My sister’s batch which is having their Velada in they year 2013 has been fund raising many years ago!! They have done all the movie premieres of Twilight from the first till now. They still have a few tickets left, hope you can support them.
They are the batch responsible for the famous Swatch which is sold out and many are still looking for and wanting to purchase!
Previous entry: Limited Edition Assumption Swatch October 3, 2010
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In the Makati City Jail, believe me when I say they are busy 🙂 Not only are they busy doing their daily chores and routine, they even have livelihood projects. They earn a living inside so they can earn.
Salon and Shoe repair
Candle Making
A Jail sari sari store 🙂
A bakery 🙂 This guy is their baker and when we visited he was in his last few days in jail and ready to go out in a few days. He said that he has taught and passed on his knowledge to someone else so they can continue to do what he was doing
They even grow their own vegetables
And have a few animals they grow for food
In the female jail cell, we saw some women repacking coffee into smaller portions and they sell them
And the latest livelihood brought by Chary to them are her Statement bags. She brought more fabric for them to work with since she is getting a lot of orders for her bags for Christmas. She helps the detainees by giving the something to do and at the same time earning something for their labor of sewing the fabric together into bags 🙂
And here is the finished product and a message from Chary. Chary has her foundation with other friends called Happy2Help! It’s like Heart2Heart- H2H :-) Hope you can support Happy2Help and the detainees in the Makati City Jail by purchasing the bags they make
Hi Friends,
One “ber” month has already passed so it seems an appropriate time to remind you that Christmas is just around the corner. tadadadaaannnn
Fear not those who haven’t bought a thing! This year, happy2help, is selling two kinds of bags which would make beautiful, meaningful and eco-friendly Christmas gifts for your family and friends.
The other line we are offering this year is the “Smart Shopper,” HUGE canvass grocery bags with waterproof interior and heavy duty straps. The smart shoppers come in chocolate brown, army green, light grey, tangerine and cream. As you can see from the photos, they are emblazoned with our favorite “universal truths” as stated by different icons of our time: the Dalai Lama, Winston Churchill, Norman Vincent Peale, JK Rowling and Lady Gaga
These bags were handmade by the inmates of Makati City Jail. Many of the men and women who made them are accused, but not convicted, of crimes and have been waiting several years for a verdict in their cases. Happy2help is giving them this opportunity to earn money for their families through these bags.
The smart shoppers are priced at P200 each, or P900 if you get a set of all five.
In the pictures attached, you will see a group shot of the “Glam Shopper.” These are satin bags in six jewel tones with a damask print embossed in black velvet. The handles are made of grosgrain ribbon.
Made by victims of typhoon Ondoy who have since been relocated to the province, these bags are the perfect gift for teachers, tellers, office ladies, and any other woman who knows being “green” doesn’t necessarily mean forsaking all sense of style!
We are selling the bags pre-folded into pouches at P100 each. If you want them in all-black silk-lined boxes for added sophistication, then those are either P150 for singles or P350 for a trio.
We can customize bags for you as well for a minimum 100 orders.
All the bags have attached a tag that explains how proceeds from these bags help improve the lives of the sewers, and the communities that are served by happy2help.
Thanks for your consideration. We hope to hear from you soon!
Chary Mercado
email address: charina.mercado@gmail.com
Please contact us through our facebook page, click below to go to Happy 2Help at facebook to place your orders
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On Halloween day, I spent the morning at The Makati City Jail. It’s just a few blocks from MC Home Depot in the Fort. This is where people are detained while they are waiting for their day in court. It’s a pity because some of them wait for so many years, it’s like they served their sentence already. Then when the time comes for them to go to court, they meet their lawyers a few hours only before their trial
Yet it was nice to see that despite that, people here are trying to make the most of what they have
When you first enter, you see a nice christmas tree made from recycled plastic bags. They celebrate early too like me 🙂
Thank you to my friend, Chary, for bringing me along with her. For Chary this is a regular routine for her as she comes every week to tutor the detainees. Thank you too to Bong Espenocilla, a detainee himself, for touring us around and telling me about life in their place
A typical day for them
Everyone is kept busy which is good. I would not know how life is in a place like this but seeing all of them, it was nice to see some smiles on their faces and hope that maybe one day they will still have a life outside 
These are the old jail cells for solitary confinement but these are not used anymore nowadays. This is where Ninoy Aquino and Serge Osmeña stayed during their stay here. Now they are used for conjugal visits of spouses or just locked up and not being used
They cook their own food
They are a very religious community. There are even volunteers who regularly visit, some even everyday to give spiritual guidance for them. They have a grotto in the garden with a chubby Mother Mary 🙂 They are looking for someone to donate a Virgin Mary for their grotto. I actually like their version because I find it unique and antique already 🙂
Chary never visited the cells but this visit we went inside and we toured the male cells and they even serenaded us 🙂 They were very well behaved and the place was clean and neat. There are around 400 plus male detainees
And we visited the female cells. There are almost a hundred female detainees, not as many as the males
They have many, many activities to keep them busy, who said life in jail was boring? Not here!
