“Sole for a Soul Project”: PAREF Rosehill goes to the peripheries

By GLECY GAMBOA, PAREF Rosehill School
January 20, 2016

ANTIPOLO CITY – “The project helped me learn to fully go out of my comfort zone and open my eyes to the needs of others, and knowing this has helped me further understand and give meaning to our school's mantra, "I lead. I serve."

Betina Sales, PAREF Rosehill Student Council President, together with officers, Mika and Gabrie Cordero and teachers, Ms. Calai Clarino and Ms. Carmel Mendoza, represented the Rosehill students who donated black school shoes to 196 students of Doña Brigida Elementary School in Tolosa, Leyte on December 14, 2015.

Betina, Mika and Gabrie were very happy and fulfilled when they saw the smiles on the faces of the students as they received their early Christmas gifts. As Mika said, “I felt really glad because we were able to share our blessings and time with the kids.”

Each pair of shoes was personally labelled and inside each shoe box was a letter from a Rosehill student. One of them, Angela, wrote: “Hope you like the shoes! Study hard to reach your dreams and never give up. Stay strong with any problems you will encounter and take care. God bless you always. Never forget to smile, Larabel.”

To heed Pope Francis’ call to go to the peripheries, the PAREF Rosehill Student Council launched its outreach project, “Sole for a Soul” in August 2015. This is one of the school’s on-going relief efforts for Tolosa, Leyte residents who were severely affected by Typhoon Yolanda last November 2013.

The Student Council believes that giving a pair of school shoes to the beneficiaries will help them feel better about going to school.

Rosehill is grateful to parents, students and teachers who supported this project and to the Tindog Tolosa Foundation for this opportunity to reach out to Doña Brigida students and teachers.

Students from Grade 6 to Fourth Year High School donated P500 and they were encouraged to raise the money on their own.

Niki, a Grade 7 student said, “I saved up from my allowance and I was happy that I got to help someone who deserves much more.”

Bea, who is in Grade 6, earned her P500 donation by playing the violin in an event. “I felt great to be able to help in my own little way,” she said.