Sep 26, 2012

Do You Want Volunteer for AHON Foundation?

If you love kids, want to help raise the literacy rate in the country, and want to inspire through an act of hope for our nation VOLUNTEER WITH US!

As a volunteer for AHON Foundation you can contribute your art, writing, events organizing, fundraising, love for kids, and most importantly, your time. 

If you're interested to volunteer send us an email at ahonfoundation@gmail.com or a message on Facebook. Include here your name, contact number, a short background of yourself, & any special skills. 

We're excited to hear from you! 

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Sep 24, 2012

Good News on a Monday

Monday isn't always the most popular day of the week, but we're happy to report that we're coming to you with good news today.

As if last week we didn't already receive a great number of donations, on Thursday, Ms. Kathleen Yao in behalf of 21st Century Steel Mill came to our office and dropped off their donation of children's magazines worth  Php112,000! 

The magazines that were donated to us were Asian children's magazines with articles written by other kids from different parts of Asia. The magazines also included lots of colorful art work and creative writing submissions.

We're sure that these magazine donations will add life and more color to the new libraries we're opening in the upcoming months.

Another good thing we have to share is that we also partnered with Bagong Kulturang Pinoy Inc, a non-profit for literacy! We signed a MOA over the weekend with Ms. Alice Quilicot, their Executive Director. The reading seminar conducted by them will take place some time in October. 


And finally, we're having a fundraiser this Friday! 
AHON Foundation will be at Kaya Natin's R18: Kaya Natin Kung Kakayanin Mo Rin voters education concert on Friday, September 28. We will be selling drinks, the proceeds of which go to AHON Foundation. You can also sign up to be a volunteer at our booth during the event.  

The concert will be at Amoranto Theater in Quezon City, and gates open at 6pm. Bands like 6Cyclemind, Never the Strangers, Peryodiko, Join the Club, Flying Ipis, and Circa will be playing. To find out more, here's the Event Page on Facebook

We hope to see you there! Don't forget to drop by our booth! :-) 

Sep 21, 2012

A Letter of Thanks We Received

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
- Albert Schweitzer

We felt it would be nice to share a letter of thanks we received from Reynard A. Andaya, Principal of Tagudin Central Elementary School in Tagudin, Ilocos Sur. The AHON Library in Tagudin Central School, Ilocos Sur was completed by the community and inaugurated in the first quarter of this year. You can view some pictures of the library here. Messages like these are the additional cherry on top of the work we do!

New insight or perspective and understanding of the world around are gained through reading. Readers can apply the insight in everyday life or as or as a way of building up on the knowledge that already encompasses their minds and enriches their lives. We can never underestimate the amount of different things that can be learned from reading.

In the educational landscape, how can we attain our goal of quality education through reading? One answer is through a functional Learning Resource Center or library.

Tagudin Central School could only once dream about building a library that was fully functional. We were content with our humble collection of books donated by various benefactors of our school. But luck knocked on our door when AHON Foundation, together with Atty. Meljohn Verzosa visited the school and gave the whole staff hope and inspiration to develop our existing library to become a complete and fully functional one. Through the recommendations of AHON Foundation were were motivated to work cooperatively, tapping the support of the stakeholders for the development of our school library. In order to to make it child-friendly and conducive to learning, the walls were painted with colorful murals, and tables, chairs, and bookshelves were constructed and painted to complete our library. All these were such great manifestations of commendable cooperation as well as and initiative of both internal and external stakeholders. 

They say "Work on what you lack, give your best, and the best comes back." We were not disappointed with the outcome of the fruit of our cooperative labor that we were able to reap. All this was truly made possible by our passionate local chief executive Honorable Roque S. Verzosa Jr., our supportive District Supervisor, Dr. Buenafe D. Medrano, Atty. Meljohn I. Verzosa, and Ms. Mary Herbel Santiago, AHON Foundation's representative in the work we undertook. 

On behalf of the Tagudin Central School teaching staff, PTA Officers, Barangay Officials, parents, and pupils we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the AHON Foundation Board of Trustees headed by Mr. Harvey S. Keh and of course the energetic program officer Ms. Mary Herbel Santiago. We can never thank you more.

Sincerely,
Reynard A. Andaya
Principal, Tagudin Central School


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Sep 19, 2012

As Always, Thank You For Your Book Donations!

We had a wonderful start of the week as on Monday, we received a book donation from Mrs. Mari Delfin! She donated several bundles of preloved books...

As well as brand new children's story books! Now don't get us wrong, preloved books always make us smile. But we loved these brand new books just as much.

