“They have resilience; they’re still very active despite being sick,” said Kythe President Raymond Paul Rueda (IV AB Psy).
From February 3 to 7, the Ateneo Kythe celebrated “Kythe Week,” which sought to bring awareness of children cancer patients to the community.
Some of the activities during the week were a blood drive, photo booth, and a photo contest. The week culminated February 7 in a kite-flying event at the Bellarmine Field. Kythe also brought the children to the Ateneo for the first time on the week’s last day.
Ateneo Kythe, a sector-based org, is the student counterpart of Kythe Inc., a non-stock, non-profit organization that focuses on the psychosocial needs of pediatric cancer patients.
For a cause
The profit made during Kythe Week will be donated to Kythe’s partner hospitals, said Regine Marie Tumlos (III AB PoS), one of the project heads.
The participating hospitals were the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital, National Kidney Transplant Institute, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, and the University of Santo Tomas Hospital.
Frances Samantha Ledesma (III BS HSc), who helped organize Kythe’s photo booth, said that Kythe Week was an opportunity to help the children diagnosed with cancer. “As kids we were playing, we had toys, we had fun. But these kids, they haven’t been given the same opportunities and chances that we were given.”
Tumlos said the event was a chance for Ateneans to be aware and involved. “As Ateneans, we believe in Ignatian values… [In Kythe], we are able to become men and women for others.”
“This proves that Ateneans are not apathetic and they are included in social involvement,” said Rueda, as he watched the children and volunteers fly kites and eat ice cream in the kite-flying event at Bel Field.
A sun dance for a rainy day
Kite-flying required cooperative weather conditions. Occasional drizzles during the event, however, called for Rueda and other Kythe volunteers to do an impromptu “sun dance” in the middle of the Bel Field.
To the delight of the crowd watching, Rueda stood on one leg while opening and closing his hands, palms directed to the heavens.
Rueda said they anticipated the rainy weather. “We actually looked at a weather website to check if the weather was going to be as bad [as the day before] and it predicted that it would rain.”
Another problem the event faced was getting support from the Ateneo community. “It took time to be sponsored by the orgs but then eventually, they helped us out,” said Tumlos. Some Ateneo orgs opened face-painting and candy booths during the culminating activity.
For Ledesma, the org also had difficulties with manpower. But they solved this by scheduling shifts and takes for the photo booth.
Surprise guests
The winners for the photo contest, which had the theme “Kids being kids,” were announced during the culminating activity. Rosheer Karla Lim (IV BS Mgt) won first place for her photo titled “Having Fun,” while Isis Clariz Huang (III AB Comm) won the Voter’s Choice for her photo “First Love.”
Former Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition housemate Robi Domingo (I BS HSc) dropped by to pick winners for the raffle. Families of the cancer patients received special prizes.
As night came and the event drew to a close, model and host Marc Nelson, who is a member of Kythe Inc., surprised everybody with a visit, and flew kites with the children. A fire truck also came and gave the children a ride around the field.
