Nothing feels more fulfilling than sharing your blessings and seeing the genuine smile on children’s faces.
After another successful year of covering and telling stories of student-athletes, the Collegiate Press Corps paid it forward by spending a day of fun and gift-giving to orphaned and abandoned children at the Concordia Children’s Services.
An initiative the CPC started last year under the leadership of its president John Bryan Ulanday, the group visited the Sta. Mesa, Manila-based children’s home on Monday to donate food and medical essentials, toys and most importantly the gift of time spent with the lovable kids.
For the CPC, composed of reporters covering the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the priceless joy and smiles from the young ones in the four-decade-old children’s home proved to be the biggest trophy one could ever lift this season of giving.
“Sports is a gift that keeps on giving and there’s no better time to champion this than Christmas time,” Ulanday of the Philippine STAR said.
“We hope for this advocacy to be an annual foray in the long list of Collegiate Press Corps’ programs, through the help, of course. of our partners from the UAAP and the NCAA.”
Just like in the inaugural staging, the CPC prepared a simple program to treat the children to an advanced Christmas Day celebration.
Party clowns entertained the kids with majestic magic and giant bubble shows. There were also interactive games the children played with members of the CPC in a memorable moment they shared with fun and laughter.
Generous donors led by UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball champion coach Goldwin Monteverde of University of the Philippines and NCAA seniors Season 100 champion Mapua University mentor Randy Alcantara helped make the outreach a resounding success.
Also lending a helping hand and sharing for the cause were the Philippine Sports Association, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Cignal, National University women’s basketball team-Ever Bilena, UP Office for Athletics and Sports Development through its head Bo Perasol, Congressman Mikee Romero of 1-Pacman Partylist, ACES and Shakey’s Philippines, GMA, UAAP commissioner Xavy Nung, Dark League Studios, UAAP executive director Rebo Saguisag and sports agent Charlie Dy.