Giving hope to Chosen Children

Kimberly Parades turns seven years old on Nov. 28. A ward at Chosen Children Village in Silang, Cavite, she has grown into fine girl, despite her needs as a microcephalic child. She now walks and runs at the Village playground without difficulty. While her language development might be slightly delayed, she has no difficulty in expressing herself.

Kim is one of the 12 wards of Chosen Children whose artworks will be featured in the corporate calendar of CMG of Australia, a leading integrated financial services provider. Proceeds from the sale of the calendars will be donated to the home.

CMG has used photographs of the country’s indigenous communities, provided by the Katutubong Filipino Foundation, as well as artworks by differently abled artists in past corporate calendars. This year, the firm decided to host an art contest among the advanced wards of Chosen Children to drum up public support for the home. Of the children who joined the contest, 12 were selected as winners.

Kim’s art piece, "Hands," is a repeated imprint of her hands in brown and blue paint, liberally sprinkled with colored glitter. In its simplicity, the work is a telling expression of Kim’s growth.

Her 2001 first quarter progress report, written by Chosen Children executive director Ma. Angeles Peypoch Fullerton, indicates that she has good interaction with her peers and caregivers. She is also obedient, obeying what her caregivers tell her. Sometimes, she even acts as big sister to her cottage mates, chiding them for something they might have done wrong. In a fund raising drive among Chosen Children volunteers early this year she was voted by the girls in the Village as Miss Valentine’s. She was also chosen, along with two other children and Village staff, to participate this year in a summer camp in Alaminos, Pangasinan.

Chosen Children Village is a unique concept in the care of disabled children. Founded in 1989 by Fullerton, the Village gave its wards a home environment that placed physically and mentally-challenged children in a family setting. Originally based in Las Piñas, as the number of wards increased, it relocated to its home now in Silang, Cavite.

The Village now has 68 wards, most of whom were hand-picked by Fullerton. Like Kim, they live in their own cottages that are staffed with a complement of nurse and laundrywoman. Each cottage has separate boys’ and girls’ rooms, with sanitary toilets and air-conditioning units.

CMG of Australia discovered Chosen Children in 1995 when its employee recreation committee decided to launch a campaign within the company to raise funds for the children at the home. One of the firm’s staff, who does volunteer work, suggested the charity as a possible recipient of its corporate citizenship program.

"We were quite surprised that for just P2,500, we could already support a child for a year," says CMG marketing vice president Tracy Tan. "The marketing division adopted a child, and we felt quite proud of that."

"This is our social responsibility project as a corporation," says CMG marketing communications and support manager Mellie Tan. "For so small an amount, we have done so much to help a child. We hope that the effort would make more people aware of the plight of these children."

To support the wards of Chosen Children, CMG will donate P5 for every policy bought from Sept. 1 to Nov. 3. The amount will be pooled together and donated to Chosen Children at the end of the period.

With a sales staff totaling 2,500 nationwide and a central staff of 200, Tracy Tan says they hope to raise enough funds to help Chosen Children improve its facilities for its wards.

"As a financial service providers, it is our mission to provide financial security for the Filipino family," she says. "We think that Chosen Children is part of our mission to make the world a less stressful place to live in."

For the Christmas holiday, CMG will host a drive to buy toys for the wards of Chosen Children. This early, the children have been asked to draw up a wish list to help the firm buy toys the children want. Donations received in cash and kind will also be given to the charity during this time.

"It is not enough to give money," says Mellie Tan. "Most of these children also want playmates. They want to play games. We’ve thought of holding our Christmas party there, so that we can give these children the human touch that they need."

"This is our baby," says Tracy Tan. "It has always been CMG’s dream to do something like this."