Which is why again, it made us very happy when Ms. Claire Carolino, a college student taking up communication arts, personally dropped off these brand new story books yesterday morning before she went to school.

In terms of book donations, it has been a great week for us! We hope everyone else is having a great week as well.



Sep 17, 2012

AHON Featured in Yesterday's Issue of Manila Bulletin: New Books and Libraries for Nueva Ecija Children

by Tippy Kintanar

NOT EVEN the habagat rains and the floods could stop Entablado Elementary School in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija and Sto. Cristo Elementary School in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija from inaugurating their new libraries last Sept 5.
The two schools are the latest recent partner public elementary schools of the Acts of Hope for the Nation (AHON) Foundation and throughout the one-month completion period of their libraries, the school administrators, teachers and parents behind it never faltered - even when they were met repeatedly by obstacles.
It was former Mayor Sonia Lorenzo who first brought AHON’s operations to Nueva Ecija. Today, even after her term, Lorenzo continues to lend her support by endorsing AHON to the local government in the different municipalities of the region. Mayor Baby Congco from the municipality of Cabiao took on the task and paved way for the partnership between Entablado Elementary School and AHON for its 64th library. Mayor Congco hopes the new AHON library will become a source of pride for the school.
As the ribbon was cut, and the library was declared officially open, pupils excitedly filed in and wasted no time in getting their hands on the new books in their library.
NEW LIB INSPIRES KIDS TO READ
With originally only a few shelves worth of dilapidated and outdated books, Petronilla Mangulabnan, principal of Entablado Elementary School wanted to create an entirely new library that would encourage pupils to read. The new library of Entablado Elementary School boasts of a large mural, as well as colorful shelves, tables, and chairs. In addition, they also added a comfortable reading corner with colorful wall décors where students are reminded to properly care for the books in their new library.
Sto. Cristo Elementary School in San Isidro had been in need of a new library. Today, through the efforts of barangay captain Ramon Santos and school principal Maria Corazon Balajadia, they were able to get one. Sto. Cristo’s library is the 65th of AHON Foundation, which donated half a million pesos worth of books.
The story behind Sto. Cristo’s library is inspiring and tells of a community that worked together to achieve a common goal for the betterment of their barangay’s elementary school. Sto. Cristo was flooded after the strong rains but the library was completed on the agreed date because everyone — teachers, students and their parents — were there to help.
When AHON Foundation’s executive director Harvey Keh announced that AHON promises to replace books if these fall apart due to how often they are used by children, a loud applause broke out. “Perhaps, the best way to say thank you is to use the books and to read them,” Keh enjoined the students.
AHON Foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of Filway Marketing Inc. To date it has developed 65 public elementary school libraries which has benefitted more than 130,000 students throughout the country.
To know more, visit www.ahonfoundation.org. Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ahonfoundation) for up-to-date news on our projects and how you can help. For more information call (+632) 4331440 or email ahonfoundation@gmail.com.
AHON Foundation would like to give our heartfelt thanks to the Manila Bulletin for featuring us in the Sunday edition of their paper. Your support helps us advocate our cause far and wide, and we are very, very grateful! :-)
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Sep 13, 2012

Inaugurating our 64th and 65th Libraries in Nueva Ecija: Sto. Cristo Elementary School

Last September 5, 2012 AHON Foundation inaugurated our 64th library in Entablado Elementary School in Cabiao, and our 65th Library in Sto. Cristo Elementary School San Isidro.
This actually isn't the first time that we at AHON Foundation found ourselves in Nueva Ecija to develop libraries. In the past we've opened eight AHON libraries in the Nueva Ecija region. But this didn't mean that we weren't welcomed by our partners with the same enthusiasm and joy that we were welcomed with the very first time we inaugurated a library there.

Our second inauguration for the day was at Sto. Cristo Elementary School in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija. A few blog entries back we wrote about how during our last two visits to Sto. Cristo the front yard of the school was flooding and under water. Well it seems like our visits to Sto. Cristo are always synonymous to rain as when we arrived there for the the inauguration the front yard was once again flooded.

True to the spirit we love about the Sto. Cristo Elementary School community however, they (AGAIN!) didn't let the flood stop them and went on to inaugurate their new library with a program of thanksgiving.


Ma'am Maria Corazon Balajadia and Mr. Harvey S. Keh shake hands after signing the Memorandum of Agreement. Behind them, you see the flooded courtyard of Sto. Cristo Elementary School.

