Ending the year right

The months leading up to the holiday season have been quite trying for many Filipinos. Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng really did a number on us. It’s only a few days until Christmas, and “‘Tis the season to be jolly” is a bit hard to believe if you’ve lost your home.

True enough, though, the festive lights are up and people are smiling again. Since Ondoy and Pepeng, Filipinos have genuinely volunteered to help one another. Working hand in hand, relief and aid were given to those who needed it most. These efforts demonstrated how the worst situations can reveal the good that people innately possess. It’s interesting to note that the spirit of giving started a few months early.

This December a different and more specialized kind of volunteer emerged. Instead of a sack of rice, his was a sack full of toys. No, it wasn’t roly-poly Santa Claus. But it might as well have been.

Ensuring the happiness of the Yuletide season for many Filipino children were the Jolly Toy Scouts. Enlisted under the Jollibee brand, several young men and women volunteered to donate, clean, pack and distribute toys to the less fortunate and to those affected by the typhoons. Exemplifying the true notion of sharing, these individuals took it upon themselves to make Christmas for another person special again.

The Jolly Toy Scouts tie in with Jollibee’s annual “MaAga ang Pasko” campaign. This Christmas marks 15 years of spreading goodwill and true holiday cheer through volunteerism. “MaAga ang Pasko has made Christmas more meaningful not only for the children receiving the gifts, but also for all those who have helped make the campaign what it is today. It has allowed all of us to experience the joy of giving, which is what Christmas is really all about,” says Jollibee marketing manager Aileen Ricasata.

This year the Jolly Toy Scouts went on a Christmas Caravan, distributing toys to less fortunate children, as well as visiting areas that were affected by the recent typhoons. Present during every excursion was honorary Toy Scout Troop Leader, Aga Muhlach. He has nothing but good to say about the entire campaign: “Seeing young kids and grown-ups pitching in to make other children happy never fails to brighten my day. These young Jolly Toy Scouts get to really understand the value of sharing and that’s what I want my own kids to learn especially at a young age. I’m very proud to be a Jolly Toy Scout myself.”

Admirable is what these people are doing. Yet, “MaAga ang Pasko” still tries to outdo itself. In celebrating its 15th year, Jollibee has matched every donation with a Jollibee toy, effectively doubling the number of gifts collected. “Our goal for this year’s MaAga ang Pasko is to reach out to more children in need and to let even more kids realize that giving is truly what makes Christmas happen,” says Albert Cuadrante, VP for Jollibee-SBU Marketing.

In addition, the campaign introduced the “Adopt a School” program that encouraged schools and various institutions to become a partner of a beneficiary school. All toys and books collected, as well as the corresponding toys to be given by Jollibee to match their collection, were given to their partner beneficiary school. Both Jollibee and Aga Muhlach — together with the Jollibee Foundation and the Jollibee Franchisees Association — have also committed to help renovate or construct several classrooms this year, particularly in schools severely damaged by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. 

 In light of the birth of Christ, there truly is a Higher Power that moves us to help our fellow man. This is the right way to end the year. The smiles on these children’s faces are sure to usher in some good spirits for 2010.

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E-mail me at enricomiguelsubido@yahoo.com.