What better way to celebrate the Christmas season than through an outreach program!
On December 16, 2023, Scribblory had its Christmas party with the scholars of ACEIPI (Advocates for Children and Elders International Philippines Inc.) at Road 9-C, Paranaque City.
The teens arrived early at the venue, and as they were patiently seated waiting for the program to begin, the spirit of Christmas could already be felt amongst these boys and girls. The outreach began at 4 PM, as the heat of the afternoon sun that glowed through the windows started to subside. It started with an opening remarks from Scribblory’s Founder, Elaine Marie Factor, followed by an opening worship and prayer. A warm-up activity was then facilitated by administrators Aiko Hara and Nichelle Dizon.
Thereafter, the teens were grouped into three for an improvised Christmas-themed telestrations activity. When the groups passed the 'results' to the facilitators, one group won for guessing the word right. The winners were then applauded and given prizes.
After that fun energizer, a talk and workshop on gratitude entitled "Something More" was conducted by Scribblory members and writers, Bryan and Ria. This allowed the attendees to pray and reflect on their blessings and desires.
After a productive start, they had their mealtime. Everyone lined up to get a plate full of pancit puti, pancit bihon, two flavors of pichi-pichi, chicken, and pizza, paired with a cup of soft drinks. Once back on their seats, they partook of their meal with Christmas songs playing in the background.
After mealtime, they cleaned up and prepared to listen to a talk about love entitled "I Was Not Yet in Love, Yet I Loved to Love: An Attempt to Understand St. Augustine's Heart." Scribblory’s member and published author, Lewy Tumbaga, gave an insightful sharing about what love truly means, which she thoroughly explained using St. Augustine's life as an example.
This deep and heartfelt talk was reinforced through gift-giving. For a minute or so, the facilitators went around giving each scholar two gift packs, containing books and school supplies donated by Scribblorists. This was followed by a group picture taking to mark the memory of the event in our thoughts.
The program was not yet done, though. The next few hours were jam-packed with more fun activities that the facilitators prepared for the teens. To burn calories, the teens were asked to stand up and learn new dance moves through the Zumba session facilitated by Scribblorists Joemark Canio and Aiko Hara.
Now pumped up with the back-to-back activities, the teens were led into another game called "Trip to Jerusalem with a Twist," facilitated by Aiko Hara and Nichelle Dizon. Instead of dancing to the music and sitting on the chairs when the music stops, they were asked to pass around one of Paperie Projects Christmas-themed letter writing kits. At first, the teens looked serious and determined to win, but later on, they filled the room with laughter and loud cheers.
Sitting almost at the edge of their seats, they passed around the writing kit while the music played. Their faces were thrilled with excitement. The game ended with two winners, who received prizes and were warmly applauded.
For the last activity, facilitators Aiko Hara and Nichelle Dizon conducted a short letter writing workshop entitled "You've Got Mail" for the teens, allowing them to express their creative thoughts on paper. Some teens were then asked to share with the group what they wrote.
Finally, to cap off the night, a closing prayer was done through a recorded and guided Examen and meditation by Marvi San Pedro, facilitated by Elaine Marie Factor.
Christmas is indeed about giving—not just of gifts, but of time, effort, and love. It was such a joy to serve the scholars of ACEIPI! We would like to thank the following volunteers, donors, sponsors, and facilitators for making this outreach activity a success:
Speakers and Volunteers
Nichelle Dizon
Aiko Hara
Bryan Christopher Reyes
Ria Miral
Lewelyn Tumbaga
Jose Tumbaga
Joemark Canio
Marvi San Pedro
Guilly Tejano
Feliza Etorne
Nesty Loberiano-Seman
Donors and Sponsors
Ankat Lopez
Veronica Althea Ortiz
Vergie Manligas
Naysan Albaytar
Marcelo Apidos
Rosalie de Silva
Pinky Abaga
Lewelyn Tumbaga
Nesty Loberiano-Seman
HG Food Manufacturing
And of course, Tita Vergie, Ate Myrna, and ACEIPI staff!
Written by Nichelle Dizon and Elaine Marie Factor