High-5 Hope reaches out to poor kids

MANILA, Philippines - High Five Hope, a nonprofit organization committed to transforming the lives of street children in the Philippines through sports, is launching the “I Give Hope” campaign this year to further boost their goal of changing the lives of the Filipino youth.

Tied with Olympic Village, the campaign encourages basketball and sports fans to donate sports goods such as basketballs, jerseys, shorts, shoes, backboards, rings and basketball and volleyball nets to any Olympic Village outlet to help “reach out to street children and lead them to the right direction.”

“By taking part in the ‘I Give Hope’ campaign and donating whatever we can, we are providing these children with new opportunities that will possibly spark a positive change in their lives,” said HFH head Bill Hilf, also the general manager of technical computing at Microsoft Corporation.

Hilf, a sports enthusiast himself, saw the need to help Filipino street children through a business trip in the country. Hilf and his High Five Hope team had already pioneered several sports events in the past such as the yearly Hope Sports Festival which was attended by over 300 children last year. The success of this program inspired Hilf’s team to expand their efforts and launch the “I Give Hope” campaign.

“Kids can learn a lot from playing sports and what they learn on the court can be applied off the court too,” said Hilf. “We had a big turnout last year and we’re focused on expanding our efforts so more children can be a part of our program.”