 Cassie’s “Hope Lives in Me” Journey |
“I hope you enjoyed that video. It was difficult to capture all the special moments I shared with the kids because there were just so many.
2015 was a great year. It was a year that exceeded all my expectations. And I was lucky enough to make 2 trips back this summer and this Christmas.
When I came to speak to you last spring, I talked about my Bag of Dreams Challenge. I introduced you to Melissa and the wonderful work of Project Pearls. Without batting an eyelash, you all jumped right onboard and put your full support behind me and Project Pearls.
Because of you, I had an incredible summer. My project took flight and became unstoppable. Because it had Chinatown Rotary supporting it, the project became more interesting and credible to others. People were excited to be part of it. It became… as we call it nowadays – LEGIT.
In the Philippines, I was invited to speak on 2 different occasions. First it was at the Tao Corporation, one of the Top 100 Corporations in the Philippines, where I talked to the employees about Paying it Forward. That resulted in some employees joining me on one of the daily feedings where they donated their food products and essential items for hygiene kits and food packs. They also helped my Bag of Dreams by providing free transportation for the 300 bags we were bringing to Zambales which is about a 4 hour drive from Manila.
I was also invited as a guest speaker by the Rotary Club of Makati. After I spoke to them about Paying it Forward, I was appointed ambassador and spokesperson of their Super OFW Kids program, where they honor kids who pay it forward and inspire others in their own communities. They are also hoping to partner with you and us (Melissa and me) on future projects and look forward to meeting some of you in Seoul, Korea soon.
The Bag of Dreams Challenge gave 600 kids the supplies they need to get an education – double the amount originally planned. With the excess funds, we were able to sponsor not just feedings during the bag drives themselves, but also additional ones in Helping Land. Additional donations were made by family and friends – like 400 donuts for my birthday celebration, and fried chicken meals for the kids in Bulacan and Helping Land. Melissa and I agreed that this project was truly blessed from start to finish. Inspite the fact that it was typhoon season in the Philippines and prone to flooding, our project days were mostly sunny and dry and we never run short of volunteers and donors willing to help out.
Allow me to share with you the inspirational work of Project Pearls through the stories of kids I met.
Here are Resty and Angel, 2 of the loveliest kids whom I met at the bag drive and at the NBA Cares outreach. Their families were relocated from Smoky Mountain in Tondo to Bulacan, which is about an hour and a half drive from Manila, 3 years ago. They started working at a very young age. They couldn’t go to school because they helped provide for their families by scavenging nails from old structures that they sold for about a dollar a day. Now that they live in Bulacan, they are able to receive the education they deserve. They are scholars of Project PEARLS and now proud owners of Cassie’s Bag of Dreams.
This is Marco. A week after we arrived in the summer, he ate pagpag and got food poisoning. He and his brother, Mario, were in the hospital fighting for their lives. The following day, Marco died. To prevent needless deaths like his, Project PEARLS turned the once a week feeding program into a daily soup kitchen.
After visiting Helping Land, I realized that even though education is important, to many families EDUCATION is not a priority, finding the next meal is!
Have you ever had a long tough day where you haven’t had anything to eat all day, your stomach hurts, you’re tired, your head hurts and you can’t think straight? What if this was everyday of your life? That the day to day reality for these kids, it’s their daily struggle and their existence. To them, it’s not a bad day but their everyday.
Every time I visit Helping Land, I am reminded of the difficulties and uncertainties that these kids face everyday. You cannot help but be blown away by their courage and resilience.
These 2 are Mario and Shaina. They were the first kids I met in Helping Lands. Their usual personalities are happy and smiley. But as you can see in these pictures, after not eating for over 24 hours, they are lethargic and weak. On my last visit, I found Shaina clutching her stomach in pain and Mario too weak to feed himself. After they had their meals, they were once more smiling and happy.
This is Jade. The first time I met him, he was near death. He was so malnourished that we didn’t know if he would survive. He started attending the daily feedings and Melissa helped him get access to medical care. In 6 weeks time he had gained weight and was laughing and smiling like other kids. It was amazing to watch his transformation. I need no other proof of the life-saving and life-sustaining work Project Pearls is doing.
And that I guess is my answer to the question of HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION. I want to thank you all again for believing in me, for your generous support that allowed me to exceed my personal goals this summer.
To my Chinatown Aunties Arleen, Laverne, Susan, Faye, Rose, Gayle, Rosalind, Jennifer, Eileen, and Celine who made generous personal contributions to my Bag of Dreams Challenge, thank you for keeping the hope alive for the kids of Project Pearls.
Thank you, Auntie Vanita, for introducing me to this amazing club, for building me up, and making sure good things happen for me. You have always been one of my biggest fans and I am truly grateful to have you in my life.
Thank you, District Governor Elect Jeri, for showing your support by blasting your Facebook page with postings about my projects throughout the summer.
I also can’t say thank you enough to Mr. Abe. After hearing me speak over a year ago, you immediately pledged support for the future project that I hadn’t even thought of at that time. You believed in me and that motivated me to rise to the occasion. You’ve supported all my projects since then including the Noche Buena program at Christmas. Your kindness and generosity are truly remarkable. My family and I are forever grateful.
And lastly, I would also like to acknowledge my role model and mentor, Melissa. Thank you for introducing me to your Pearls family. To work side by side with you is truly a privilege and honor for me. You are an amazing woman who inspires me to no end. And even though you work tirelessly for long hours, I am amazed at how you always manage to appear cool, calm, and flawless.
Thank you all.”
