“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve.

You don’t have to have a college degree

to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve…. You don’t have to
know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of
grace. A soul generated by love.”
 
This quote by the great Martin Luther King Jr. has been my inspiration as a volunteer to serve
my fellow Filipinos then in Canada, and now in the Philippines.
 
I have immersed myself to volunteerism since I migrated to Canada in 2005.  I was appointed as
the youth coordinator of Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) Parish and eventually became the
youth director of Archdiocese Filipino Catholic Mission (AFCM). I summoned the courage within
myself to run for Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) in 2014 with the vision to
empower the youth in a bigger capacity. I have been involved in many Filipino organizations
and have once served as floor/stage director of Taste of Manila, the biggest Filipino event in
North America, and host of PinoyRadio and MCBN. I am also one of the founders of Vaughan
Fiesta Extravaganza that was celebrated to commemorate the Filipino Heritage Month in
Ontario. After more than a decade of meaningful volunteer work, I’ve decided to go back to the
Philippines in 2018 for personal and family reasons.
 
When COVID-19 struck the country, I once again found myself doing what I’m passionate about
– helping and serving my fellow Filipinos. Together with young individuals here in Butuan City,
we organized Task Force COVID Bougainvilla, which is named after a particular street in our
neighborhood and is also regarded as one of the most beautiful flowers in the world. Also like
the flower, what initially started out as a casual thought shared among friends over coffee has
now prospered into a cause that aims to alleviate the plight of fellow Butuanons who are
greatly affected by the pandemic. Our group has been providing food and housing to the poor
afflicted families through our “Pagkaon Mo, Sagot Ko” and “Bahay Mo, Sagip Ko” initiatives.
 
We started out small by distributing food packs to 200 families and individuals from our
neighborhood during the onset of heightened community quarantine implementation.  To date,
we were able to disperse over 4,500 relief goods in 25 barangays, three checkpoints and two
hospitals, as well as provided housing and free renovation to 17 beneficiaries.  Recently, we just
launched our third project, “Banyo Mo, Gawa Ko”(best to briefly explain what this project
did/is doing).
 
I understand that we are all affected with this pandemic; but we always have to look for the
silver lining during these trying times.  We may just be ordinary folk, but we were somehow
able to materialize a mission to give aid; this was initially way beyond our imagination, but has
evolved into a right and just purpose. In order for us to continue in this cause however, we
need the help of benefactors to support our mission.
 
If you are interested to help, you can email transfer at joeyabrenilla@gmail.com or to any
remittance centres. For more inquiries, you can contact me via Messenger (Joey Abrenilla),
Viber/WhatsApp @ 647-830-5639, or thru my mobile numbers: 0917-157-5859 & 0909-278-
9116.
 
Rest assured your donations will be used for the sole purpose of helping out and will be well
documented for transparency and trust.  May we all have a “heart full of grace and a soul
generated by love.”
 
Maraming salamat po and stay safe always!  Mabuhay tayong lahat!