Showing posts with label Good Cause. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Good Cause. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Papel ni Juan helps public school students through affordable paper

Got a special package recently. Paper. A whole ream of bond paper, to be exact. As a homeschooling mommy, that's a big deal! What's an even bigger deal is this is Papel ni Juan, a Pinoy brand that made bond paper affordable for all of us schooling at home. The paper is manipis, though, and not super white. But pwede na, especially since we need lots of sheets for tests, print-out modules, and drawing and writing activities. Read on to learn more about this paper for a good cause!

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PRESS RELEASE - The public education sector is one of the most affected industries during the pandemic. Many students rely on self-learning modules (SLM) to get by schooling at home, but due to high production costs, there’s a shortage of SLMs. Up to four students end up sharing a module.


Papel ni Juan, a proudly Filipino brand of multi-purpose bond paper, is a brand with a purpose. With an affordable price point at only P130/ream, the brand wants to make paper accessible to everyone— starting from the students who are in dire need of their own SLMs. 

Each student has 16 SLMs per week amounting to one ream of paper. Even with its affordable price point, Papel ni Juan assures the quality of its paper as they believe that every Juan only deserves the best. Their paper is also 100% recycled, acid-free, and eco-friendly. More paper to print on means more modules to produce for more students. 


The local paper brand is also turning their plan into action by partnering with government offices, LGUs, and private organizations. For every 100 reams sold, Papel ni Juan pledges to donate five reams to selected partners. Current partnerships include the Office of the Vice President (Donation of 500 reams), Office of Valenzuela (Donation of 200 reams), A-HA Learning Center (Donation of 200 reams), and Save the Children through Project Aral (Donation of 300 reams), which also helps provide educational materials to the underprivileged. 


Help Papel ni Juan support their partners by buying Papel ni Juan. Their multi-purpose bond paper comes in short (P130/ream), A4 (P140/ream), and long (P150/ream). 

Know more about this brand with a purpose by checking them out on Facebook (facebook.com/papelnijuan.ph) and Instagram (@papelnijuan.ph). For inquiries, you can reach them at papelnijuan.ph@gmail.com or at 8293-1396 / 8293-1397.

*To be featured on Press Release Tuesdays, send it to frances@topazhorizon.com.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Inspiring stories on how Pinoys are helping the Taal Volcano evacuees

I wrote an article for ANCx a few days ago about how Filipinos are helping the people affected by the Taan Volcano eruption. But it was a short list and doesn't even begin to cover just how Pinoys are once again rising to the occasion of facing calamity with bayanihan.

Puntahan niyo yung Crisis Response to The Volcanic Eruption sa Facebook and it's story after story of how people are helping. Nakakataba ng puso! 

At first, sa Facebook feed ko, ang dami kong nakita na reklamo about the helping. Bakit daw kailangan pang i-post sa Facebook. Kung totoo raw ang tulong, hindi na kailangan ipagyabang. You know, I never thought of those stories as pagyayabang. In my mind, they are like reporters. "Guys, andito kami sa Lipa and eto ang sitwasyon dito and eto nag-abot kami ng 150 food packs pero kulang pa!" And madalas the reports are funny and silly, sad and alarming, amusing and inspiring.

Tumpak! 
Here are a few of my favorites:


First on my list is CDO. My family has been buying CDO Bibbo hotdogs and other meats for years now. So I'm so happy that CDO is one of the many brands that are helping the evacuees. Look at their happy faces! And look at how every balde of goods (very useful ang balde also!) has a sweet and encouraging note! Kung pansinin niyo yung last photo, every note is different. Personalized and handwritten! Talagang galing sa puso. Salamat, CDO!



Next is this super viral photo on how the evacuees look like they're having a fashion show with the donated clothes they received. May mga nainis sa kanila kasi wag na raw mapili. Guys, mukha bang ungrateful yang mga mukhang yan? They look like they're having fun! Honestly, it is so hard to have fun if you just lost your home, everything you own, your way of life, and you're relying on other people to feed and clothe you. Ewan ko, ha, pero feeling ko if nangyari yan sa akin, iiyak ako every day. So to see our fellow Pinoys having a good time despite everything inspires me!

