Birthdays for a Cause

Birthdays are always a cause for celebration, but why not take them one step further by making them a reason for other people to celebrate as well, i.e. by opting to share those special days with underprivileged children, or donating to a charitable cause?

Sharing your child’s (or maybe even your own) special day with those who have less will often lead you to reflect on the “more” you have, and make you a more grateful, productive, and giving member of society.

Your child will also learn, even at an early age, the importance of sharing one’s blessings, giving back to one’s community, and serving others. These are beautiful values to instil in young kids, and will be valuable attributes to have when they grow older.

Here are some ways you can celebrate birthdays for a cause, and spread joy to those in most need of it:

1. Throw a party at a site for the less fortunate.
This is probably one of the most popular choices among people I know who have held birthday celebrations for a good cause.

In the case of Rommel Ancheta, who works for Flame Ministries Inc., and his wife Layle, who works at Unilab Foundation, making their children’s birthdays extra-special by celebrating at venues for the less fortunate have become a family tradition of sorts.

In fact, there is no end to the number of places where one can hold a birthday party with the underprivileged, especially here in the Philippines. Here are a few places to start with:

•    CRIBS Foundation
According to their website, from a simple foster-care program, CRIBS “has grown into a leading child-caring agency licensed by the DSWD.” The foundation provides an alternative home environment for abandoned, surrendered and neglected children aged days old to 2 ½ years old, along with other programs.

The Anchetas celebrated their son Adam’s 2nd birthday celebration here, and testify to the fact that it was a wonderful way to “thank God and share the blessing of having their son” (you can see photos of the party on Facebook here).

Contact details:
Ms. Maritona Victa-Labajo
Executive Director
Address: #15 Major Dizon St., Industrial Valley Complex, Marikina City 1802
Email: cribsnet@info.com.ph
Phone#: (632)681-5921, (632)681-8078, (632) 576-7693
Telefax#: (632) 647-1329  Cellphone no. :  0917-5112742
Website: www.cribsfoundation.org / www.CRIBS.buyandshare.org
Facebook Group:  CRIBS Foundation Inc.

•    ANCOP sites
ANCOP stands for “Answering the Cry Of the Poor” and is a program for the poor founded by Couples for Christ. On its official website, it says that ANCOP “was made for the purpose of consolidating CFC efforts in BUILDING THE CHURCH OF THE POOR, and is a licensed Social Welfare Agency by the Department of Social Welfare & Development.”

Focusing on “community development that transforms Child, Family and whole Communities,” one of ANCOP’s main thrusts is providing education for underprivileged children through child sponsorships.

Aside from sponsoring a child, families can also help bring hope and cheer by choosing to celebrate their birthdays with the children living in ANCOP sites, such as at the CFC Canada Ancop Site in Cubicside, Merville, Paranaque. (The Ancheta family had a birthday party celebration here for their kids, photos can be viewed on Facebook here).

This would be an awesome way to really “answer the cry of the poor,” even for just a day! Remember, everyone, rich or poor, loves a good birthday party!

Contact details:
Ethel Balenton
Operations, Child Sponsorship Program
E-mail: ebalenton@gmail.com
Phone#: (632) – 939-5374
Telefax#: (632) – 794-5363
Website: http://www.cfcancop.org/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/cfc.ancop

Click here to read more.

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•    Missionaries of Charity Home for the Elderly and Children
The Missionaries of Charity Home for the Elderly and Children is just one of the many homes for the disadvantaged that is managed by religious congregations and groups. When we were still based in Timor Leste, we used to have birthday parties at the local orphanage there, run by the Dominican sisters.

According to a travel blogger who regularly volunteers at the Missionaries of Charity Home of Joy in Tondo, the place is not “your typical `bahay ampunan’ for the center caters to the needs of the sick and dying and children and elderly.”

Take note though that picture-taking and video documentation are not allowed in the facility, to protect the identity of those under the care of the sisters there.

Contact details:
Address: 1030 Tayuman Street, Tondo 1012, Manila, Philippines
Phone#: (632)-255-0832
For detailed instructions on how to get there, pls. click here.

•    Gawad Kalinga villages
Gawad Kalinga (GK) means “to give care out of love.” According to its official website, the GK solution to poverty “is deeply anchored on the values of caring and sharing. Love must overflow from our homes into the world.”

A lot of children (and adults too!) have been celebrating their birthdays in GK villages for quite some time now, so much so that their website even has a special page dedicated to kids.

