Video Recap

When you get a chance, check out this amazing video my cousin Jeff put together of our relief trip! You can catch a quick glimpse into the hours of prep and planning that go into the successful execution of a project like this, and then, in the smiles of the children, you can also get a sense of the simple reason why Jeff and his wife Fretzel work so hard to do it; the joy it brings to the people. It was an honor to participate hands on with this relief trip, side by side with my family, my friends and my kababayan. After watching endless footage on TV during the disaster, I really felt helpless. I'm sure you all felt the same. I needed to be there to do my small part. I know that's a luxury most people can't afford and I hope we all did you proud.

 

 

Recap: A HUGE Success!

 Our Spartans For the Philippines Team at the finish line! (Minus a sick CP)

I'm so happy to say that both our relief trip to Ormoc and Spartan Race were a huge success! A huge thank you to everyone who helped us along the way generously donating their time and effort to this project, especially Jeff and Fretzel Enecio, the volunteer organizers behind Yolanda Relief, Krizzia May Tarrayo, one of the dedicated volunteers, Andy Pascua, who provided the hotel for our athletes before race-day, all those who donated money and clothing and last but not least, those who ran the Spartan Race for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan. It's was a lot of people coming together for a good cause, but it really paid off. I don't think any other charitable organization can boast 100% of donations going directly to survivors, but we can!

Your generous donations allowed us to purchase 800 kilograms of rice! Yes, you read that correctly! 800! as well as 300 meters of heavy duty tarp, a material extremely valued by those whose houses and tenements have been destroyed by the storm.  Additionally, we were able to focus on the children of these families by packing pencils, sharpeners, crayons, notebooks and coloring books into bags for 150 kids, as well as provide much needed footwear for kids with 140 pairs of flip-flops. We were also able to distribute hundreds of canned goods, instant noodles and snacks in addition to the 100 pounds of clothing donated by friends and family here in LA.

Needless to say, organizing, packing, transporting and distributing these goods took a lot of effort. Most of the credit goes once again to Jeff and Fretzel Enecio. Please take a look at the pictures below and stay posted for a video of the relief trip that Jeff is putting together :D

 We packed up all the supplies in the boat, and set off from Cebu to Ormoc on rough seas.

 

 This is what is left of the Port of Ormoc, reduced to rubble and rocks.

This roof at the port is still in dis-repair, also, Ormoc is still without electricity since the storm.

 The Enecio Family kindly donated the use of their pick-up truck for all our distribution efforts.

Here we are in Ormoc purchasing 800 kilograms of rice. It took the better part of a day to divide these into 3 kilogram bags for distribution. Have you ever seen so much rice in your life!?

 Here in Sitio Canlugo (Spelling), citizens are very organized thanks to the local leadership, and line up in anticipation of relief distribution.

 The children take after their folks, lining up with a lot of excitement for the flip-flops and school supplies.

 Here we are in another Barangay, donating bags containing rice, instant noodles, canned goods and clothing items.

 And the children, again looking forward to the new footwear and school supplies.

If you want to donate, it's not too late, but this may be your last chance!

I'll be taking the "donate" button down very soon, so please get those last minute donations in!

 

As of this post, we have raised $1070. A big thanks to recent donations from Leo Natsuhara, Stephanie Wong and Sarah Clavel! Special thanks as well to Jubeth Pascua who graciously provided pre-race accommodations for our spartan athletes on the night of the 25th.

 

Once again, 100% of proceeds are going to Cebu Yolanda Relief in their upcoming relief trip to the coastal communities that were hit really hard by the Typhoon near Ormoc City, Leyte in the central Philippines. Their volunteers are already hard at work buying and organizing supplies for their trip, rice, canned goods, clothes and building materials as well as a special focus on the children with school supplies and flip-flops.

Here's a quick message from Jeff Enecio, the man behind Yolanda Relief:

 "Thanks to all the beautiful people who's donation contributed to that wonderful mess in my living room... can you imagine all the debris and rubble everywhere with rusty nails and God knows what else... Its awful that in most pictures I see, the kids are running around with no shoes.

This is just the beginning of our shopping for Goods, we also have Notebooks, Crayons, Pen and Pencils, erasers, coloring books, for the kids. For the parents we have Food, water purification pills and Tarps to use either as a make shift tent or to cover large holes in the ceilings of those survivors who are lucky enough to still have a ceiling.

T minus 2 days until we deliver these goods. Theres still plenty of time to make your donations, theres so many small towns in leyte that have just not received help... Any amount goes a long way." 

And finally, to bring it home with some picture of a few kids in the area that we’ll be helping, as well as some photos of the relief goods that your cash has already helped to buy.