Ma'am Maria Corazon Balajadia- Principal of Sto. Cristo Elementary School, Mr. Luis Calison- DepEd District Supervisor, and Barangay Captain Ramon C. Santos expressed their messages of thanks not only to AHON Foundation but to the community of Sto. Cristo that played an equally large part in putting together the school's new library.

We were also joined by former San Isidro Municipal Mayor Sonia Lorenzo (third from left) who first brought AHON to Nueva Ecija several years ago. In a way opening our 65th library in San Isidro was a sort of tribute to her and the initiative she had to take AHON to Nueva Ecija.

Sto Cristo's new library!

As we declared the library open we saw what perhaps is the reason behind the resilient spirit of the Sto. Cristo Elementary School Community: Its students and the excitement they had towards their new books and library.

AHON Foundation congratulates Sto. Cristo Elementary School in San Isidro Nueva Ecija for a job well done! We hope your new library builds tomorrow's dreamers who will build the nation.

Read our blog entry on our 64th library inauguration in Cabiao earlier that day by clicking HERE. To see more pictures of the inauguration at Sto. Cristo Elementary School, click HERE.

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Sep 12, 2012

How to Donate to AHON Foundation:

Support AHON Foundation through donating books to us! We accept children's reference books (dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases etc.), story books, and children's novels. Please make sure these books are still in good condition and haven't been weathered by time. :-)

For further inquiries you can call us at 433-1440. Look for Herbel or Tippy. You can also contact us via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ahonfoundation), Twitter (@ahonfoundation), or by emailing us at ahonfoundation@gmail.com.


Thank you!

Sep 11, 2012

Inaugurating our 64th and 65th Libraries in Nueva Ecija: Cabiao Elementary School

Last September 5, 2012 AHON Foundation inaugurated our 64th library in Entablado Elementary School in Cabiao, and our 65th Library in Sto. Cristo Elementary School San Isidro.

This actually isn't the first time that we at AHON Foundation found ourselves in Nueva Ecija to develop libraries. In the past we've opened eight AHON libraries in the Nueva Ecija region. But this didn't mean that we weren't welcomed by our partners with the same enthusiasm and joy that we were welcomed with the very first time we inaugurated a library there.

You could say we were unfortunate since when we got to Nueva Ecija on the morning of our library inaugurations, it was raining hard. But we chose to see the rain as showered blessings from above, and proceeded to start the program at Entablado Elementary School's library inauguration like it was business as usual.
The inauguration at Entablado was well attended by the school community and local government leaders alike. Mayor Baby Congco, current municipal mayor of Cabiao as well as former San Isidro Municipal Mayor Sonia Lorenzo gave inspirational talks, while Councilor Obet Franco who oversaw the development of the library also attended the inauguration. Cabiao's Barangay Captain and the DepEd public school's district supervisor were also present.

After the program, students and teachers braved the rain to watch the ceremonial ribbon cutting and of course, use the new library!
AHON Foundation congratulates Entablado Elementary School in Cabiao Nueva Ecija for a job well done! We hope your new library builds tomorrow's dreamers who will build the nation.

To see more pictures of the inauguration at Cabiao Elementary School, click HERE.

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Sep 4, 2012

Library Set Up at Nueva Ecija: A Short Update

Last Saturday, September 1, 2012, AHON Foundation returned to Entablado Elementary School and Sto. Cristo Elementary School to set up their new libraries!
We're happy to report that since our last visit, both schools have finished their libraries, and the only thing they needed to do was place the books given by AHON Foundation on their shelves!

In cooperation with Filway Marketing we donated boxes of brand new reference books for children, as well as other educational materials that will aid children in their school lessons. Thanks to the supporters of AHON Foundation we were also able to give away used children's books that were donated to us last week.

Since our last visit, Entablado Elementary School had added interesting wall art to their library, and put in a reading corner for the students.

Meanwhile, Sto. Cristo Elementary School's library was all finished, and when we got there to set-up we were greeted by a full force of teachers, parents, and students lead by their Principal, Ma'am Marie Corazon Balajadia- all of whom were there to help put together the library! It was truly a wonderful sight to see.
We mentioned a couple of blog entries ago that we loved the reading corner of Sto. Cristo Elementary School.
But what we liked even more was seeing the students from Sto. Cristo use this! As you see in the picture below the kids watched the book demonstration from their reading corner.
Today, we set up the library at Cuyapo Central School in Cuyapo Nueva Ecija. We will be sharing with you a few before and after pictures from there within the next week or so.

Tomorrow is the inauguration of Entablado Elementary School and Sto. Cristo Elementary School AHON Foundation's 64th and 65th library respectively. You can catch real time updates on our inaugurations tomorrow through our Facebook and Twitter page.

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