Labor of love. Novartis Philippines Asia Cluster members proudly presented the t-shirts they had designed for the children of Bahay Aruga with Bahay Aruga President Mayette Bonilla.
Leading healthcare company Novartis Philippines completed their team-building activities last March 8, 2017 at Barbara’s Heritage Restaurant in Intramuros.
The event, which was organized by TeamAsia Training, started off with a tour of the San Agustin Church and Manila Cathedral in Intramuros and culminated with a painting activity for the benefit of the patients of Bahay Aruga, a halfway house for pediatric cancer patients.
Novartis Philippines’ president and managing director, Cheryl Maley, welcomed the participants with an earnest “mabuhay” before delivering a short speech detailing the the current landscape of cancer treatment and its patients in the Philippines.
This was followed by Bahay Aruga president, Mayette Bonilla, who touched on the advocacy and initiatives of Bahay Aruga, their mission of establishing the halfway house for pediatric cancer patients, the stories of the children, and the role of Novartis in helping them achieve their goals.
The team-building program began shortly thereafter and was facilitated by TeamAsia president and founder, Monette Iturralde-Hamlin. For the activity of the evening, each participant was given a plain white shirt, a katsa bag, and a card with the details of a Bahay Aruga patient—which included their name, age, medical condition, favorite character and color.
Are you ready to be artsy? TeamAsia President and Founder Monette Iturralde-Hamlin facilitated the team-building program where the participants designed and painted t-shirts and bags for Bahay Aruga children.
They designed and painted the shirts and bags given to them, each item customized according to the children’s preferences. The participants went even further by writing a note of encouragement for the child assigned to them.
At the conclusion of the activity, the participants proudly presented their labor of love for the patients of Bahay Aruga and posed for a photo with Mayette Bonilla.
The painted shirts and bags, which also included toiletries, were given to Bahay Aruga, along with the heartfelt notes of Novartis Philippines employees dedicated to the children.
