PGH outreach – Santuario de San Antonio Parish

Last Aug 4, the children from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Charity Ward, accompanied by members of the PGH Ministry and Single Young Adults (SYA), visited the Art In Island Interactive Art Museum in Quezon City.

I knew about the museum before going, but all I knew was that it was an interactive museum. The only pictures I had seen of the museum were classic paintings that people can “walk into.” I thought it would be fun, but I wasn’t sure how the PGH kids would react. But my expectations were thrown out the door when we arrived.

I knew things would be different when we were told to take off our shoes before walking inside the museum, but I didn’t expect to be so surprised. The entrance was seemingly simple, just like it’s artwork. They explained that our eyes see things differently at different angles. When we turned the corner, I was met with a full wall painted with blues and yellows. I stood on the mark on the floor (which indicated the best angle to see the painting), took a shot… and I couldn’t believe the result in my camera! It looked like they were IN THE PAINTING! If I thought that was impressive, I couldn’t believe my eyes when we turned ANOTHER corner and saw the rest of the rooms. Walls and walls of paintings, from floor to ceiling. Animals, world landmarks, fantasy scenes, classical paintings… It was a feast for the eyes!

The second we walked in, the kids were off! And so were the kids at heart! The PGH kids were so excited to see everything; the older ones went from one painting to another, taking pictures, going on adventures, and the younger ones thought it was so real! It was great to see them being outside the hospital, and being transported to another world, over and over again.

I could talk on and on, but pictures (as we learned) speak volumes to how much fun they had! Thanks to all the generous donors who helped make this trip possible. It was certainly one memory everyone would never forget!

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The Hospital Ministry visits the various hospitals it supports on a weekly basis to give medicines to the patients. This past week though, we were blessed by a kind family that donated toys that were gifts for their child’s birthday. They also added toys that their daughter didn’t use anymore so that other kids could use and enjoy them. Though the medicines are much needed to ensure their recovery from their illnesses/infections, you could really see the kids’ faces light up when they received a toy. One of those kids (the cute little boy sitting on the wooden cart) was actually abandoned by his parents after bringing him to the hospital for treatment. Despite his situation, receiving a toy made him break out into a huge smile!

So nice to be able to help them, not just with their medical needs, but also to bring smiles to their faces. Thanks so much Pia Lacerna and family for this!

If you have old toys, books, school bags and supplies that you can spare, to give and to share, I hope you can consider donating them to our Hospital Ministry (you can look for Nimfa Dumago at the parish office). Such a small gesture means a lot to these charity patients. Their big smiles are proof this.

Please also support our upcoming Francisfest fundraising this first week of October. We have a slew of activities lined up for all of you.