Cebu Bloggers Society in Action: 50 Smiles A Day Initiative
Helping others is a natural high our brains are wired for. It is innate in us. One noble thing a person can possibly do is fostering positive community engagement, especially in relation to lending a hand for the greater good of mankind. Knowing that some people love to help those in need for no expectation, favor or any grand show of gratitude – priceless!
Coming from a corporate world, Corporate Social Responsibility is not new to me. Every time the Corporate Communications Department shoots an email blast about the upcoming volunteerism activities, my heart would jump in excitement. That feeling that you are about to help others is exhilarating. Same holds true for Bloggers Social Responsibility or BSR for short.
Founded on Cebu Bloggers Society‘s commitment to sustainable development, the premier blogging org in Cebu embarks on a maiden program “Bloggers Social Responsibility: 50 Smiles For A Day” that aims to promote empowerment and resiliency thru the smiles on the faces of 50 angels of Children’s Shelter of Cebu. It is envisioned to inculcate positivity and elevate the lives of the children by showcasing one smile at a time.
Cebu Bloggers Sociey partnerned with various brands such as GCash, Krispy Kreme Philippines, Page One and Advocacy Shirts which contributed greatly to the successful roll-out of this impactful BSR event. Having said that, let’s see some of CBS members in action and reflect on some of our realizations about this special BSR.
They say it only takes a simple act of kindness to make an impact on someone’s life. CBS officers and even new members volunteered for this outreach initiative on a Sunday for a special reason wanting to help others, especially the angels of Children’s Shelter of Cebu.
With CBS’ commitment to strengthen our community beyond blogging and social media, doing a Bloggers Social Responsibility allowed us to connect, express and facilitate opportunities to carry out one’s sense of purpose. It provided a healthy boost to our self-confidence and self-esteem. That smile on every kid’s face and the satisfaction of making your chosen organization-recipient a better place are invaluable.
As a professional, giving back to the community is the best life skills teacher one can get. I’ve learned that the most valuable skills you can bring to any outreach effort are compassion, open mind, and positive attitude. It can hone your existing or learn newer skills and apply it in the workplace, such as teamwork, communication and task management.
While seeing these kids and how happy they were with the things we distributed and the games they were playing, it helped me appreciate the small things in life – that I’m blessed. It made me realize that happiness can’t be bought. For years, I’ve been living within my comfort zone. In some of my past volunteer activities, I witnessed the sad realities of life and it dawned on me that I should be thankful to all of the blessings I have received.
In this 50 Smiles A Day event, our little way of sharing our blessings (e.g., light snacks from Krispy Kreme) to these children including cool signature T-shirts from Michael Cubcuban of Advocacy Shirts. Though it is just a small thing, I know these beautiful children appreciated it very much.
The feeling that you can shape someone’s life for the better is unexplainable. Said event gave as much good stuff to us as it does to the angels of that we’re trying to help! And those, for Cebu Bloggers Society, are what we’ve realized from doing a Bloggers Social Responsibility.
So through this blog, I implore everyone to find a cause and volunteer. Because not only will you be helping others, you will be helping yourself as well. Remember that everyone can make a difference. Every person counts!
In conclusion, this BSR opportunity made me realize that there’s no substitute in my rest day for the joy of bringing a smile to a kid’s face. It is both humbling and rewarding experience for CBS, especially to me, knowing that somehow I served as a beacon of light to them, giving cheer and hope to those in need. I may not have all things in the world but I give back because I believe that love means nothing if you don’t share it.
Making a difference to the lives of others, that’s the true spirit of bloggers social responsibility.