That said, organizations are appealing to us na mag-donate po tayo ng maayos na damit. No gowns, lingerie, stripper shoes, and the like. Isipin niyo, "Kung ako nasa evacuation center, ano ang gusto kong suotin?"


I like this also: the soldiers are here! Historically, when it comes to calamities, medyo palpak ang pamahalaan natin. Mas mabilis pa mag-respond ang civilians sa pag mobilize ng rescue and relief efforts. Tapos, the current admin slashed the annual calamity fund by P4 billion. We are a country of super typhoons, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions! Ewan ko na lang talaga! But this photo of our soldiers and the many other photos of government organizations galvanizing their people and resources to help the evacuees is a good thing to see. Kasi tumutulong naman talaga ang public servants natin. More stories like this please!


So thoughtful—from mask and kumot to fresh underwear! Thanks, Ana!
SLEX was so full of volunteers that the traffic was so bad. But everyone was happy!
Happy birthday, Nanay Belen! God bless you po!

So many stories of private citizens helping out! Seriously, it's so wonderful how Pinoys always band together in times of crisis. Kasi personally, the money that goes to buying these relief goods come out of their own pockets. The time spent to buy, pack and deliver these goods! And all done with smile! Sobrang nakaka-proud of Filipinos, diba!

Every time we suffer from a calamity, nakakaiyak but very quickly, the stories become really uplifting. I am so grateful to the many Filipinos who keep us updated, entertained, and inspired. Grabe ang generosity and pagmamalasakit ng mga Pinoy.

Please keep telling us all how to open our hearts, our schedules, and our wallets to help out. This is what makes us Filipinos great. Post lang kayo nang post please! And God bless you for your help!

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Special birthday gifts


My littlest boy isn't so little anymore. Suddenly, this July, when he turned 4, he decided he was ready for school and he was going to use the toilet "like a big boy." All throughout summer, he insisted he wasn't going to do any of that because "I am still a baby, Mama. I'll always be your baby, right?"

So we thought, okay, no pressure, he can stay our baby for one year more. But we don't know what happened. Maybe the birthday triggered it but Piero changed his mind and we're so happily surprised this whole of July! What a gift to us that he made us so proud!


My darling Piero. This is his tiny birthday party at 6 o'clock in the morning. It was a weekday so his older brothers had school and had to go.

I wanted to celebrate properly after school—with all of us dressed for the pictures, the table set, the gifts out, more time. But the boys woke up shouting, "Happy birthday, Piero!" "Is my birthday, Mama!" "Where's the cake?" "Where my gifts?" "What's your wish?" "I'm 4! I'm FOH!!!"


Sooooo... We just had to do the tiniest party we've ever done as the sun was rising on a most wonderful day!


That blurry image to the right is my hand trying to get him away from his candle. That boy. He always gives me a heart attack. But that's his gift to me: the gift of endless surprise and humility.

We had Piero because we thought ourselves so amazing at this parenting gig. But Piero—a surprising combination of Vince and myself in temperament and wilfulness—showed us that every child is different, and what we may think we can't handle just requires a change of thinking, a firmer resolve to try again, and that humility before your own children is always best if you want to have a good relationship with them.


Piero's also given his brothers the gift of patience and understanding. And though he is always annoying them, they are protective of him, always thinking of him, always adoring him. And also always annoying him! They bicker like an old married couple, day in, day out. I don't even know if they actually enjoy fighting each other since they do it a lot.


But they love him, that they do. They always wanted a baby and so we gave them Piero and they always dote on him. They think he's their baby.

For his birthday, they told me and their Papa what Piero wanted. They shopped for his gifts. They counted down the days. They chose and bought the cake. They made him so excited for his birthday! They are the best kuyas. They are a gift to Piero, too.


Happy birthday, dearest darling baby boy! You are what our family needed. You are the happiest baby we've ever known. You are thunder and sunshine and kaiju and jaeger and passion and tenderness  and a gift. We love you so very much! May you grow in wisdom and love, may you always have that fire in you, that stubborn will, that quick laugh, that sharp wit, and that fierce love for me.

