was a first for the kids to have an activity like this.

As we continue to shift to more enriching events, baking will teach children the balance of creativity as they make their own versions of desserts and the right measurements to make the product happen. It also encapsulates the value of listening and communicating with peers to make it a relevant experience.

Even though Christmas has passed, the children received bags of goodies from Kuya Chester and friends. They received Oishi packs, juices and biscuits from another sponsor, Rebisco.

Under Armour’s PBA Live with JD Salvador

After an event with children of Gentle Hands in Quezon City, we drove on the opposite end to watch PBA live in Mall of Asia Arena with 16 children and teens of JD Salvador Foundation. Thanks to connections we have built through the years, we get more invites to activities children in marginalized sector don’t get to experience.

Ate Karen Romarte got to connect us to Under Armour who got us seats courtside. Am just excited for the boys who got to see their basketball heroes in person. They cheered in almost every shot.

We were also joined by Ms. Earth winner, Angelia Ong. She’s also part of JCI Manilena where Ate Karen Romarte is past president of. It was truly a unique time for everyone.

Juicy Cologne’s Cup Christmas Tree with CCT Pasay

Juicy Cologne ambassadors led by Ate Sofia Insua coordinated with me months back for a Christmas celebration with children. Their company provides a line of hip colognes for teenage girls. Like any other companies we have partnered, it is their way of giving back and blessing the children.

It was more than just a Christmas party 3 days before the big day. Besides gift giving of school supplies and their packs of Juicy Cologne products, we had a string of activities that filled up our afternoon. To start of was two entertaining shows- acrobats and magic! Our two mainstay artist battle it out to amaze 50 children under the group of Center for Community Transformation or CCT.

Interaction is valuable to us. We made sure 8 of the Juicy Cologne ambassadors got to do this through getting to know the children Q&A, compete with them through our game and assist each other in our Cup Christmas Tree making. Thanks to Ate Blanca Fuentes for her patience and passion in teaching step by step art which pave the way to create their own masterpieces.

Smiles are created. They open up better opportunities for children. Let us continue to make that happen not just this Christmas season but all throughout the year. Thanks Juicy Cologne.

Painting Workshop with Heart of Play

Even with just a few days into the holiday season, a lot of events had already seen kids and volunteers gather for special activities. Another distinct one awaited the kuyas and ates at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church Gymnasium last December 5.

Around 20 kids from the community’s special education program assembled at the spacious venue for a unique set of festivities with A LOT of volunteers. Aside from U!’s own volunteers, the event was graced by students from Immaculate Concepcion Academy (ICA) and Chiang Kai Shek College (CKSC). And as if that wasn’t enough, a group called SKD Academy was gracious enough to participate through their feeding program prepared for the kids.

The kids were accompanied by their parents as they were grouped with the enthusiastic teens, as well as the willing adults. After a few minutes to get to know each other, the event got right to its main activity – the Art Workshop.

Ate Blanca once again took front and center for U! Happy Events as she instructed the kids, with the assistance of their kuyas and ates, in making their own sponge-painted Christmas Tree. From a blank canvas, the Christmas spirit sure became evident through the kids’ colorful creations.

After the painting activity, The Heart at Play Foundation guided the entire group in an indeed unique and enriching exercise. The Heart at Play is a group that aids the special needs community through their own Dance Movement Therapy (DMT). Led by their eager instructors, Heart at Play got everyone moving and strutting to upbeat songs. But it wasn’t just a dance routine. The whole exercise made use of ropes and puzzle mats to encourage movement in the special-needs kids to aid develop their sensory and motor skills, among others. It was for sure an exceptional activity that was both fun and beneficial.

The groups soon gathered for a much deserved lunch care of the people from SKD Academy. After an animated group picture, the kids received colorful story books as memento for the day’s activities.

It is always encouraging to see this many people gather for a volunteer event. Thank U! to all who became part of it.

Ate Angelita Christmas Celebration with Gentle Hands

Young people continue to be one of the pillars of our success in reaching out to children. Case in point is Ate Angelita Bonsilao’s sponsorship for a Christmas event with adorable children of Gentle Hands. Despite a minimum budget, we assisted in making this event a reality. Three other young individuals from our volunteer pool joined in the fun last December 21.

After dividing them to groups of 5 and getting to know, I got into a series of games with our kids and volunteers. The first one we had was one of our popular ones, Inside Out sitting version. Using a Hula Hoop and a series of categories, participants race to put themselves first either inside or outside of the Hula hoop. Too much excitement as scores tallied and teams going for first to reach two points.

Next we had Christmas symbols, I remember playing this game with friends’ Christmas parties and it was a hit. In this game we encourage teams to be more creative in executing their own version of symbols without separating their hands from each other. The Kuyas and Ates did a superb job in making sure children listen and put together their ‘masterpieces’. I like in particular how they showed Lechon.

The last game before gift giving was Doctor Quack Quack. We had the core team take turns to jumble up the groups in the hopes that it will take time to be corrected by their Kuyas and Ates. This one turned out to be quite competitive and entertaining to see. For list of games you wish to play with your own circles, you can see them here. :)

Thank you once again to Ate Angelita and friends for sponsoring!

Kuya Bryan Celebrates with Children’s Joy Foundation

Christmas has always been a wonderful time for friends to come together, catch up, and just bask in the joy the season brings. A lot of friends come together and do house parties, or reunite at posh restaurants, and there are some, like kuya Bryan’s barkada, who choose to bond and spend time together along with the underprivileged kids in our country. This has been a yearly tradition for them to connect with kids and share their blessings, and this year we were privileged to be tapped by the group to organize it with them and the kids at Children’s Joy Foundation.

With a lot of activities in store, the event started with kuya Harvard calling all the ates and kuyas in front to make themselves known to the children. After a round of introductions, the volunteers were each then assigned a group of kids. Getting-to-know followed, and pretty soon the kids and volunteers were bonding. To get everyone fired up, kuya Kobe the magician did an amazing magic performance! Always jampacked with tricks and surprises, everyone gasped and smiled at what he had prepared for us that day. He even got one of the kids to join him and participate in a magic trick!

Next up was gametime, which was in the form of one our classics — Pera o Bayong. Similar to the TV show segment, kuya Harvard asked questions with multiple choice answers, and everyone would line up at the letter they felt represented the correct option. Our winning kid, the last one standing, was then given the option to choose between 1 thousand pesos or the bayong — which had a secret content. He ended up choosing the bayong, and in it were 5 story books!

To  give more meaning to the season, we then headed onto the next activity which was the arts decorating contest. Each group were given art materials as well as cartolina, and we tasked them to illustrate on it what Christmas meant for all of them. It was great fun as the ates and kuyas helped the kids come up with the drawings, which ended up colorfully and creatively made. Making the day more special was the fact that the kids had surprise performances for us, which touched the heart of everyone present in the room.

Mealtime then commenced, followed by the giving out of school supplies to the kids by our volunteers. We ended the day on a high note with all smiles for the camera, to capture such a heartwarming event filled with joy and love. We hope other barkadas get inspired too by kuya Bryan’s, and choose to bless others while spending time with their friends.