A couple months ago, the Nomads Bulettes held an art exhibition entitled “Touch and Soul”, which featured some of the country’s best painters, including BenCab and Hermes Allegre. Just before Valentines Day 2009, the girls used part of the funds raised to do an Outreach Program with us in PGH, in benefit of the Pediatric Ward patients, who numbered nearly 50 in the ward.
We’ll let Clair Barberis tell her account of that memorable day, when we all learned about love’s true value, and the joy of giving.
(By Clair Concepcion-Barberis, Nomads Bulettes Rugby Team Player, FunDayTion Organizer/Volunteer):
Recently, with every cup of morning coffee, one has faced a cramped newspaper page of tumbling figures and a video stream of very bad, very real war vignettes. Just when you think that last night’s breaking news was shocking enough, in comes another one equipped with enough potency to make your jaw drop through the floor, again.
This is approximately the time you decide there is no point in making sense of this all. Then your children walk in and give you the most loving and unaffected kiss in the whole wide world and deliver a beautifully crafted pre-valentine card made during their recreational class. Now this puts your views back into perspective.
On February 12, 2009, through the help of missionaries Nikki Martinez of FunDayTion (Our Life Outreach), her mother Joy and her two beautiful and talented daughters, Nina and Angela, I accompanied a number of the Bullettes to Wards 9 and 11of the PGH Pediatric Cancer Ward.
Before entering the wards, Joy gathered us around and gently warned us, “Please be strong and prepare yourselves in the event a child passes away during our visit.” Apparently, three childred had passed away the last time Joy and Nikki were there. What do you do with that information?? Suck it up and hope for the best.
The experience was, to say the least, heart wrenching. All we wanted to do was to give everything we had, hope to say something positive or even remotely funny and do everything in our power to make these children’s lives less painful and their parent’s lives less sorrowful. In our very own small way, we provided a couple of hours of distraction by distributing diapers, face towels, cotton buds, alcohol, clothes and food to the patients and parents.
At once, we realized that what we thought of hours ago as plentiful was now frustratingly meager as supplies were simply not enough. When supplies ran out, we became the next supply – and supplied some laughs, conversation and hope to some that looked forward to our next visit. Hopefully, by then, they would have checked out. Well, one sort of checked out – a one day old baby wrapped in cling wrap wasn’t so lucky — or probably is.
We stepped out as the sight was too much for any of us to bear and we could only imagine the scene of the father arriving a tad too late with medicines in tow. This puts everything we once thought of as valuable right into the material trash bin – and life back into perspective.
The funds that have been raised during the Touch and Soul Charity Art Exhibit and Sale will be used for another PGH Charity Day sometime in June and will also be used to purchase school and art supplies for the street children of Les Oursin.
Should you wish to donate or volunteer for either project, please contact Clair +63 918 906 8332 or ccbarberis@gmail.com. For more inquiries about FunDayTion projects, contact Nikki or Joy Martinez, for Our Life Outreach. 0915-881-2478.
(Note from Joy Martinez):
The hospital visitation program is something we organize for sponsors wanting to have hands-on experience with those they are helping. We arranged the pediatric ward visitation for the Nomads girls to do volunteer work and the Lord helped everything to work out for the best. With some proceeds from their art exhibition, they were able to buy diapers, food and goods for the patients.
They took the time right there to distribute and check for the kids sizes for diapers and clothing, scoop up the food into the plates and be servers to all . They would personally go back and forth to the hall where the stuff was and then back to the beds to give it out. They were really enjoying it and getting involved, showing sincere concern for each patient and parent, making sure that each got what they actually needed. Each volunteer was really touched that day.
Below are pictures from the event. Thanks again for taking the time to view our updates on this site. God bless you!
