Celebrating 16 years of true holiday spirit
If you don’t already know, Jollibee’s “Ma-Aga Ang Pasko” campaign is now in its 16th year — that’s 16 years of making Christmas brighter and merrier for every Filipino child. What started out as a simple Yuletide thought between local celebrity Aga Muhlach and Jollibee has ballooned into the country’s largest and longest-running toy and book donation drive.
“I’m so happy that we get the continued support to keep this project going,” says lead spokesperson Aga Muhlach at the 16th Ma-Aga Ang Pasko launch held at One Esplanade. “Every year it seems to get bigger and bigger. It all comes from the heart, and Jollibee is very much like that also. The right people have taken note of this, kaya siya tumagal.”
After his speech Aga dropped toys in the donation box. He said they were from his two children, Andres and Atasha, who believe, like their father, that Christmas is a holiday of giving and sharing.
The success of the Ma-Aga Ang Pasko campaign lies in its ability to focus on its core ideals of charity and selflessness, while introducing ways to get more people involved. Last year, Jollibee mobilized groups of students from 52 schools and employees from 25 companies, collectively known as the Jolly Toy Scouts. With over 15,000 Jolly Toy Scouts gathering as much as 245,000 toys and books and Jollibee matching every donation, more children had a truly special Christmas. Through the years, the campaign has brought cheer to thousands of children through the magic of more than 1.5 million toys and books.
Hosts Suzi Entrata-Abrera and Drew Arellano make sure that the crowd at the 16th Ma-Aga Ang Pasko launch is entertained with holiday stories of their own. And being a Jolly Toy Scout is no easy feat. These individuals have taken it upon themselves to knock on people’s doors, collecting toys and books for less-fortunate children. The Toy Scouts then put on their gloves and pick up their brushes as the toys have to be cleaned thoroughly and segregated. After this, books and toys are packed equally into goodie bags ready for distribution throughout the country. The work is hard, but the rewards are infinite. The heart of a Jolly Toy Scout is nothing short of amazing.
Can’t make time to volunteer as a Jolly Toy Scout? Just visit any of the 718 Jollibee stores nationwide and drop your toy and book donations at the Jollibee Ma-Aga Ang Pasko boxes. Or bring home the cute Jollibee and Friends dolls. These adorable mini-versions of Jollibee, Popo, Yum, Hetty and Twirlie are perfect gifts for kids and kids-at-heart. More importantly, Jollibee Ma-Aga Ang Pasko, in cooperation with the Jollibee Foundation and Jollibee Franchisees Association, has partnered with the Department of Education to help build more classrooms. Part of every purchase of the Jollibee and Friends dolls will help pave the way for more children to have a place where they can enrich their young minds.
To help make the campaign bigger, Jollibee will once again match every toy and book donated with a Jollibee toy. This will effectively double the total number of donations, and the number of kids made happier as well.
Members of The Company sing and dance with little ones who are more than eager to be up on stage and in the limelight. “We would like to invite everyone to participate in the many initiatives of Ma-Aga Ang Pasko,” says Albert Cuadrante, Jollibee VP for marketing. “We acknowledge that the success of this campaign is a team effort. And with more Jolly Toy Scouts joining, just imagine how many more faces will light up with joy, how many hearts will be touched through the spirit of giving. Being a Jolly Toy Scout is the simplest, most fun way to help make Christmas a brighter occasion for underprivileged children. Also, we have made it easier for kind-hearted citizens to reach out and help by providing many ways to contribute to our cause.”
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For more information about Jollibee and their projects, visit www.jollibee.com.ph.
E-mail me at enricomiguelsubido@gmail.com.
