No Help is Too Small

Mommy Amiga (MommA) head Wilma Huang shares the amazing stories of generosity she witnessed through the Everest Academy iCan Change for Change campaign- A fundraising campaign that encouraged the Everest community to save their loose change in order to help provide scholarships for the students in Mano Amiga Academy.

Mommy Amiga (MommA) would like to thank everyone who supported the school’s iCan Change for Change campaign launch last week.   In just four days, we were able to give out all of our 300 “piggybank” cans to students, teachers and parents who wanted to support the Scholarship Fund for our sister school, Mano Amiga.   Several students even came back after the first day of our launch to return their filled cans and to ask for more cans!   Until now, we continue to receive inquiries if we will have more cans as some students and parents are saying their cans are almost filled.   We will try our best to get more cans from San Miguel Yamamura, which had generously produced these special cans for us in support of our campaign.

 

If there is one thing my fellow MommAs and I can say we witnessed last week, it is this :  the spirit of kindness and generosity is truly alive in our Everest students!   Day after day, the filled cans just kept coming in (along with requests for more cans).  In fact, when we packed up our table last Friday, we had collected already 34 filled cans!  And throughout these four days, we heard stories that truly touched our hearts.  There was a grade 3 boy who’s been saving his allowance for a Ninjago Lego set.  He had asked his parents to explain what the iCan Change for Change campaign was all about.  When he was told it was to help raise funds to put underprivileged children in Mano Amiga to school, his parents were surprised when he started to put all the money he had saved in his can.   Asked why he decided to give up the money he’s been saving, unhesitatingly he replied that he wanted the kids from Mano Amiga to go to school more than his Ninjago Lego set.  And there was another boy in grade 6 who kept coming back for 3 straight days, giving us his filled cans.  We learned that when his mom discovered he had emptied out his piggybank at home, she had asked him where all the money went.  He told her that it was for charity and it was “the right thing to do”.

 

Thanksgiving will soon be celebrated in the U.S.  And while it’s not a Filipino holiday or tradition, we at Mommy Amiga would like to give our heartfelt thanks to our school for allowing us to have this campaign, and to our students who stepped up and showed what giving is all about … that it’s not the amount that you give that matters, but the willingness to share with others what you have.    

 

iCan! Change for Change Campaign

 

Everest Academy and the Mommy Amiga (MommA) team recently launched the iCan Change for Change campaign. The campaign aims to encourage the Everest Academy students to set aside their loose change for the scholarship of the students in Mano Amiga.

MommA is the latest addition to the Mano Amiga family. Led by Mrs. Wilma Huang,  the team consists of Everest moms who are helping strengthen the relationship between the Everest Academy families and the Mano Amiga community. he MommA team will serve as a liaison and support network for Mano Amiga by spearheading different fundraising events, outreach programs and other inter-school activities throughout the school year. 

Journey of Wonder

PHINMA HERO (Helpful Employee Responsible for Others) Network, the employee volunteer program of the PHINMA Group of Companies, treated the Mano Amiga students to a day of enrichment and exploration. Thanks to the PHINMA employees, the third graders had the chance to visit Mind Museum where the students spent the morning visiting exhibits, playing interactive games and other activities that enhance not only their Science literacy but also their imagination.

“The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery.” - Anais Nin

Off to a Great Start!

The first quarter of School year 2012- 2013 gave us a good idea of the different programs and activities in store for the Mano Amiga students and families. Here's a glimpse of what's been happening in Mano Amiga Academy the past three months:

We are very grateful to welcome new partners in Community Development and After school programs. GE and One Core jointly organized a family day for the Mano Amiga families. The students played team games, underwent a medical check up, and attended an age-appropriate workshop on how to deal with stress. Their parents participated in seminars on tobacco cessation, cooking healthy food while on a budget and other programs tailored to their everyday needs. Deutsche Knowledge Services also chose Mano Amiga for their volunteering activity. Employees devoted their Saturday morning to teach the students how to make their own school bags for school.   

Sports Programs continue to be an integral part of the Mano Amiga's core services. In addition to the program by Futbol Funatics to children ages 8-9, Dream Big Pilipinas has also partnered with the school to offer football clinics to children ages 6-7. To qualify for the program, the children must regularly attend school and values formation seminars. "We value our Sports program because apart from helping give the children a healthy well-being and instilling virtues like discipline and teamwork, they also serve as motivational tools for the students to stay in school and work hard on their studies," Development Director Lynn Pinugu said.

Mano Amiga believes that its mission is not only to form students intellectually, but to also form them to be good citizens and society leaders who will use their talents and resources to give back to the community. As part of its Apostolic Formation program, Mano Amiga staff and students will be doing different outreach programs. Its first activity will be in the Philippine Heart center where staff and students will entertain patients in the pediatric ward with interactive storytelling, talent shows and other games. 

As the Mano Amiga community continues to grow, we are humbled by the trust that the the families and partners have in us.

Despite mild damages caused by the recent storm to the school and some of the families' homes, everyone continues to be in high spirits, deeply grateful for all the blessings Mano Amiga has received, most specially the outpouring support from our network of donors, friends and volunteers.

From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for the successful start of School Year 2012-2013

"Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of men, but from doing something worthwhile."- Wilfred Grenfell

Back to School Festivities

For kids, the month of June means one thing: time to bring out the brand-new backpacks and shiny black shoes. Summer has come to an end and a new school year begins yet again. 

The transition from playing all day to sitting down in a classroom is never easy. To help the Mano Amiga students ease back into the school year, the Habitat Youth Council and Mcdonalds celebrated the children's return with a Back to School party.

"The volunteers had so much fun because the kids were so excited and energetic." Habitat Youth Council founder Alex Eduque shared. "They were actively participating in all the activities and they were able to communicate well--proof of the good education that they're receiving in Mano Amiga."

The Habitat Youth Council spent the morning eating and playing with the students. In between bites, the students entertained the volunteers by showing off their talents as they sang and danced to the songs being played in the the store.

Even the Mcdonalds crew were amazed by the students' "go-getter attitude." During one of the games, the students were divided into teams and were asked to make "the longest line" they could come up with using what they had in their pockets. "The Mcdonalds host shared with me that it was the first time in history that the line of objects extended all the way out into the streets," Alex recalled with a laugh. "We had to stop the game and declare a tie because we were worried the cars would run over their stuff."

The celebration concluded with the turn over of much needed school supplies and some food packages for the parents of the students.

"Apart from the fun and games, volunteering activities expose our students to youth role models they could look up to," Development Director Lynn Pinugu shared. "I strongly believe activities like this are one of the reasons why Mano Amiga students enjoy going to school so much. They receive so many opportunities that broaden their horizons and give them something to aspire for." 

Habitat Youth Council founder Alex Eduque was immediately charmed by Grade 1 student Carlos when he turned over his placemat and drew for her.