October starts with a blessing from SM

Contributed photo.
Contributed photo.

OVER a thousand elementary students were each given a pair of black shoes as employees of SM Cagayan de Oro, through the SM Cares, shared their blessings to three beneficiary schools of the mall in the city on Monday, October 1.

The 60,000 Pair of Shoes Project is a nationwide campaign initiated by SM employees all over the Philippines.

Part of their 60th anniversary, SM simultaneously distributed the 60,000 pair of shoes to all of their beneficiary schools nationwide; wherein 20,000 shoes were given to the students of Macasandig Elementary School, Consolacion Elementary School, and Lumbia Elementary School in Cagayan de Oro.

"We actually shared our blessings, the SM employees, we donated shoes for our beneficiaries that we have identified per area," Ivy Guantero, SM public relations head in Cagayan de Oro, said.

The idea for the project, according to Guantero, was inspired from the life story of Henry Sy, on how he came from building a small shoe store in Quiapo to establishing the largest shopping retail operator in the Philippines: SM Prime Holdings.

"That's why shoes yung binigay namin for the 60th anniversary. So, nagsimula kasi yung SM na nagtitinda ng sapatos. kasi it was Shoe Mart during the 1950s," Guantero said.

Rosemarie Dullente, principal of Macasandig Elementary School, for her part, expressed gratitude to SM for helping the learners of the said school.

"I am really very thankful that SM chose us as one of their recipient for this project, 60,000 pair of shoes, wherein we really needed that for our school learners dahil most of our learners are really belonging to the poor, poverty line," Dullente said.

Last year, SM donated a 2-storey building with four classrooms for the 250 school learners of Macasandig Elementary School.

"It is really in teamwork wherein the dream of our learners will already work because SM is really one of our team," Dullente said.

Myla Zuniga, regional HR manager of SM Store, meanwhile, was hopeful that through this project, the elementary students will be motivated to stay in school and study hard.

"To the student recipients, I hope you like the shoes. I hope it adds to your motivation to stay in school. So mga bata, study hard to make your dreams come true," Zuniga said.

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