Philippine volleyball community tosses for COVID-19 frontliners

MANILA, Philippines – It started with one volleyball star deciding to extend a helping hand to frontliners working in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now practically the whole Philippine volleyball community is collectively pitching in for the same cause.

A group of volleyball players headed by Alyssa Valdez and Beach Volleyball Republic founder Charo Soriano has started a fund drive dubbed “#ServeOutFrontliners: Raffle for Heroes” to raise money for Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) that they will donate to people working in the frontline including health workers.

“I read the news everyday about the battles of our doctors, nurses, health workers, and frontliners. And I wanted to help them, to ease the pain, their burden,” said Valdez, who is considered the face of volleyball in the country.

Valdez and BVR have actually did charity works before during Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban in 2013, the Marawi siege in 2017, Typhoon Lawin in 2018 and, most recently, the Taal eruption in January.

“We wanted to do our part, as much as we can,” said Soriano.

To join, people can donate P300 for every raffle ticket for a chance to win jerseys and memorabilia from present and past stars of the Premier Volleyball League, the Philippine Superliga and the UAAP.

Jia Morado, a setter for Creamline, was the first to make the move as she auctioned her jerseys and at present raised over Php300,000.