GK Leaders from Bicol and Marinduque gather for a day of inspiration and commitment  

No storm could stifle the valiant spirits of our GK leaders from Marinduque and Bicol last January 12, 2013, when each of them dauntlessly made their way from their different provinces going to Albay. They were all excited to attend the 1st Gawad Kalinga Regional Leaders Conference, with the theme “Team Gawad Kalinga: Walang Iwanan!” Armed with the desire to know one another better, be inspired, learn from each other, and work together towards ending poverty in our region, no typhoon signal can stop them from coming.

>> Read more about Gawad Kalinga's Vision and Mission

Our region is quite infamous as the pathway of most typhoons, and storm signal no.1 was announced early that morning, which caused the cancellation of all the flights. Because of this, many GK Leaders weren’t able to join us for the said event, but those who could make it really did. In spite of the weather, what happened was still a huge success.

It was really like attending a big family reunion. Seeing the enthusiastic smiles of the delegates as they greeted one another even though majority are new faces delighted my heart, because this shows that the spirit of GK transcends every generation, especially to the younger ones.

Breakout sessions

The program started with a Holy Mass, wherein the gospel served as a seamless affirmation for the GK leaders in our region who never gave up and endured extraordinary sacrifices for the sake of nation building. It was followed by a very inspiring session led by Ate Issa Cuevas-Santos, Head of GK Marketing. She talked about a few powerful reminders to guide us in this challenging work that was entrusted to us. There were also two break-out sessions, one for the GK Management Teams and another for the volunteers and KB leaders.

The day was not lacking in inspiration and entertainment

To break the ice, we had several wonderful performances from our pool of talented GK SAGIP, SIGA and KBs who wowed the audience, namely: the GK Monte de Oro  (Masbate) SIGA who performed a heartfelt rap about their campaign against mining, the GK Anislag (Albay) CYD who graciously interpreted the GK Song, the GK Taysan CYD who performed an energetic dance and last but not the least, our stunning finalists for the Ginang GK Camarines Sur 2012 with a unique production number. (Note: This Ginang GK pageant is actually a fundraiser for establishing the GK Programs in each Camarines Sur community. With this, they were able to raise more than hundred thousand pesos.)

A big thank day you to our partners and volunteers!

After the event, I felt that everyone was refueled with a lot of inspiration. The spirit of Walang Iwanan really shone through, and there was a renewed energy buzzing in the crowd. The GK Head of Albay even mentioned during his opening remarks that all the teams in the region are all very excited to strengthen themselves and to work together as one.

Truly, we should expect great things from this region.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Gawad Kalinga is not a charity, rather, it's an organization that aims to end poverty by building empowered communities. You too can join our partners, volunteers and caretakers in fulfilling the mission to end poverty for 5 million families by 2024. Volunteer for GK or partner with us in building sustainable GK communities! For more information, visit this link or email info@gk1world.com.