Chary teaches up to 10 per class. Since March this year, Chary and other volunteers with her – Jason Bangayan, Leah Puyat and Risa Garcia come over to tutor them for an hour. Many of them don’t have highschool diplomas, so teachers from the Department of Education come twice a week to teach them and Chary and her friends come once a week to tutor them in preparation for the once a year test they will have to pass to get their diplomas.
and boys have separate classes from girls, they are not really allowed to interact unless they have joint activities planned. Chary told me that she used to teach them under the heat of the sun! It’s a good thing now they have these huts where they can work in
Thank you Chary for this very enlightening experience for me. I will never forget this Halloween Day. And Thank you to you and your friends for giving hope to the detainees who are wiling to learn and earn a highschool degree. And maybe one day when they are free and can go out in the real world, they will be ready and able to do more for themselves and face a bright future
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Last October 20, Thursday, was the Francisfest Charity Auction organized by Tito Joey Soriano, President of the Parish Pastoral Council of the Sanctuario de San Antonio Parish Church. His goal was to raise P 11m and by that evening he was already halfway without even selling yet all the auction items.
Previous entry: Francisfest Charity Auction October 14, 2011
Many familiar faces, those of whom are loyalists and always support the church
Many beautiful pieces!
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This is Heart2Heart’s second time to attend Tessa’s Red Cross Ball. I remember the first one
Previous entry: Lustico October 29, 2009
And I missed last year because I was out of town but I am so glad I did not miss this one, it was truly a beautiful collection by Michael Cinco!! Thank you to Tessa and Kaye for a great event – being able to help the Red Cross at the same time showcasing Filipino talent
Thank you to Queenmelo, Jun Jun and Czarina Ablaza and Stenie for the people photos
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Everyone is so busy fundraising for many good causes. Thanks to many hardworking and generous individuals who give of their time and effort to help others. Another auction coming up organized by Tito Joey Soriano, President of the Parish Pastoral Council, for our Parish Church. What a nice theme for an auction and what beautiful and valuable pieces!!! Click on each photo to go to the website link for further information
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Heart2Heart is always amazed at the scale of work that Gawad Kalinga undertakes. They have grown and penetrated already many parts of our country! Truly a worthy foundation that is really making a difference for our country! Thank you Mr. Tony Meloto and to the whole Gawad Kalinga team!! More power and may God continue to give you the strength to pursue this great endeavor!
Our table guests, Lauro and Grace Baja, Steve and Lindy Theodoropoulous and Jigger and May Antonio
My active GK cousin, Dino Pineda, with his Gawad Kalinga friends
It was fun being with Steve and Lindy who were bidding the whole night 🙂 Steve actually won the bamboo bike
And Lindy got herself a beautiful work of Art
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In Mothers Club, Mimie introduced us to Maligaya Institute. What a great service for our country! Our countrymen never ceases to amaze Heart2Heart. Right and left, many individuals, many organizations helping out our fellow countrymen.
An amazing institution that helps young women from less privileged sectors by giving them free education and training so they can eventually find jobs to earn a living
If you want to support Maligaya Institute
Click here to go to the website for more information: Foundation for Professional Training Inc.
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Congratulations to my sister, Krie, of Messy Bessy for being a winner for The Go Negosyo STARpreneur for 2011!!
And now she has a new line which is an advocacy! Way to go Messy Bessy!! As Heart2Heart always says, we can all make a difference in this world in small and big ways
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