Happy birthday, dearest bunchokoykoy! God bless you for always and always!

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Every birthday of my children, I donate a gift to World Vision in their name. This is one of the children that World Vision sends to school. I hope you can join this little birthday cause of mine. Please donate to World Vision, too, when your child celebrates his birthday and make another child happy, too! 


Monday, June 11, 2018

Just P1000 will help 3 children with their school supplies. Please help now.

Pasukan na, mamas! Do you know that every enrolment, every day my kids go to school, I feel so accomplished? Every day my boys go to school, I feel my one of my biggest dreams has come true. Of course, working so much to raise the money to pay for their education hurts. But it also feels great! I know every parent of a school kid knows how I feel.

Now let me share with you my support for World Vision, a humanitarian organization that helps fight poverty. One of the ways they do this is to help poor children get an education.

I came from a poor family. Never ko tinago yan. My mother worked so hard and got into a mountain of debt just to put all 4 of us in school. Thankfully, I was able to get free high school education at Manila Science High and subsidized tuition at UP Diliman, so that lessened the load on Mama. Thank you so much, Mama! I am where I am now because my brains got me here. Not my family name, not my connections (I had none anyway). So for us poor people, a good education matters. It's the foot in the door. It's what opens doors. 

So every birthday of my kids, I donate to World Vision. My goal is to support three kids from Leyte one day but P2,250 (P750/kid) a month is a bit out of budget for now. When I told this to World Vision, alam mo sagot nila? "We will pray that God blesses you abundantly so that you can do that. God bless you!" How can you not support an NGO that blesses you??? So I'm glad World Vision offers the option to sponsor the school supplies of these children with its Back-to-School sponsorship.


As mamas with school kids, alam naman natin that school expenses don't stop with the tuition. May school supplies pa, uniforms, shoes, socks, plus baon at pamasahe araw-araw. Kapag may assignment and school projects pa, gastos na naman. Mabigat talaga siya.

I'm very lucky to be able to send my kids to a good school but I will confess that even kami na hindi naman mahirap nahihirapan sa lahat ng gastusin. Lalo na last year when my family depended only on my freelance/blogging income. Hindi regular ang bayad sa freelancers. Late ang release ng checks. Hindi sunod-sunod ang projects.

I was so plagued with anxiety last year that my fears manifested physically as a stress rash. It wasn't an allergy or a disease. It was my anxiety. I was so afraid last year, mamas. Every time the quarterly tuition invoice arrived, every time may project yung mga bata, every time the bills came, my itchy rash flared up. Thank God I got a big client that signed me for a year and Vince got a job. Nawala yung rash ko when I felt more financially secure.

So I'm painfully aware that other parents feel the same anxiety I have. If I can help kahit konti, kahit sa school supplies lang, I will and I do so through World Vision. Try niyo rin, mamas! P1,000 will help three school kids na. Kung may extra kang P1,000 diyan, baka pwede mong i-donate to the kids that World Vision supports.

Click to donate!

Click here to sponsor Back-to School Kits and help our Pinoy kids enjoy school and lessen the worries of their parents. Thanks so much and God bless you!

Sunday, June 03, 2018

Electrolux lightens the loads of parents with washing machine donation

Electrolux asked me to share with you news about their donation program called Love You Loads. Of course I agreed! I wanted to share the good news with you because heavens knows we need good news in this time of increasing corruption, fear and hate, and open misogyny. I also wanted to share it because I'm an Electrolux mom. My vacuum cleaner, my range hood, my hot plate, and my beloved washing machine are all Electrolux so I highly recommend all their products and believe that if more of us buy their appliances then they'll have more money to help our fellow Filipinos!

Because of Electrolux, I love doing my now-favorite chore: the laundry!

So this is what happened: Electrolux Philippines, together with its supply chain partner CEVA Philippines, donated 200 washing machines to mothers, communities and organizations in the Philippines in their donation program called Love You Loads. The program aims to help lighten the loads of Filipinos through modern appliances.

