Half Pinay-Swiss raises record funds as Miss Earth Switzerland
06/20/2011
BERN, Switzerland— A half-Filipina, half Swiss ended her reign as Miss Earth Switzerland 2010 as the most successful Swiss beauty queen fundraiser so far.
Andrea Liza Kuster, 24, collected more than 50,000 Francs from benefit events and other fundraisers during her one-year reign since 2010. The record amount (the previous biggest collection was 32,000 Francs) will be donated over to the Swiss Red Cross.
Andrea gave up her throne last June 4 but plans to work as model and moderator in the future. She will also take part as an "adventurer" in a forest project on Swiss television.
Hard work
It was not all glamour and glitz for Andrea during her Miss Earth promotional events.
Her Filipina mother Bituin Borabien recounted how Andrea sometimes had to wake early and drive herself to benefit and promotional events and then back to her home in Lyss.
In January this year, this writer interviewed Andrea for Balitang Europe. For that day, Andrea had woken up early to promote a benefit event for the protection of animals.
"I was already working from 5 a.m. onwards. It was cold inside where we were working, it was freezing, and I could not even sit down for short breaks. But I had to do it," she told ABS-CBN then.
Heavy cost
All the hard work and time for Miss Earth events also had a hard toll on her personal life.
A two-year old relationship with her 30-year old boyfriend had to end. "With Gregory, I had hoped it would be for always. But it couldn't be," Andrea was quoted saying in a news report.
A Heart for the Philippines
But for Andrea, all that time and effort had to be spent for mother Earth and the environment.
As a half-Filipina (her mother Bituin comes from Manila), Andrea also has a big heart for the Philippines. She considers her Filipina grandmother as her role model.
Since 2006, Andrea helped the Milagros Olivares Borabien Foundation in Manila which was formed from doctors and volunteers to hold medical missions, or visit orphanages and elderly and the street children.
Andrea remembers her best birthday as the one spent in December last year with her family, handing out food and other treats to Malate street children.
A part for donations
During her frequent visits to the Philippines, Andrea has modeled for commercials and fashion shows for products like Century Tuna, Globe, Levis, and others.
Her popularity will also surely result in more modeling contracts or tv spots here in Switzerland.
But Andrea remains true to the Miss Earth slogan of "Beauty for a Cause."
She says she will always set aside a certain part of her fees and earnings to donations for good causes and humanitarian work. "That is always my concern, that lies in my heart," she said.
Andrea had told this writer in 2010: "If you use beauty for a cause, then everything I do, the modeling things, everything will be for helping. So I'm doing these things also for helping. So I have two sides which is connected. Beauty for a cause."
Andrea Liza Kuster, 24, collected more than 50,000 Francs from benefit events and other fundraisers during her one-year reign since 2010. The record amount (the previous biggest collection was 32,000 Francs) will be donated over to the Swiss Red Cross.
Andrea gave up her throne last June 4 but plans to work as model and moderator in the future. She will also take part as an "adventurer" in a forest project on Swiss television.
Hard work
It was not all glamour and glitz for Andrea during her Miss Earth promotional events.
Her Filipina mother Bituin Borabien recounted how Andrea sometimes had to wake early and drive herself to benefit and promotional events and then back to her home in Lyss.
In January this year, this writer interviewed Andrea for Balitang Europe. For that day, Andrea had woken up early to promote a benefit event for the protection of animals.
"I was already working from 5 a.m. onwards. It was cold inside where we were working, it was freezing, and I could not even sit down for short breaks. But I had to do it," she told ABS-CBN then.
Heavy cost
All the hard work and time for Miss Earth events also had a hard toll on her personal life.
A two-year old relationship with her 30-year old boyfriend had to end. "With Gregory, I had hoped it would be for always. But it couldn't be," Andrea was quoted saying in a news report.
A Heart for the Philippines
But for Andrea, all that time and effort had to be spent for mother Earth and the environment.
As a half-Filipina (her mother Bituin comes from Manila), Andrea also has a big heart for the Philippines. She considers her Filipina grandmother as her role model.
Since 2006, Andrea helped the Milagros Olivares Borabien Foundation in Manila which was formed from doctors and volunteers to hold medical missions, or visit orphanages and elderly and the street children.Andrea remembers her best birthday as the one spent in December last year with her family, handing out food and other treats to Malate street children.
A part for donations
During her frequent visits to the Philippines, Andrea has modeled for commercials and fashion shows for products like Century Tuna, Globe, Levis, and others.
Her popularity will also surely result in more modeling contracts or tv spots here in Switzerland.
But Andrea remains true to the Miss Earth slogan of "Beauty for a Cause."
She says she will always set aside a certain part of her fees and earnings to donations for good causes and humanitarian work. "That is always my concern, that lies in my heart," she said.
Andrea had told this writer in 2010: "If you use beauty for a cause, then everything I do, the modeling things, everything will be for helping. So I'm doing these things also for helping. So I have two sides which is connected. Beauty for a cause."
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