MWF Newsletter 2004 January
Blessed by An Angel
By Lisa Lumbao and Pamela Arychuk
The Manila Women’s Forum was blessed on December 8th by the presence of an
angel! The Christmas spirit of love and giving to children came through strongly
and sweetly as Annette Helbig, President of the Springboard Foundation, gifted
speaker, and mother of four, honored us with her heart.
It has been Annette’s dream since she was a little girl to help poor children. An
early trip to Mexico, where she saw desperate poverty for the first time, increased
her resolve. She moved to the Philippines 18 years ago as a young wife and
mother and found a haven in the New Apostolic Church near her home in
Parañaque. She started teaching the children Sunday school and how to play
various musical instruments. Annette noticed how quickly the Filipino children
learned to play the recorder, violin and cello, playing simple songs in a matter of
weeks. Their desire to learn has led to the formation of an orchestral group that
performs for churchgoers and philanthropists alike.
We were treated to a performance by the group, which included about 18 children
of various ages and one of their fathers, who is also a minister at the church. They
played violins, guitar, organ and xylophone and sang English and Tagalog
Christmas carols. To the delight of the women present, an adorable 3-year-old,
wearing a lovely barong, directed the group, starting them off by saying, “One,
two, three, go!”
Annette explained that this orchestra is made up of people very close to her…she
told us the touching story about the man playing the guitar…when she first met
him his wife died of TB, leaving him with five children. Their home was a small
hovel that they had to crawl inside of. Now he is remarried and all of his children
play in the orchestra. Annette feels it is a privilege to teach the children in the
orchestra because she learns so much from them. She holds their values in high
esteem, and applauds their ability to smile and be happy in spite of difficult
circumstances.
Regular MWF attendees over the past three years have witnessed Annette’s
incredible accomplishments and cheered her on along the way. We saw the first
mock-ups of photographs and poems that would become the beautiful, poignant
Dignity and Courage book, which started the ball rolling. She originally planned
to sell the book at about $100 and use the funds to support one children’s
foundation. But instead, that ball has gotten bigger and bigger as Annette has
attracted large numbers of generous donors and organizations who hold
fundraising events, which she channels along with the money raised from the
book to more than eight worthy beneficiaries. She created the Springboard
Foundation to formalize her efforts and now has many volunteers to help her.
Her goal is to promoting healthy, nurturing environments for children. She
selected the beneficiaries based on sustainability, years of experience in the field
and area, accountability, having a vision that coincides with Springboard’s,
transparency, and the desire to create a dignified environment for children.
Annette maintains that children need to feel dignity to grow and mature. The aim
is to help people who are already helping themselves. By identifying well-run,
effective organizations, Annette provides a service for other donors and proceeds
from fundraising events organized by the National Honor Society of Brent School
International, United Nations Women’s Group, Financial Times, the German and
Canadian Clubs, and the Nomad Rugby Team. Many companies such as
Leighton Contractors, CalEnergy, Anchor, the Shangri-La, FESTO, Coca Cola,
Shell Exploration, Roche Vitamins, Robert Bosch and many more chose to use the
Springboard Foundation as a way to make a difference in the lives of so many less
fortunate than we are.
The Springboard Foundation has supported the Haduan Primary healthcare
center, which serves a large community of Aetas near Clark in Pampanga through
Entrepreneur Volunteer Assistance (EVA). They also support homes for
abandoned children and street children, renovate and provide supplies to
hospitals, and provide funds to those who provide prenatal care and training.
Funds were given to the Sun and Moon Home for Children for the renovation of
their bathroom facilities. The website (www.springboard-foundation.org) shows
wonderful before and after pictures of the bathroom. The home has up to 12
children, often in a state of malnourishment when they first arrive. It provides the
children with a high quality diet of vegetables and whole grains, a well kept
spacious living area, and large swimming pool and yard—it is the accountable
type of institution that Springboard prefers to support.
She has now raised an astounding P2 million and built up a reputation as a
trustworthy conduit for donors’ funds who can rest assured that she will use the
money for good projects. She and the children she has helped were featured on
Nickelodeon TV, and she has new fundraising initiatives with Visa and Ralph
Lauren.
Some people ask her why she bothers when the problem is so huge—there are so
many children in need and you can only help a few—and what can she really
accomplish given the difficult political structure and government mismanagement
here? Her reply is that even if she helps only one child or family, to that family the
impact is enormous. Therefore it is worth all the time, effort, and frustration. Others
ask how she finds the strength and energy to do so much. She said when she gets
discouraged, she looks at the photos and poems in her book and is inspired by the
courage of the children who deal with grinding poverty and seemingly hopeless
situations and still smile, enjoy life, and dream of a better tomorrow.
The message for all of us was clear: we can each make a difference… helping even
one child is a big accomplishment and give us so much joy to know that we have
positively affected the lives of those in need.Note: The biggest fundraising event of the Springboard Foundation for the year
2004 will be a “Black Suit and Tie Dinner” with boxing, an auction, and sport
legends as guest speakers (Jonah Lomu, a Rugby legend from New Zealand, has
confirmed his attendance). It will take place on May 21st in the NBC tent and
tickets for the tables are selling fast. More information can be found on the
Springboard website. http://www.springboard-foundation.org/
* * *
“If you haven’t any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart
trouble.” —Bob Hope
“Charity never humiliated him who profited from it, nor ever bound him by the
chains of gratitude, since it was not to him but to God that the gift was made.”
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery
“Nine requisites for contented living: Health enough to make work a pleasure.
Wealth enough to support your needs. Strength to battle with difficulties and
overcome them. Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them. Patience
enough to toil until some good is accomplished. Charity enough to see some good
in your neighbor. Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others.
Faith enough to make real the things of God. Hope enough to remove all anxious
fears concerning the future.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
“A little more patience, a little more charity for all, a little more devotion, a little
more love; with less bowing down to the past, and a silent ignoring of pretended
authority; brave looking forward to the future with more faith in our fellows, and
the race will be ripe for a great burst of light and life.” —Elbert Hubbard
“Make your thinking orderly and free from emotional overtones, and you will see
people and things as they are, with clarity and charity.” —Sri Nisargadatta
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