As a working mama who has no household help whatsoever, I know that this is true. In fact, even though I wish I had a kasambahay, because my appliances help me clean and cook better, faster or more efficiently, I know I really don't NEED a kasambahay kasi kaya kong gawin lahat since my appliances are the best. Imagine if every household is equipped with helpful tools! All of us parents, especially those who spend so much time just cleaning the house, will suddenly have more time on our hands. Imagine what we can do with all that that extra time (pursuing a hobby, making extra money, spending more time with family, etc.)!


During the turnover ceremony held at the Electrolux office, Electrolux Philippines Country Marketing Manager Andrea Soto-Pionilla said, “May is the [month when] we recognize and share our appreciation for mothers and all the hard work that they do. Electrolux wants to express our support for moms and families all over the country.”

“Mothers have so many concerns to juggle – from work to taking care of their children and the house on top of that! Laundry should be the last thing they need to worry about. Having a washing machine in their household can make this chore faster and easier so that she can move to more important things and families can spend more time together,” she added.

Okay, mamas, we all agree with Ms. Soto-Pionilla. Now let's see where the donated washing machines went. Well, they are now with the GMA Kapuso Foundation and Gawad Kalinga’s beneficiaries and programs.

Gawad Kalinga Luzon Building Communities Head Jon Ramos said that the mothers in ther GK communities are so happy about the donation. “When we told them the news during one of our meetings, many of them said that to have a washing machine is really one of their dreams.”
I love that my washing machine is so efficient and saves me time and energy.

Mother-of-six Amy Gomez from the Gawad Kalinga community in Bagong Silang is a mom who's had a washing machine since 1993, and she shares her appliance with two other families in their neighborhood! “There are 8 of us in the family. That is 8 sets of clothes every day... Doing the laundry is hard so I can only pray moms in the area could have their own washing machine to make their lives easier and their families happier.”

It's not just moms who got an Electrolux washing machine. GMA Kapuso Foundation COO and EVP Rikki Escudero-Catibog said, “We have a lot of partner organizations, most of which handle indigent patients. The washing machines will go to halfway houses like Child Haus. There are a lot of children who can’t afford [cancer] treatment in Manila so they go to Child Haus for a place to stay while undergoing chemotherapy. If you are a parent with a sick child, how can you do the laundry while you are in Manila? The washing machines will come in very handy.”

My Electrolux washing machine is my favorite appliance!

And there are more people who benefited from these free Electrolux washing machines. The mothers and families who live in Kapuso Villages located in typhoon-devastated areas in the Visayas and Mindanao! Recovered drug addicts in Damascus House, which also offers livelihood projects for mothers and families; and the dormitories and barracks of the Civil Relations Service of Armed Forces of the Philippines. So many people that Electrolux has helped with Love You Loads!

Electrolux Philippines employees also helped by creating cards filled with encouraging messages. These cards were included with each washing machine.

Love You Loads brings to life the new aim of Electrolux, which is to shape living for the better and improve the everyday lives of Filipinos. It means a renewed focus on what their products and solutions can help people achieve, to create experiences that will elevate everyday life and to be a driving force in sustainable living.

For more information on Electrolux Philippines and Love You Loads Program, visit www.electrolux.com.ph and follow @ElectroluxPhilippines on Facebook and Instagram or @ElectroluxPH on Twitter.

Friday, November 24, 2017

I support World Vision! Plus, news on their recovery aid for returning families in Marawi

Hello, mamas! I'm happy to announce that I have decided to support a worthy cause—the education and literacy of children, especially our underprivileged fellow Filipino kids. I've been thinking about this this year, now that I have two sons in big school. Education is expensive. Tuition, books, school supplies, uniform, baon, projects, the trips back and forth every school day—it's terrible!

There have been a few times these past few months na napapaluhod ako sa takot kasi the tuition is due and wala talaga kaming pera. I'd pray, "Lord, Lord, sabi Niyo hindi Niyo kami pababayaan. Tuition na next week and the checks haven't come. Help us!" I remember nitong August lang, I was praying so hard again and the next day, a blog sponsor called and said the check is ready and the amount was just what I needed to pay my sons' tuition! Coincidence or answered prayer? You know what I believe, mamas!

