Monday, December 14, 2015

Lighting a Candle of Hope this Christmas: Angel Project 2015

There are two ways of spreading light: to be a candle or the mirror that reflects it.

So goes a quote by Edith Wharton. The light of hope, in one way or another, is a remarkable source of strength that people can rely on in times of darkness. This Christmas, as a source of light to children in their darkest hours due to cancer, SIG Angels chose to be a candle: one that does not only spread light but also keeps our little warriors warm and secure.


Angel Project 2015 is a collaborative effort of Seo In Guk's fans around the globe, with the intent of helping cancer patient kids at the Philippine Children's Medical Center through medical sponsorship. Funds for the project were taken from donations given by various angel sponsors around the globe, and went to either covering a fraction of their bill or a blood bag that the patients would need for transfusion.

Prior to the project proper, the angels agreed to meet somewhere at Eton Centris to allow ample time for them to get to know each other and change their clothes to the shirt that was supposed to be worn for the said event. As soon as all of the members were complete, a van was hired to proceed to the place of charity.



Although we rented a van with a capacity of 18 people (we were only 10), the ride was a bit pricey for P300 considering the distance from Centris to PCMC. Upon arrival, Ate Kate and Ate Fran who went ahead because of the things they had to bring greeted us all with a bright and warm smile. Ate Kate, the person behind this charity event, distributed face masks and notebooks to the group and briefed us about what we should do throughout our stay.  





There were all kinds of patients in each ward, ranging from young ones to a few who were a little above young. They all had stories to tell, and it was heartbreaking to know that at such a young age they had to go through this kind of battle and give up the happiness a child is supposed to have by playing with friends and studying at school.

To help ease the sadness that these kids were feeling, we distributed a few gifts for them such as toys, coloring books, story books and the like. It was gratifying to see how happy they were with what we have given them. After the giving of gifts, the parents were then asked to meet the group outside for the vouchers they'd surrender in exchange of money they could use for blood transfusion or medical bills.






At the end of the charity proper some got teary eyed but all were happy and fulfilled for being able to do a good deed to someone else, in behalf of Seo In Guk on top of that. As a final activity before leaving PCMC, a photo op was conducted where the group posed before the fandom's tarpaulin. We stood, we sat, and even laid on the floor beside him. We didn't mind what people would probably think because we were happy. We were happy, and we were one.


And as no successful project ends without a celebration, after the charity event the group gathered somewhere in Timog for a simple dinner and further chit chat about our namja.

It was the first ever charity event I was able to attend, and it was amazing. The experience was super, and I cannot wait to be a part of something like this again. 'Til our next project!

Merry Christmas, angels!


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