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Goducate scholars continue to help and serve

The Covid-19 pandemic has meant that all teaching in the Philippines had to be done online. This change has caused some students to be stressed, some to be depressed, and some to miss the fellowship that they used to have in school.

To cheer the students up, an end-of-term retreat was organized for Goducate scholars at a resort in Barangay Cawili, Calamba, Laguna, on July 19-20. The retreat gave the Scholars a chance to enjoy fellowship with fellow-scholars through eating, swimming, singing, and sharing together. It also showed the scholars that everybody needs rest breaks. We are grateful to the sponsor for making this end-of-term retreat possible.

Two of our 44 Goducate scholars have graduated from college. Kinerey Perez Baya graduated with Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation at St. Therese MTC- College, and Queenzel Lopecillo Ibabao with Bachelor of Science in Education at Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa.

Two Goducate scholars were not able to complete their college courses because of family problems, and one withdrew from the scholarship because she is able, through taking on a job, to sustain her own needs as a student.

Goducate scholars have done some Goducate-linked volunteer work. Ten of them have been helping with a leadership program for the police run by My Brother’s Keeper. These scholars have used their technological skills to help as administrators and facilitators for the zoom meetings for different regions. Scholars have also helped with other online programs, the feeding program, the music program, etc. 

*Our guest writer is Gemma Abrenilla, a staff member of Goducate Laguna.

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Goducate creates indoor park in Iloilo

Having fun together as a family is part of Filipino culture. An outdoor park for families was created at Camp Goducate, Iloilo (see blog, April 23). Now Camp Goducate has created an indoor park for families.

The facilities in the indoor park provide for exciting and thrilling sensory games, wall climbing, spider climbs, net tunnelling, basketball, archery, board games, table tennis, billiards. There are also trampolines, swings, slides, and sand boxes. The play structures are large  enough for adults or to accommodate a family. For example, the board for snakes and ladders is 15x larger than the usual size, so the game is played standing up rather than sitting down.

Healthy competition and team building are what this park aims to achieve by offering well-structured relays for family groups. The relay starts with sensory games, then board games, basketball, archery, net tunneling, and finally wall climbing. In this way family members are encouraged to plan, strategize, and solve difficulties together during the competition.

The park will open to the public as soon as the lockdown due to the Covid-10 epidemic is lifted. 

*Our Guest writer is Rebecca Depalubos, a Goducate staff.
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GoDeeds Talks Brings Light to the Needy

One of Goducate Laguna’s latest programs is “GoDeeds Talks”, an online program that is livestreamed on our official Facebook page every Thursday night, and that features the good deeds of individuals, institutions, or organizations. The aim of the program is to spread acts of kindness and to inspire people to display concern and compassion to others, especially in these trying times.

The first episode was launched on July 2, 2020, and the program celebrated its 1st anniversary on June 17 and 24, 2021.

At first it was challenging for the team to collect stories to feature, as well as to get funding for the program. But three young professionals from Living Water Baptist Church in Laguna and the GoDeeds Team helped to sustain and support the program for one year.

Over the year, GoDeeds Talks has become a movement or a channel, not just a simple program. Many partnerships were built during relief operations in Bicol, Rizal, and Cagayan when the team was doing community work, especially with police programs such as Barangayanihan (community pantry).

For the 1st anniversary celebrations, the team wanted a project that could be helpful for the community. The team thought up the Handog Liwanag Project (bringing solar light to the needy). They raised funds through their two anniversary programs. For the first program, musicians serenaded viewers, who sent in voluntary donations. Over the two weeks, enough funds were raised for 20 solar panels, which were immediately distributed and installed in homes without a source of electricity.

The second week’s program was an audiovisual presentation to update viewers about the program and inform them of the background of the beneficiaries of the Handog Liwanag Project.

The following link is about the Handog Liwanag Project:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpMiQictmZs

*Our guest writer is Rossa Mae Diaz Luceno, a Goducate volunteer.