These instances have made me think na ako na nga who is privileged in so many ways get frightened by the expenses, paano pa yung wala talaga? I remember my poor mother getting into mountains of debt just to send us four kids to school. I think of my own three kids and that I need to work soooo hard for at least 20 more years just to give them a good education. Honestly, it crushes me, those years stretching out before me. Nakakapanghina.

But I trust in a God who is King and He will provide for me and my children. There is a verse in the Bible that says, "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. [Psalm 37:25]," and it comforts me. My God will not forsake me. My children will never beg. I claim this promise! 

And because God provides for me, I will share His blessings! And because I am acutely aware of how my own education has saved me from poverty and the fact that I work so hard to send my kids to school, I know that what our country needs to prosper is the good education of all our children. So let's help send other kids to school, mamas!

That's why I now support World Vision. Kapag may extra ako, I donate money to buy a Learner's Kit, a cheery orange backpack filled with school supplies! At P600 a kit, yan pa lang ang kaya ko. One day, I hope to be able to sponsor three scholars the same ages as my kids. 


I also talked with World Vision and said one way I can support them is to be an advocate and share with my readers their work. So, mamas, once in a while, I'll tell you about World Vision, okay? 

Today, I have great news: World Vision commits to support early recovery efforts for Marawi as thousands of its displaced families start returning to the city. The city was attacked by armed groups last May, displacing about 400,000 people and affecting more than 80,000 school-aged children. It disrupted the livelihood of more than 69,000 farmers and around 118,000 workforce. Now that Marawi is liberated, our work—yes, it's our turn!—our work begins. 


Mommy Raisa is one of the many displaced women who now face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives from the rubble. The 39-year-old mom of three is also 5-months pregnant. "Some people were afraid of us after the Marawi crisis started so more than the relief items, it matters that people come here, talk to us and listen to us," shares Raisa.


She has been attending World Vision's women and young child space (WaYCS) in the outskirts of Piagapo in Lanao del Sur. "The 10-day WaYCS has also been a good venue for me to mingle with other mothers and get support as I take care of my children, especially the baby inside me," she explains. Her child Hanzela, also joined the child-friendly space and was given a Learner's Kit.

World Vision says, "To date, the organization, through its local partners Ecoweb, Mindanao Tri-partite Youth Core (MTYC), Rawaten, Lanao Youth Council and Tapukan Farmers' Movement for Progress and Concord, Inc. has reached at least 40,000 people through its multi-sectoral interventions. 

"About 20,000 children were served through setting up of 14 child-friendly spaces and provision of learner's kits while 4,000 families or approximately 20,000 people were given hygiene kits that included toothbrushes, toothpaste, underwear for both children and adults, sanitary napkin, nail cutter, malong, bath and laundry soaps and other non-food items like mosquito net, fleece blanket and plastic mat. World Vision, through the departments of education and social welfare, has provided 12 temporary learning spaces and 1,000 5-gallon water."

Rommel Fuerte, World Vision's National Director in the Philippines, promises, "We will continue to stand with the people of Marawi, especially with the children who are at the heart of our response."

To help World Vision, visit their website. God bless you, mamas!

Monday, June 06, 2016

Boys at work! The SalesVIPs check out Kidzania x H&M Conscious

Halloo everyone! This month's monthly update on the SalesVIP boys sees the three kiddos Vito, Iñigo and Piero visiting Kidzania for the first time. (Wait. A monthly update on my boys? Yes! Just because my readers are asking for it so let's try to do one every first Monday. Sulitin na natin habang hindi pa 6 years old si Vito!)

First thing we learned is Kidzania is pronounced as Kid-ZAH-nya. Not Kid-ZAY-nya, as we've been doing all this time. (We still actually say it incorrectly heehee.) The next thing we learned is it's a huge space fashioned to look like a small town for small people. There's a bank, a hospital, a gas station, a fire station, a newspaper office, a tax office, and lots lots lots more. It was so cute (and a bit surreal) to see all these tiny people working. I mean just look at these adorable construction workers!

