By the time you read this, I would have celebrated my 74th birthday in the company of friends and family in Honolulu. And shameless me, I used my birthday celebration as a vehicle for encouraging my family and friends to donate to the Amazing Care Charitable Foundation in lieu of birthday gifts. I am always grateful, humbled and honored by their generosity. That they continue to indulge me speaks volumes about them!
I come from a long and undistinguished line of peasants: farmers on my father’s side and fishermen on my mother’s side. Growing up in a small fishing village in Manila, birthdays were celebrated quietly, if at all. I don’t recall a single birthday party, but I can certainly remember occasions when family, friends and people I barely knew gave generously when a typhoon hit our village or some other catastrophe would visit a family. It’s odd to think about safety when our community was often hit with natural disasters like typhoons. And yet, we felt safe knowing that a network of family members, friends, and neighbors would come to our aid when (not if) we would be in desperate need.
Fast forward to 2023, and that spirit of reaching out to help others came through loud and clear when Gary Powell, founder and CEO of The Caregiver Foundation, gave a talk at my birthday party. He described the plight of young caregivers who are in charge of caring for an elderly relative while juggling school work and the daily tasks of growing up. He and unnamed communities of social workers, food bank workers, teachers and others in the community who support these care-givers provide support and needed encouragement. Care-giving is hard enough for adults; how tough it must be for pre-teens and teens to take on these tasks! We applaud Gary and support his work via a donation from The Amazing Charitable Foundation .
With warm wishes to you and yours,
Cora
