I have been helping out with the Buhay Makulay Children's Project for several years now. Today is actually the fifth fair that I participated in and one would assume that by this time, I'd be so used to it already that it wouldn't be as impactful as the first one. No, that isn't and will never be the case. Each year and with each fair, there's always a story to tell; one that never fails to bring me teary-eyed and give me goosebumps.
This year, I was assigned in the Sword Booth where the children were given sword cutouts for them to color and write their commitments in. Having been assigned to more "active" stations in previous fairs (e.g. Cookie decorating and pizza making), I had my doubts on how interested the kids will be in coloring a sword cutout. Plus, we were dealing with a 6-11 age group, could we really expect them to come up with commitments?
As usual, I was in for another surprise. Not only were the kids really engaged into decorating their swords, they also had really inspiring commitments! Most of them wrote that they promise to study hard and finish school. I know that it sounds very generic but I felt a tug on my heartstrings with this because knowing their circumstances, there's no certainty on how long they can actually stay in school. There was one kid who promised to buy a house someday. This one made me smile and I prayed that the promise will be a source of strength and motivation for him. My favorite is the boy who wrote that he wouldn't be afraid of darkness anymore because he has the sword of the spirit. This was one of the highlights from Tanya's introduction about the fair's theme for 2015. I was in awe at how he actually took away something from it, considering that he's only 10 and kids his age normally don't pay attention to opening talks because they're too excited for the actual activities to start.
At the end of each sword decorating session, we gave each kid a coloring book and a box of crayon with 16 colors. This again was another moment for me to be amazed by the children's maturity. The box of crayons and coloring books were within their reach and there were moments when I stepped out of the room. Did any kid try to get more than 1 box of crayon? No. Did any kid try to get someone else's coloring book. No.
Knowing their circumstances, of course wouldn't be a surprise if some children would marvel at the idea of a pile of coloring books right? Some might even think of trying to get as much as they can because who knows when they'll get another opportunity like that. But they were so well behaved and waited for their turn. When someone in the group missed out on the giveaway, there was at least one person who'll remind him to get one. (Faith restored in humanity!) I was truly amazed and could not help to compare it with the Freedom Friday in the office last year. There was a pile of snacks in the pantry for the people and everything was gone in less than 30 minutes. At least half of the population didn't get their share and those who hoarded didn't even bother to drop a donation in the CSR box as instructed. And believe it or not, these are employees who are on the 30% tax bracket! Quite a comparison and the difference is astounding.
When I volunteered for Buhay Makulay in 2010, I initially thought of it as a one-time thing. I didn't expect that I will still be part of it five years later, that I will actually get to see some of the children grow, that it will be a constant reminder for me of how capable we all are to make a difference, regardless of our income bracket. I am also happy that it has become something that I get to share with my closest friends, (most of them have taken part in a Buhay Makulay activity at one point or another) and I hope to continue bringing the color of hope to these children in the years to come.
