A Rewarding Experience

“The rewards are simply undeniably awesome,

for lack of words to describe it.”

-- Xandra Cardenas

It all started in December 2006 when the PSI grads of Baguio decided to hold their Christmas party in Joshua Children's Home. From then on, Xandra Cardenas (Basic 107, Starshooters Team 67, Heroic Class 28) became active in such events and soon discovered that just leaving donations at the doorstep was not enough for the kids. In visiting the orphanages, Xandra saw how the younger kids would cling onto her and would want to be hugged. They wanted someone they could talk to and listen to their heartaches. They needed someone to tell them kind words, to hear that they are beautiful and smart; and that they could be whatever they want to be. After a few minutes of being with them, their smiles are worth her time.

In her last visit to Bethesda Children's Home in January, she was joined by some PSI grads of Baguio and some Korean volunteers. They brought food and had a little chat with each of the kids. They asked them what they want to be in the future and gave them some advise. The childred expressed their gratitude with smiles and positive responses; but, in her opinion, she should be the one thanking these children. They have inspired her and have given her an opportunity to give unconditionally.

Xandra visits Bethesda every month. She encourages others to join her. Her volunteers are growing in number because, somehow, word had spread. More and more Koreans are joining too, and she gets many donations from overseas as well.

More than inspiring, it has truly been a rewarding experience for Xandra.

Reading Center for a Cause

“Good attracts good and when people sees the good in others… they become good themselves”

It started as a desire; Plock-Lick Pavia (Basic 112, Starshooter 26, Heroic 6) simply wanted to do a reading session with kids. She asked neighbors for used children’s books to add on to the pile she had already collected from members of her extended family. One afternoon in the middle of April, she had brought out the books she had collected, sat under a big tree where three streets met where children usually come out to play. When the children saw she had different kinds of books in different shapes and sizes, they were readily enticed to browse through them. At the end of six weeks, there were 30 children and 15 volunteers actively participating in her project.

When summer ended, her problem was the storage of the piles of books she has collected. At this point she experienced several rejections and obstacles but her intention was clear. Applying the things she learned at PSI, she pushed through and in the end she was offered the entire second floor of the SB Building at Barangay Marilag as a site for a library. Another set of obstacles came, first she didn’t have any idea how to start a library and she has no funds for the shelf and the chairs. With a big room and a list of things she needs at hand she searched for the funds and in just two weeks she raised enough for the bookshelves. Finally on August 16, 2006 BMRC (Barangay Marilag Reading Center) was blessed and officially opened to the public.

Plock-lick also attracted a lot of volunteers. People came to her and asked how they can help. Volunteers do this because they are empowered. They get to experience a sense of leadership since they realized they have something to offer.

Plock-lick gave up her job to give her full time to this endeavor. Now, her goal is to raise funds for a summer youth camp to empower youth leaders and for a mobile library so she can reach out to other kids from different parts of Manila and the country.

Paying forward, saving lives

“They wanted to pay back, but they do not know who to thank so they have the urge to pay it forward”

People who have met Nap Marilag (Basic 208, Starshooters 66) would describe him as a simple jolly person and behind his very good sense of humor is a loving heart. It simply started with a desire to help someone he doesn’t know, and he also doesn’t know where his contribution will go and when it will be used. He saw the answer when he donated blood and at that moment he knew that was it.

Being an extrovert that he is, he enrolled his friends to join him. Some people doubted his capacity while others question his motives but in the end he was able to gather together 400 people to donate their bloods. The bags of blood from donors were then stored in different hospitals and are available for free to people in need. From this, his effort and story of good deeds was passed on until it reached a TV network. The said network partnered with him and in the process he was able to invite more blood donors and organize a lot of blood letting projects, of which he lost count.

He was meant to be a part of PSI. He shared to me the story of how he became a PSI Basic graduate and it was amazing, although quite confidential. I’m lucky enough to hear it. He told me that it was in PSI where he was affirmed and that he finally found the perfect word to describe the things that he has been doing… AGAPE.

Nap is continuously inviting people to donate blood and he shared to me his goal of organizing the biggest bloodletting project that will beat the current holder of the Guinness Book of World Record for having the highest number of blood donor (13,832) held in India on September 2004.

From a Goal to a Purpose

“You put the most important things first, things close to your heart”

It all started as a Starshooters Goal. Glen Fernando’s (Basic 205, Starshooters 69) initial purpose was to break his scarcity mentality. To achieve this, he organized an outreach/feeding program for the children of RSCC (Reception and Study Center for Children). Of course he has to ask his friends, colleagues and even strangers for support and in the process he was able to conquer a lot of fear and get out of his comfort zone.

He organized this outreach, together with some friends last December 02, 2007 in time for the season of giving. At that point he realized that their greatest contribution to the children were not the foods and goods, but the time, companionship and care that they selflessly gave. He said that he was a changed man after that experience and when I asked him how he felt after, he simply said “Paggising ko kinabukasan, nakahiga lang ako at nakasmile lang and napipicture ko ang mukha ng mga bata na nakatawa.”

Abundance in Giving

“The more you give, the more you feel abundant and the more you feel abundant, the more contented you get. Satisfaction lies in doing, not in having. Having is just a trophy.”

Marvin Macatol (Basic 204, Starshooters 64, Heroic 26) is a big guy with a big heart. He has been actively helping the homeless even before he joined PSI. As an active volunteer of Gawad Kalinga (GK) for two years, he, along with other volunteers has provided homes to a lot of people and has transformed the lives not only of those who were given houses, but them as well. Marvin is part of the caretaker team. His tasks include implementing the shelter component, defining the housing need, prepare the bill of materials, monitor budget and disbursements and supervise the foreman and volunteer.

Marvin is also a full time father, a businessman and an active volunteer of PSI. How does he find time… “I just decide what the most important thing to do is. I schedule my evening one or two weeks in advance and I delegate a lot. I visualize a lot – What I want to happen, I visualize. When you delegate something you cast a vision. Anyone you work with has to see the vision also.”

The price to pay: phone bill is high, but this is nothing to the sense of satisfaction he feels.

GO MAD - GO Make A Difference

The articles for “Make a Difference” are stories of small heroic acts to create the change.
As Mahatma Gandhi puts it “Be the change you want to see in the world”

Go Make a Difference
(from ESSENCE IN HARMONY Issue # 1)

How does a person make a difference? The history of the world is simply a chronicle of the deeds of small number of ordinary people who had extraordinary levels of commitment.
We don’t need to wait in making a grandiose master plan to make a difference. Great opportunities seldom come, but small ones surround us everyday.
As PSI Graduates, we know the value of giving and as much as possible we want it unconditional. We are actually introduced to techniques or ways on how we can do Agape.
While planning for this newsletter for February, I knew that the topic for this month has to be about love… unconditional love. I then asked some people whom I know have made a difference in their own way. It was a great privilege to meet and be acquainted to these people. I was touched and inspired by their story.