AS A child growing up in the countryside, my mother would always bring me to barangay meetings and gatherings to listen to boring and almost unending talks about life, work, etc.
Most of them were individuals who wanted to give back to society through empowering the people. As I grow up and has been involved in different civic activities, I realized that giving back to the community came in many different ways, some would organize feeding programs, cleanup drives or even livelihood symposiums.
But the athletes of Tagoloan Community College (TCC) in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental did not do the obsolete and traditional way as they gave back to their beneficiaries.
Around 50 persons with intellectual disabilities (PIDs), mostly children from the SPED Center of Tagoloan Central School, received a free basketball clinic from the bemedalled TCC cagers. The differently-abled children graced the opening and blessing of the TCC covered court last Tuesday, February 5, 2020 which was led by Dr. Kharen Jane S. Ungab, the college president and Van Halen Parmis, the school’s athletic director.
The children with Down Syndrome and Autism got to learn different basketball skills as they indulged themselves on shooting, passing and dribbling drills. It was a scene we rarely see, yet the most satisfying one I ever laid my eyes on.
Coach Parmis, for his part, said that he was very grateful and blessed to partake the knowledge of the sport to the children. “The activity has indeed showed the value of service and love to our special brothers and sisters who have the willingness to learn despite their unique disability. The kids proved and showed us all that their disability does not stop them to learn what we normally do. They have broken the stigma of being marginalized, in sports everyone has their own way to grow. That is our advocacy and we will make the smiles that these kids had shown us this afternoon an inspiration to continue helping the youth through positive recreation and sports,” added Coach Van.
It came surprisingly that the activity was far beyond successful. I got to watch how the cute and innocent souls of the children sway in glee as they dribble and run for the ball. It was a worthwhile experience seeing these kids gather and play as one. They may be labeled “different” by our society but the spirit I saw last Tuesday was breathtaking, unimaginable as a new thought popped out on my mind: society should see their worth as much as we gave to normal people.
If due recognition were to be given, their parents should be much appreciated, they have endured the pain seeing their children living on a situation different from ours and took over an unsurmountable amount of patience taking care for them. It was indeed all applause and hats off to all the people behind the activity.
Now I can say that outreach programs and things like these aren’t boring at all. They just evolved around the passion of doing it and the vision to create something special for the future of the people benefiting the program.