Dubai OFWs raise funds for poor elderly in PH via exercise
06/04/2011
DUBAI, UAE - A professionally successful couple from Dubai chose to celebrate their birthdays in May by organizing Hearty Party, an exercise event for a cause. This is to raise funds for the poor and abandoned elderly being sheltered in a home in the Philippines.
Web manager Rocky Parroco, who works at a well known global electronics company, with wife Lou, an HR global manager, managed to raise AED 4,815 (P56,760) from the recent event which was conducted on three Friday mornings.
A fee of AED 30 (P354) was collected per participant per session. This is on top of the collected AED 1,350 (P16,000) from sponsors. Overall, the three sessions were attended by about 200 overseas Filipino workers from Dubai.
It helped that Lou’s brother, currently the president of the local Filipino Dance Club, conducted the 2-hour fitness activity held in a new 5-star hotel in the city.
"My husband and I both celebrate our birthdays in May," Lou explained. “A couple of years ago, we have decided to celebrate our birthdays in a different way. Instead of spending our energy, time and money on big parties with the same privileged friends, we thought of organizing small charity projects," she added.
Both have been living and working in Dubai for more than 10 years.
In May 2009, Rocky raised funds by organizing photography workshops called "Shoot and Shelter" to provide houses for the poor in the Philippines. The series of workshops generated enough funds for two houses through Gawad Kalinga.
A year after, in May 2010, Lou initiated a project called "Color for Her" where she collected a thousand lipsticks from friends and supporters. The lipsticks had brought smiles to women, mostly mothers, in the Philippines who were too poor to afford anything, let alone to buy a lipstick. Those women were fish vendors, street cleaners, nannies and rice field workers.
Rocky, a gifted photographer, again organized a photography workshop in the same year with the help of the Lightbenders group. The proceeds were used to purchase additional lipsticks as well as rice.
This May 2011, the funds from the dance exercise sessions will be given to the elderly housed at the Anawim Foundation in the Philippines particularly those who suffer from cardiovascular disease.
JayR Magbanua, one of the Hearty Party participants, said, “I love to dance and had enjoyed myself dancing Waka Waka steps. I told myself it is really a great way to be fit and healthy while participating in a charity cause.”
He added that he admires the Parrocos because they chose to think of others before themselves. "They are such an amazing couple with a generous heart. We will be supporting future charity events they will organize in the future."
For her part, Lou expressed: "Due to many requests, we are planning to make 'Hearty Party' a recurring project every year on top of new projects. We'll probably campaign for participation on a bigger scale."
For this Dubai couple, no birthdays will definitely be celebrated alone.
Web manager Rocky Parroco, who works at a well known global electronics company, with wife Lou, an HR global manager, managed to raise AED 4,815 (P56,760) from the recent event which was conducted on three Friday mornings.
A fee of AED 30 (P354) was collected per participant per session. This is on top of the collected AED 1,350 (P16,000) from sponsors. Overall, the three sessions were attended by about 200 overseas Filipino workers from Dubai.
It helped that Lou’s brother, currently the president of the local Filipino Dance Club, conducted the 2-hour fitness activity held in a new 5-star hotel in the city.
"My husband and I both celebrate our birthdays in May," Lou explained. “A couple of years ago, we have decided to celebrate our birthdays in a different way. Instead of spending our energy, time and money on big parties with the same privileged friends, we thought of organizing small charity projects," she added.
Both have been living and working in Dubai for more than 10 years.
In May 2009, Rocky raised funds by organizing photography workshops called "Shoot and Shelter" to provide houses for the poor in the Philippines. The series of workshops generated enough funds for two houses through Gawad Kalinga.
A year after, in May 2010, Lou initiated a project called "Color for Her" where she collected a thousand lipsticks from friends and supporters. The lipsticks had brought smiles to women, mostly mothers, in the Philippines who were too poor to afford anything, let alone to buy a lipstick. Those women were fish vendors, street cleaners, nannies and rice field workers.
Rocky, a gifted photographer, again organized a photography workshop in the same year with the help of the Lightbenders group. The proceeds were used to purchase additional lipsticks as well as rice.
This May 2011, the funds from the dance exercise sessions will be given to the elderly housed at the Anawim Foundation in the Philippines particularly those who suffer from cardiovascular disease.
JayR Magbanua, one of the Hearty Party participants, said, “I love to dance and had enjoyed myself dancing Waka Waka steps. I told myself it is really a great way to be fit and healthy while participating in a charity cause.”
He added that he admires the Parrocos because they chose to think of others before themselves. "They are such an amazing couple with a generous heart. We will be supporting future charity events they will organize in the future."
For her part, Lou expressed: "Due to many requests, we are planning to make 'Hearty Party' a recurring project every year on top of new projects. We'll probably campaign for participation on a bigger scale."
For this Dubai couple, no birthdays will definitely be celebrated alone.
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