Here's an article published in the Migrants' Forum publication in Hongkong written by my eldest sister Roselma.
The mission of every association defines its purposes, program activities, values and the measure of its success. All its programs and decisions stem from the beliefs and vision that are its reason for existing in the first place.
For our group, it is the concept of volunteering from the heart that keeps us together, and makes our involvement in community events a worthwhile exercise.
have we ever wondered how we can better foster a spirit of volunteerism within our group? How would it feel like to take part in a fund raising event to benefit homeless kids back in our country, or to help and give back to the local community in Hongkong?
For many of us belonging to different Filipino organizations here, our time is precious, but it becomes more invaluable when we use it to give to others, especially in these difficult times. It doesn't cost a cent to give from the heart but often, we forget the significance of this kind of giving.
I believe that social responsibility is an ethical identity in every organization and this concept leads me to think that personal actions can make a significant difference in the lives of others, be it in my hometown or in Hongkong.
It has been my group's (CFCB) mission to make a difference in the community by simply donating our time and effort through volunteering and getting involved in charity works here and in our country. To us, providing assistance is the foundation for creating a more amicable world.
As Martin Luther King once said, "Life's most urgent question is; what are we doing for others?" However, many of our members still hesitate to volunteer because they don't think they are qualified or don't have time and for many other reasons. Many say they are not worthy; while others are afraid of making a commitment they will not be able to keep. Of course, as anyone who volunteers will tell you, we all had similar reservations before we gathered enough courage to take the first step in dedicating our time to the service of those in need.
The only difference in being a volunteer, whether in our own country or in Hong Kong, is that instead of being the recipient of a service, we are the ones giving the service.
Once we get into the routine of donating our time for a worthy cause, we become used to doing the said task that when we try to stop, we miss it. As in everything we do, practice makes perfect and things become a habit and before long the people we are helping start to miss us, and we start to miss them as well.
This is what the volunteers of CFCB are experiencing at the home for the elderly where we have been volunteering for the past four years. While we make them feel very special; they in turn make us feel good. Before long, we realize that we like helping other people because it gives us double the pleasure of giving.
Touching the lives of others or altering it with such significance that is irrevocably changed for the better is beneficial to all. The value of volunteering from the heart is so much more than a sacrifice of time. Helping others is to connect with them and for a time, share their life.
And so, the next time you hear a call to volunteer in the community and begin thinking of all the reasons you can't help out, remember that every volunteer has felt the same way. But what sets them apart is that they took the first step in saying, "I want to reach out and give back to my community and make a difference!"
By building these bridges of love, it is inevitable that friendships will bloom, and this in turn, will open the door to an exchange of ideas. That is learning.
For our group, it is the concept of volunteering from the heart that keeps us together, and makes our involvement in community events a worthwhile exercise.
have we ever wondered how we can better foster a spirit of volunteerism within our group? How would it feel like to take part in a fund raising event to benefit homeless kids back in our country, or to help and give back to the local community in Hongkong?
For many of us belonging to different Filipino organizations here, our time is precious, but it becomes more invaluable when we use it to give to others, especially in these difficult times. It doesn't cost a cent to give from the heart but often, we forget the significance of this kind of giving.
I believe that social responsibility is an ethical identity in every organization and this concept leads me to think that personal actions can make a significant difference in the lives of others, be it in my hometown or in Hongkong.
It has been my group's (CFCB) mission to make a difference in the community by simply donating our time and effort through volunteering and getting involved in charity works here and in our country. To us, providing assistance is the foundation for creating a more amicable world.
As Martin Luther King once said, "Life's most urgent question is; what are we doing for others?" However, many of our members still hesitate to volunteer because they don't think they are qualified or don't have time and for many other reasons. Many say they are not worthy; while others are afraid of making a commitment they will not be able to keep. Of course, as anyone who volunteers will tell you, we all had similar reservations before we gathered enough courage to take the first step in dedicating our time to the service of those in need.
The only difference in being a volunteer, whether in our own country or in Hong Kong, is that instead of being the recipient of a service, we are the ones giving the service.
Once we get into the routine of donating our time for a worthy cause, we become used to doing the said task that when we try to stop, we miss it. As in everything we do, practice makes perfect and things become a habit and before long the people we are helping start to miss us, and we start to miss them as well.
This is what the volunteers of CFCB are experiencing at the home for the elderly where we have been volunteering for the past four years. While we make them feel very special; they in turn make us feel good. Before long, we realize that we like helping other people because it gives us double the pleasure of giving.
Touching the lives of others or altering it with such significance that is irrevocably changed for the better is beneficial to all. The value of volunteering from the heart is so much more than a sacrifice of time. Helping others is to connect with them and for a time, share their life.
And so, the next time you hear a call to volunteer in the community and begin thinking of all the reasons you can't help out, remember that every volunteer has felt the same way. But what sets them apart is that they took the first step in saying, "I want to reach out and give back to my community and make a difference!"
By building these bridges of love, it is inevitable that friendships will bloom, and this in turn, will open the door to an exchange of ideas. That is learning.
Contributor is Roselma B. Abrenica, a veteran OFW in Hongkong and a known community leader who has made giving and working for the less fortunate one of her primary goals. She is the president of the Consolidated Filipino Community Brigade (CFCB) and secretary of the Group of Active Leaders (GOAL), an alliance of four Filipino organizatios, namely CFCB, CABAGIS, CMC and AFWB. These groups strive to promote the spirit of bayanihan and mutual help among their members and other members of the community. In line with this, they have carried out charity work at Bethune shelter for distressed migrants, and for the victims of typhoon Frank in the Philippines.
Rosel is also a member of the Philippine Guardians Brotherhood and belongs to the Senate chapter in the Philippines. She has helped organize last year the first bloodletting project of PGBI-HK for the HK Red Cross.
Rosel is originally from the province of Kalinga in the northern part of the Philippines, but her family now resides in Quezon City. She is currently employed by the Israeli Consulate as household service staff but has spent most of the 20 years she has been in Hongkong working with the Singapore Consulate.
Rosel believes in the saying that one must not waste time trying to bring others down. "If we want to achieve something, we must continually work hard for it!" she says.
Rosel is also a member of the Philippine Guardians Brotherhood and belongs to the Senate chapter in the Philippines. She has helped organize last year the first bloodletting project of PGBI-HK for the HK Red Cross.
Rosel is originally from the province of Kalinga in the northern part of the Philippines, but her family now resides in Quezon City. She is currently employed by the Israeli Consulate as household service staff but has spent most of the 20 years she has been in Hongkong working with the Singapore Consulate.
Rosel believes in the saying that one must not waste time trying to bring others down. "If we want to achieve something, we must continually work hard for it!" she says.
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