Should you choose to celebrate your child’s birthday at a GK village, it will surely be a blast for everyone - all the birthday celebrants for that month even get to blow the candles on the cake with your little one!

Contact details:
GK Global Headquarters
Address: 4/F Profriends Center, 55 Tinio Street Barangay Addition Hills, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines 1552
Phone#: (623) – 718-1738 to 41
E-mail: info@gk1world.com
Website: http://gk1world.com

A longer list of orphanages, charitable institutions and foundations in Manila can be found here.

Additional Tips:
a.    When planning your party, make sure to take note of the list of items that your chosen charitable institution or foundation may need. You may want to ask guests to bring these items, instead of gifts.

b.    Make sure that you and your guests are aware of all rules and precautions that you need to take note of when it comes to security and confidentiality of the wards of the concerned institution, as well as of your guests’.

c.    Explain to your child beforehand why you will be having this kind of birthday party, and involve him or her as much as possible in the planning and execution of the party. For younger kids, the simple motto “sharing is caring,” may be enough. You could let them read books or watch videos about sharing beforehand too.

Click here to read more.

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2. Host a “no-gift” birthday party.
If you want to have a birthday party at the venue of your (or your child’s) choice and still give to a good cause, you could opt to have a “no-gift” birthday party. At this type of celebration, guests don’t bring gifts for the birthday celebrant – instead, they bring donations (in the form of cash or material goods) specifically suited to the charity of your choice.

Basically, your child’s party will require all the same elements typical birthday parties have, but parents must remember to indicate and explain the “no-gift” aspect in the party invitations.

You may also want to show a short video presentation about the charity or cause you and your family will be donating to during one of the party segments. This will help increase awareness of the cause with which you are involved.

If your child is old enough, you could also get him or her to say a few things about the charitable organization you are donating to.


3. Have a birthday donation drive.
For parents who don’t want to go into the hassles of party-planning and execution, you may opt to have a birthday donation drive instead. You could send out flyers through e-mail about how your child is going to celebrate her birthday differently this year, i.e. not throw a party but have a donation drive instead.

It would be best to describe the specific donations you would like well-wishers to make. These could be in the form of cash or goods or whatever item may be needed by the charity of your choice.

You may also opt to have people who wish to give your child birthday gifts sponsor a child’s education instead. They can opt to do this individually or group together.

Of course, one must stress the fact that you and your family are not forcing anyone to make a donation. It may be good also to let your child make “thank you” notes or cards for those who choose to donate. Better yet, if the charity you’re donating to has similar “thank you” cards, send those to the gift-givers as well.

Click here to read more.

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4. Celebrate at a charitable event.
Celebrating this way will be cost-efficient for your family, plus you will be able to promote good works at the same time.

One can find many events aimed at raising funds for the less fortunate simply by logging on to the Internet and searching for such events, or scrolling through one’s Facebook or Google+ accounts. Examples of such events this August are the Mommy Milkshake Marathon last August 14 (to promote breastfeeding) and the ANCOP Global Walk on August 21 (to raise funds for scholars - see details here).

You can explain to your child the reason for this kind of celebration, and invite family and friends to join you to raise funds for charity. Of course, one should not promote or contribute to a good cause only when it’s a special occasion. Still, celebrating in this way will make it extra special, not only for you and your family, but especially for those whom you will be helping.


5. Be a birthday volunteer, not a celebrant.
Volunteerism is something that should be encouraged among children even at a young age. Filipinos especially are known for bayanihan and it would be good to start raising little “bayanis” from the very beginning.

Birthdays are a good reminder to be thankful for the blessing of life, and are a great time to share our blessings with others. Instead of celebrating, why not volunteer somewhere with your birthday celebrant and invited family members and friends?

You could go to a home for the elderly like Anawim, and spend an afternoon there, singing songs for them or helping out in any way. You could share your time by reading books to a group of street kids at a shelter for the homeless like He Cares Foundation, or spend time with pregnant moms at a shelter like Grace To Be Born.

You could even opt to be a “birthday volunteer” in your own neighborhood, organizing a clean-up campaign or feeding session for street kids in the vicinity.

The key here of course is to have fun while you’re doing all these things. Helping others is a perfect way to celebrate birthdays, because it is one way to celebrate the gift of life you and your children have received.

“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

 

Photo from sxc.hu