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Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Launches 2019 Giving Journal at Good Samaritan Nursing Home

I always have a soft spot for the elderly. After my father died during my early childhood years, it was my grandparents who raised me up and and took care of me while my mother was busy working in Manila. This is why I try my best to help our more senior citizens whenever I can. So when The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf invited me to volunteer and spend a day at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home with their elderly residents, I really cherished the opportunity to share with them my time and blessings to give a little joy to their lives this holiday season.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf also launched its 2019 Giving Journal during the event. It comes in two cork covers and two hardbound matte covers with gold foil stamping. It also features 12 unique artworks made by local Filipino artists, each with a unique interpretation of their theme - generosity. Together with the launch of the 2019 Giving Journal (redemption mechanics here), CBTL also organized several charitable activities throughout the Christmas season which included visits to an orphanage, an animal shelter, a home for the Aetas, and today’s visit to a home for the elderly.

I headed to the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Marikina last October 20, 2018 to spread the warmth and spirit of the season. Together with several other volunteers, mostly customers of CBTL who also wanted to help bring cheer to the elderly, we met at the simple but quaint residence which has been home to several senior citizens for the past years.

Good Samaritan Nursing Home is a private non-government organization that seeks to help elderly citizens who may not have family that can take care of them. It is funded purely from private donations so they can use whatever help anyone can offer. The place is quite tidy and organized, with enough space for the elderly to walk about with their caretakers and nurses. They have daily activities to keep them busy, but they are always happy to welcome guests who want to spend time and share their experiences with them.

Real LIFE Foundation is one of the institutions that also help the nursing home as they continue their yearly tradition and advocacy with the mission of transforming lives through education, character building, and values formation. They are a Christian NGO that exists to serve and empower the poor of the Philippines through educational assistance, character development, and community service.

Real Life Foundation opened the event with a few inspiration stories from their charitable programs and testimonies from one of their scholars who now works for the foundation.

We were each assigned to one senior resident and my partner for the day was Lolo Gerry. Before the program started, we were oriented by the nursing home management and advised not to ask about the elderly’s family or why they are here. This is to avoid any sad or unhappy memories from resurfacing. Instead, it would be better to just focus on the day’s happy activities and to enjoy the experience with them.

After I introduced myself to Lolo Gerry, we started with our first activity that morning - a coloring exercise with materials provided by Craft MNL. It was a cute and simple activity that was a good icebreaker for the volunteers and their partners.

I did most of the coloring myself, but Lolo Gerry was there to cheer me on. I think we did a good job.

It was then time for our lunch break, with delicious pasta and pastries care of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Most of the seniors have a difficult time eating by themselves, so they needed an extra hand with their lunch. It was a heartwarming moment that I really enjoyed and I’m happy that they also appreciated our time with them.

Next up was a picture frame-making activity, also with materials from Craft MNL. A photograph was taken of each pair and this was what we would be using for our personalized picture frame which we will also be designing.

The other materials we needed to express our creative sides were all provided including color pencils, tapes, glues, ribbons, wallpapers, and others. So we put together our best effort and designed our own picture frames. I think Lolo Gerry and I make a great team!

Then it was time for the talent portion! We were all separated into three groups and we were to make a performance with our senior partners. We saw a lot of very talented residents who could still put out a show. There was not really enough time to practice our performances but everyone had a great time laughing and trying their best to make everybody happy.

A Plaque of Appreciation was also given to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf from the Good Samaritan Nursing Home for their contributions and active participation in helping the marginalized communities with their charitable events and programs.

I would like to thank The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for letting me be a part of this wonderful day spent with our my new friends from the Good Samaritan Nursing Home for the Elderly. The season is a time for sharing and caring, but we don’t have to wait for Christmas to share our blessings. With the Giving Journal 2019, let’s make every month an opportunity to do our own part in making the world a better place for everyone.

Good Samaritan Nursing Home

#17 Dao St., Marikina Heights, Marikina City

584-6716 / (0906) 079-7819

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