Amidst the cloudy days brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the sun continued to shine online on the 32nd year of De La Salle University’s For The Kids 2021. With the theme “Bloom: Here Comes The Sun”, DLSU-FTK 2021 maximized the online setting in spreading joy and love, and provided learning and medical support to the children with disabilities.
Spearheaded by The Center for Social Concern and Action (COSCA) of De La Salle University, along with its student volunteer arm, the Lasallian Outreach and Volunteer Effort (COSCA-LOVE), DLSU-FTK is a specialized mini-olympics participated by children with disabilities from various Special Education (SPED) centers in Luzon. Since 1984, DLSU-FTK has benefited more than 11,000 children with physical and intellectual challenges, and it has grown to be one of the biggest institutional social engagement events in DLSU.
Instead of a one-day specialized mini-olympics event, DLSU-FTK 2021 launched a series of online activities from November 2020 to March 2021. It consisted of a webinar series entitled HOPE or Helping Other People Emphasize, which raised awareness on the welfare of the children with disabilities before and during the pandemic; fundraising activities such as the Lasallian Dreambook Journal selling, change drive and trivia night which made the delivering of learning materials, medical supplies, and coloring sheets crafted by FTK 2021 artist volunteers to 1,900 children possible; and a publicity materials series called Ang Kwentong Volunteer which allowed past Ate/Kuya Volunteers (AKVs) to share their experiences in the prior FTK events.
To wrap up the past months’ activities, DLSU-FTK 2021’s most anticipated culminating concert was live-streamed last March 7, 2021 (Sunday) from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM via the official Facebook page of DLSU – “For The Kids.” The online concert showcased various talents and activities, from an interactive storytelling (Madyik Silya ni Titoy), to fun-filled arts and crafts activities, to values formation, all for the children with disabilities.
DLSU-FTK 2021 is one of the few events across the nation empowering and supporting the PWD community. Truly, this year’s FTK has proven that whether the event be onsite or online, the core of it remains the same-for the organizers to incessantly translate their love for the said community into actions to incessantly support and advocate the said community and to ignite, all the more, the spirit of volunteerism, especially in these unprecedented times. For more information on the event, you may follow the event’s official Facebook page through this link: https://www.facebook.com/DLSUFTK