We were at Kidzania to attend the launch of the program, Kids for a Greener World. It's a collaboration between H&M Conscious, Century Tuna, Shell Philippines, and Kidzania. We were specifically there to check out the Upcycling Workshop of H&M Conscious.

The workshop encourages kids to bring old clothes to donate to the program. They'll see how their clothes will be recycled. The clothes will then be cut into strips then made into new things. Vito made a bracelet.

Here are a few photos of some moms I love who were at the event with their kids:
Cosmopolitan fashion director Donna Cuna Pita with Amara and Mateo
Manila Bulletin columnist Kim Reyes-Palanca with husband Santi and son Lucas
Unilever's Agoo Bengzon and Andre
Lifestyle blogger Jenni Epperson with Aryanna and Dylan
Eat, Drink and Be Married co-host Nicole De Los Angeles with Jaime Aloncito  
Sparrow Fragrances's Cathy Cantada-Dizon with Damien
Beauty blogger Shari Macainag with Selene

If you're planning a visit to Kidzania from now up to June 15, do remind your kids to look through their closet and pick out an item they'd like to donate to the H&M Conscious Upcycling Workshop. This is right in the town center of Kidzania so you can't miss it. There they can make fabric bracelets out of their recycled clothes. It's a fun way to learn about saving the environment so do get your kids to participate. As a bonus, every kid who participates in the workshop gets a 15% discount voucher to shop for H&M Conscious clothes. H&M Conscious is a label that uses recycled fabric, a green addition to your sartorial picks!

H&M Conscious is available at all H&M stores. H&M Conscious Upcycling Workshop will be at Kidzania until June 15.

Tuesday, September 08, 2015

How to help Syria's refugees

My heart has been heavy over the weekend because of the refugee crisis happening in the Middle East and in Europe right now. I was especially affected, as the whole world has been, by the death of little Aylan Kurdi. Together with his mother, his brother and many other Syrians crossing the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe, Aylan drowned and washed up on a Turkish beach.

It was everything about him that crushed my heart. How he was dressed for a journey that must've been so exciting because I'm sure his parents told him they were going to a better place, a safe place. His little shoes that look just like the little shoes I Velcro on my sons' feet every day. His red shirt just like the ones I put on my Iñigo, who wears red all the time. In fact, whenever 3-year-old Iñigo saw the photo of 3-year-old Aylan on the news or on my Facebook feed, he asked, "Is that me, Mama? Am I dead?"

I won't say anything more about this distressing crisis. I had thought before, when the Syrian civil war started almost 5 years ago, that it's so far away. Poor people. I hope they sort it out. I hate how apathetic that sounds but my last five years have been full—I got pregnant three times, gave birth three times, am raising beautiful boys, changed careers. Life has been amazing. Absolutely amazing and yet every day, I find something to complain about.

Not anymore.



If you would like to understand how the civil war in Syria started, this comic strip describes it succinctly: Syria's Climate-Fueled Conflict.

This short article also describes the history of the conflict with the environmental factor removed: Why People are Fleeing Syria.

Here is an old video of actress and director Angelina Jolie meeting a group of Syrian siblings. It is heartbreaking how they keep smiling through it all, like this is their life now and while they don't understand it, they persevere:


If you need to read something more recent, here is an essay of writer Neil Gaiman who visited a refugee camp, no, he visited a refugee city in Jordan: "So many ways to die in Syria now."

If you would like to help the Syrians and other refugees, you can donate to the following organizations:
  • Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) - They have three ships patrolling Mediterranean waters to rescue refugees.
  • Red Cross - I checked our local chapter if they have a way for us Pinoys to donate to the Syrian refugees. Found none (although there is a donate button there for victims of the devastating Nepal earthquake). So if you like Red Cross, donate via their international website.
  • Save the Children - Donations will buy safe drinking water, nutritious food, tents and sleeping bags, and even diapers and wipes. I especially like how they renamed this whole horror from "migrant crisis" to "CHILD crisis."
  • World Vision - Funds will go to providing the basics from water, food, blankets to education and a safe place for children to play.

