I am KCAT: KCAT CAN: Cheerful givers

Monday, October 29, 2012

KCAT CAN: Cheerful givers

Of course I wasn't the one who discovered and started celebrating birthdays though outreach and gift-giving, but whenever I learned that one of my friends would do as such, I would always feel giddy and have a feeling of satisfaction because somebody, who is just a common person like me, is doing the same thing I have been doing – sharing my blessings on my special day.

You really don’t need to be rich or be a public figure in order to share and help by organizing an outreach project, right? Like what my friend Jen always say, “It’s not how much you give, but the love you put in giving.”

Erratum: The photo was from last month's event

with the Street Kids of DBS, not Grace Be Born.

The cheerful givers
by Maria Kathrina Lopez Yarza
October 29, 2012

A few days ago, I took part in Kathleen Madula and Coe Tolosa’s 2nd Birthday Project in Don Bosco School (DBS) with a couple of streetkids. Kathleen and I were schoolmates at DBS and we share a passion for reaching out to those in need.

Last year, Kath and Coe had their first birthday project at Grace Be Born Shelter, a non-profit shelter for unwed mothers-to-be and abandoned babies. They played, mingled, partied, and had fun with the moms and babies in the shelter.

This year, it is for the DBS streetkids. The Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco (FMA) hold its oratory in the school every Sunday where they teach streetkids catechism and hold a feeding program. I remember when I was still studying at DBS, I would see these street children playing in the school grounds after school hours and knowing and observing how our school helped them taught us how to reach out to those in need.

Kath and Coe’s birthday project was held in the school canteen. Food carts were around the place for the kids to enjoy and the chefs of CCA Manila made the event extra special by serving the kids with a scrumptious meal. “Thank you po Ate Coe and Ate Kath dahil pinasaya niyo po kaming lahat,” a couple of the kids wrote in their letters which they sent after the event.

We all know that the world changes every day, every moment, every second. What we did a second ago, no matter how trivial it may seem, will have an influence in the changes that happen, happened and will happen. So why don’t we do something good, and maybe by doing so, the world would also change a little bit better. As what St. John Bosco said, “Do good while you still have time.”

Share A Hug and Toys for joys

A hug gives us comfort because it is one of the best medicines — four hugs a day prescribed for survival, eight hugs a day for emotional strength, and 12 hugs a day for growth; and hugs are a lot better when shared.

Rachelle Gregorio of Touch of Ellahcar will hold Share-A-Hug at Bahay ni Maria in Laguna, a haven for neglected, abandoned, and homeless elder women. Rachelle’s aim is to create a concrete and practical difference in the lives of those who are struggling by reaching out to them with a hug.

As kids, we all experienced opening a gift from underneath a Christmas tree; but how about those children with no homes and no families? With this in mind, Rachelle came up with “Toys for Joys” where she and her friends visit orphanages and distribute not only Christmas presents but also let the kids experience the spirit of Christmas. Share your hug to the LOLAs or make a child happy this Christmas, contact Rachelle Gregorio at 0927-5042796.

Pasko ng Kabataan along the Riles

For the 3rd time this year, Jamie Martinez and her D-Clan Youth Organization will share the Christmas spirit with the children who live along the railroad in their place in Muntinlupa Ctiy. They were able to make 200 kids happy in 2010, 500 kids in 2011, and hopefully put a smile on 600 kids this coming December 23. Anything as long as it’s from the heart is acceptable. Let us make this event a success and make 600 kids a lot happier. Contact Jamie Martinez at 09339776874.

Sharing the happiness

“I always see that my “neighbors” are okay. I spearhead community reach-outs especially for indigent communities and individuals,” said Marcelo Otiguey — one of the finalists of Cebuana Lhuillier Insurance Solutions Happiest Pinoy 2012. He conducts a gift-giving activity during the month of December, helping provide wheelchairs to those who need them, giving out slightly used clothes, toys and foods to children and adults, and solicit elementary and high school books for far-flung schools. What do can you do for them? Contact Marcelo Otinguey at 0918-4165087.

October Gift-giving Fest

Jen Arellano has been working in Doha, Qatar for a couple of years, but even though she’s away from home, her passion in giving continues. It only shows that distance is never a hindrance in caring and sharing. Whenever she comes home to the country, she makes sure to collate whatever she can from her friends and reach out to the kids of Linggap Pangarap ng mga Paslit Center Inc. (LPPCI) in Batangas City. Jen is currently in the country and tomorrow, together with some of her friends and family, she will be off to LCCPI with happiness and gifts in tow to share their blessings with the children in the center.

Jen shares, “The more blessings we share, the more children will be happy, and the more people will be blessed.”

Let’s all do something good and be a cheerful giver, not only when the Christmas season is coming, but always.

Coe + Kath's Birthday Project