By Christina AlejandroVolunteering, No.8 Sometimes situations seem so bad that you feel whatever you do won’t make a difference at all. But in my life, some things changed some things for the better. I first heard of Brother Joe Dean from my mother. She told me he was a man…

by Maricel H. Barahantranslated by Victor V. AmoresVolunteering, No.6 I am one of the youth who have dreamed of obtaining a wide range of knowledge for the improvement of our family life, but then, I was not able to finish a college degree. I only had one semester in college…

by Deanie Lyn OcampoVolunteering, No.5 National heroes are not made because they have liberated a people. They are made because of their spirit of initiative and commitment throughout seasons of triumph and struggle. When opposition came, they responded positively and decisively. Their resolutions toughened with action, whether the benefits were…

by Deanie Lyn OcampoVolunteering, No.5 To the previous page “Pwede Na” (Bamban, Tarlac) by Ganny Tan Everyday heroes are those who thrive on getting things done and making things work locally. They overcome difficulties on the ground. They are skilled in adjusting and identifying priorities: if national politics is too…

By Deanie Lyn OcampoiV Corner, Communities No.3 In Einstein’s Dreams, physicist-writer Alan Lightman narrates “…there are two times. There is mechanical time and there is body time. The first is as rigid and metallic as a massive pendulum of iron that swings back and forth, back and forth, back and…

By Joselito C. De Vera *Policy Documents, No. 2 Some may find it ironic that a law on volunteerism was passed. Why is there a need for a law on something that is inherently a social value, and a positive one that is intended to achieve a common good? Is…

By Deanie Lyn OcampoVolunteer Management, No. 1 It really is quite amazing, this miracle of life and its development. Try to put together something as complicated as a whole person. From a single fertilized cell develops trillions of cells! No wonder this miracle never ceases to amaze parents, scientists, writers…

By Teresita Ang SeeVolunteering, No. 3 Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng left behind people picking up the pieces. Many families lost everything they had: their homes, businesses, precious mementos of happier times, even their loved ones. The thousands of relief packs our organization, Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran, and the Tsinoy community…

Walk the thought, 2009 No. 1 My grandfather taught me to pull out the weeds in the garden. I asked him what makes a plant a weed; he replied that it is any plant that grows where he does not want it to grow. It can be destructive, he explained.…

Julie T. ChanVolunteering, 2007-08 No. 2 The day arced in, thieves of light,and no one explained themselves. The differentia was apparent(Dave Benson, “The Day Arced In”*) Back in 2000, I was presented with a unique volunteering opportunity: to assist in managing an e-zine– Poetry Sz: demystifying mental illness –which would…

Walk the thought, 2007-08 No. 3 If only people knew to love more, give more respect, be more responsible, then we will have a better Philippines–now, that’s commonplace knowledge, you say. Why the cliché? Because it has grown trite and we (adults?) have grown weary. Desensitized, numbed, by the monotonous…