Last of all but for me the most important, please pray for them—the people of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan all fleeing from the war in their countries. Pray for their safety, their health, their protection, their spirits, and that families will be kept together. Please pray for their evil governments, that they stop this horrific crime they are doing on their own people. Please pray for the countries these refugees are fleeing to, that their hearts will soften and accept these refugees into their countries especially now that winter is coming.

I am also praying for myself, for God to remove the now-burning hate anger for Assad and his regime, and for all the monsters who kill children and destroy families. There is a deep sadness in my heart that I just can't shake off. God have mercy on us all.
 
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Friday, June 27, 2014

This four-eyed girl loves Four Eyes! (Part 2)

CONTEST IS CLOSED.


Remember when I tried out the eyewear online shopping site, Four Eyes, last week? Well, my glasses are finally here!

I picked the Cat Whisperer frames because I looked really good in them! Or they looked really good on me.

After trying out the three frames I picked, I asked for the glasses to be picked up on June 13. They were picked up by courier service Xend on June 17. Again, there's a wait. I finally got my glasses on June 24. So from the time I ordered on June 2 to the time I got my glasses on June 24, it's 22 days. Three weeks. That could've been shorter since I really kept the trial frames for 5 days before I scheduled a pick up.

To be fair to Four Eyes, they never said they'll deliver or pick up the next day. So the process does take time, but if you're in no hurry, I think Four Eyes is much better than going to the optical shop. A big reason why I dislike optical shops intensely is the fact that they hide price tags. So you go around the shop, you pick your frames, you try them on. The sales person says, "Bagay! Bagay lahat!!!" Which really doesn't help. Finally, you pick your frame and then realize it's out of your budget range and then the salesperson looks at you with a sigh, and then you feel small and sad and poor, and then you just hurry out or pick something else that you don't like. Haha, I'm so melodramatic! But I think you know what I mean!

With Four Eyes, I had the convenience of picking out frames at my leisure (it took me an entire afternoon doing the virtual try-out, then a whole five days trying them on at home), and all of that in the privacy of my own home. Then my new gorgeous glasses just cost P3,495! I mean, look at them. They look so chic, not cheap!

THE GOOD CAUSE
Here's another reason why you should totally buy your glasses and sunnies from Four Eyes: The eyewear shopping site has partnered with the charity organization, World Vision Philippines. For every pair you buy from Four Eyes, they will donate another pair to someone in need of prescription glasses.

As someone who needs glasses, I know how vital it is to have clear eyesight. When I was in 3rd grade, my grades started to slip. We couldn't figure out why I seemed to be failing some classes. It was only when a classmate in 7th grade said, "You're actually smart. Maybe you should have your eyes checked," that we went to an optometrist and realized I had been near-sighted all that time! Now that I'm a mom, my eyesight is just as important. I'm always on the lookout for nasty bugs that might bite my babies' tender skin, for example. A huge part of who I am and what I turned out to be relies on my vision. Imagine if we can give that simple but profound opportunity to our less fortunate brothers and sisters! 

Last month, Four Eyes and World Vision visited an underprivileged community in Cavite, where they checked the eyesight of more than 250 adults and kids. Then Four Eyes made eyeglasses for these lovely people. Last weekend, Four Eyes went back to Cavite to distribute the free eyeglasses to the community. I wanted to go, too, actually, since Four Eyes invited me but since my pregnant tummy is about to pop any day now, I regretfully stayed in Manila and missed the event. Jeremy Callegher, business development manager of Four Eyes, said, "All [glasses] were distributed, the event was a success and you can tell so, thanks to the smile of the people from the community."

Buy yourself glasses for just P1,495 and another person benefits from your shopping!
Top right photo shows host, teacher and blogger Patty Laurel-Filart helping distribute the glasses.
New glasses for all! What a happy day!
The World Vision and Four Eyes team with the happy Caviteños!

THE GIVEAWAY!
Four Eyes would love to extend their services to one lucky Topaz Horizon reader!