MANILA, July 15, 2011?With less than a month before the World Youth Day, delegates belonging to different sub-groups are getting their creative juices flowing while exploring various fund-generating possibilities for the Madrid trip.
King and Queen of Hearts, bottles and candles
Sr. Fatima Morales, the sub-group leader of Surigao diocese, seems to know a lot about raising money through sheer creativity.
“Other than solicitations, we also have [the] King and Queen of Hearts, selling of empty bottles and candle-making for our fund-raising campaign for our trip to Spain,†she said.
Morales explained that the King and Queen of a Hearts is a fund-raising contest per parish with individual candidates competing to raise the most funds within a certain period of time. The candidate who puts up the most money gets the title “King of Hearts†or “Queen of Heartsâ€. A percentage of the amount raised goes to the Diocesan Youth Fund with a specified amount also alloted for the WYD delegation of the diocese. Candidates must be active youth members of the said parish.
The group also organized candle-making from October to December 2010. The candles were eventually sold, with the proceeds going to the WYD fund. Morales also talked about how the group initiated collecting water bottles that were sold to junk shops by the kilo.
With just a few weeks remaining, the WYD delegates from Surigao are following up on solicitation letters distributed to friends and benefactors.
Dinner for a WYD cause
Some groups like Ang Lingkod ng Panginoon, a religious group in Davao City started fund-raising initiatives as early as November 2010.
“We had a dinner for a cause; it was an informative and evangelistic event,†Gabriel Villegas, the Ang Lingkod ng Panginoon sub-group leader, shared.
He added that the dinner event also served to inform the delegates’ relatives, friends and sponsors about the significance of World Youth Day and also about Blessed John Paul II who started the international gathering of young people in 1985.
Villegas said the motif for the dinner was a combination of Spanish and Filipino with Spanish songs and dances played throughout the night. Delegates to past WYDs were also present to share about their personal experiences.
Of the 15 members from the Ang Lingkod ng Panginoon sub-group who applied for the WYD, only nine were given Schengen visas. Of the nine, five delegates are in need of financial support for the WYD pilgrimage.
Good ol’ solicitations
Fr. Dyon Amante, sub-group leader of the Diocese of Naval, has been requesting financial support from friends and benefactors through solicitation letters since April of this year.
According to Amante, who is also the Diocesan Youth Director of Naval, the two other delegates from his diocese did not need to solicit, as their personal funds were enough to shoulder their expenses. He, on the other hand, had to ask permission from his superior, Bishop Filomeno G. Bactol, DD, before sending out solicitation letters.
Concrete support from the diocese
Other sub-groups like the Diocese of Ipil in Zamboanga enjoy considerable financial support from their diocese aside from the funds they will raise on their own.
“For now, we’ve saved enough for airfare, but it’s not complete yet, we still have collectibles,†Fr. Rotchel San Diego, sub-group leader for the Diocese of Ipil, said in the vernacular.
San Diego also explained that the diocese has shown its support by pledging a certain amount for their expenses.
Meanwhile, there are pilgrims from the ECY-Philippines delegation who were not able to raise funds and have since expressed their intention of canceling their participation in the WYD.
Delegates from a diocese in the Northern Philippines, on the other hand, chose not to pursue their WYD application because they were unable to submit the necessary documents. (Jandel Posion)
