Kids reaching out to kids

SAN FRANCISCO, California—Teddy bears and assorted stuff animals of all sizes and colors painted Myda Prieto’s living room as collections were brought in by friends, and family. They were all ready to be boxed and shipped to the Philippines for children left homeless and toyless by the devastating Typhoon Sendong.

It all began when Prieto’s badminton girlfriends thought of helping out with the plight of the typhoon victims. They decided to focus their energy on the children.

“When we had the flier made, the collecting was easy,” Prieto said.  “My partners collected from their places of work (church, DMV, Kaiser, care home, CFI).”

“My younger children also got so involved.  80% of our donation was from their school, Holy Rosary in Antioch,”  Prieto added.

Teachable moment

“The school decided to make it their Catholic Schools Week Service project.  It was a big hit with the kids and they related to the cause of children’s play therapy,” Prieto said.

“The children were very enthusiastic. It was a significant & reachable project for them,” she added.

She also mentioned that one classmate of her daughter who is half Filipino said, “everyone loves the Philippines, they all want to help!” And those who were once aloof to their heritage seemed to have been touched and now have connected to their parents’ culture, Prieto noticed.

The toys filled seven Balikbayan Boxes, all bulging at the seams. “We all did the packing after badminton Wednesdays,” Prieto said.
DHL donated their services and air-shipped the boxes for free.