Shout-OUT & Inspirational Video to close out 2013

Lemme start with a quick shout-out to Marty Rippens who donated BIG and earned a "BangonPH" shirt! Thanks big bro!

Now that the shout-out is out of the way... Happy New Years Everyone! I just saw this amazing video and want to share it. A film-maker from NYC was given a budget of $25,000 by 20th Century Fox to make a movie trailer, instead he spent every cent of that budget on relief goods for Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan Survivors in Tacloban.

What an inspiration this guy is - he truly is proof that a few determined people can make a HUGE difference. Please watch it if you have a spare moment, because this is exactly what we are trying to do with Yolanda Relief this coming January. Maybe we aren't bankrolled by a movie studio, but we have you, our donors and supporters to thank. Let's put faith into action in 2014! LET'S DO THIS :D

Post Christmas Update! BIG thanks to my family.

Thanks mostly to my super awesome and generous family, we've reached $917! I'm humbled by the huge donations from my fantastic family, with contributions from Remy Rippens (aka mom), Tita Cynthia Clavel, Tito Fernando Clavel Jr., Tita Gina Canares, cousin Katrina Villamor, and close family friends Mark Sullano, Paul Beroya and Sei Tsuchida. You guys rock and make me super proud of our family.

100% of proceeds go to Yolanda Relief, please check out their website and like their facebook page for more information.

http://cebuyolandarelief.tumblr.com/
https://www.facebook.com/CebuYolandaRelief?ref=stream

I'll be joining the crew at Yolanda Relief from January 14-22, and I'm already making preparations by packing up some forex boxes with donations of clothes, shoes and blankets from Deanna Diaz, Stephen Born-Gillman, Choco Deng, Martin and Grace Rippens, and Sam & Daisy Pena. I have limited space in these boxes, but if you have some clothes to donate, please message me.

Since I leave on the 14th, I'll be shutting down the donation button on the 13th, so PLEASE get those donations in ASAP, if you've been meaning to do it, do it now :D

Tentatively, Yolanda Relief has chosen some villages near Ormoc, Leyte for their relief mission in January. As you know, Leyte was the hardest hit by the Typhoon so people there are truly in need of food supplies and building materials, which your donations will go towards.

Also, I just wanna give a quick shout-out to all those who have been spreading the word on social media and by word of mouth to friends and family. I really appreciate it.

Stay posted for more updates and have a safe New Years everyone!

"You make a living by what you get, you make a life by what you give."

I wanted to share an inspiring quote with you, as well as some good news about our generous donors and progress towards our goal! May Chew, Remy Rippens, Jessica Jew, Andrea Cova have contributed to our fundraising campaign for Typhoon Haiyan survivors and brought us to an even 33% of our target! Thank you! As we rest comfortably during the holidays surrounded by family and friends, let's remember those who cannot find comfort and who have lost their loved ones in the recent disaster in the Philippines. You can really give back in a huge way by contributing whatever change you can spare... please remember, even $1 can go a long way in the Philippines. "You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give."

Regarding the upcoming relief mission, one of our Spartan Team mates, Jacob Rippens, will be joining Yolanda Relief in the Philippines from January 14-22nd in the central Visayas, where the super typhoon hit the hardest. During this time, he along with the volunteer staff of Yolanda Relief will be purchasing supplies with 100% of the funds you've donated, packing bags for distribution and distributing those goods to areas of high need, while filming the whole process. As such, please be aware that I will take down the "donate" button by January 13th. Let's spread the word amongst family and friends and make a push towards our fund-raising goal!

We've reached 22% of our target funding goal! + A Little Bit of Perspective from a Donor

Wow! I'm so surprised by your continued generosity. Huge donations came through over night from all over the globe! All the way from chilly Gunma, Japan, Fitzgerard Restituyo went BIG and earned a #BangonPH shirt! Also, huge thanks to Brendan Rakphongphairoj, Randi Akasaki and Chris Bulock! You guys got us to 22% of our fundraising goal. Now let's keep this momentum going!

Also, with his generous donation, Chris Bulock offered me a bit of humbling perspective regarding the aftermath of strong winds which caused damage to his home in Illinois earlier this year. I'd like to share it with you here. He writes:
  
"When I dealt with storm damage to my house this summer, I was lucky to have really good insurance, infrastructure, and adequate savings to draw on. Even so, it was still a difficult experience. I can only imagine what the survivors of the typhoon have been going through."

Indeed, many of the survivors have no safety net to fall back on, which make your donations that much more important. In the coastal towns and villages that were hardest hit, people are re-building from nothing, and in the struggle to re-establish their lives, any little bit can help.