Munificence–The HeArt of Giving Generously (by the Ateneo B-Boys08)

Posted on January 26, 2008
Filed Under Fun, Good Deeds, School, ACET, UPCAT, etc | Viewed 1106 times

A few days ago, son Vince, 4th year high school Ateneo student asked me if his class, 4-B could hold a garage sale in our home. I gladly agreed, thinking it was just space they would need—our garage. Little did I know that I would witness munificence in its pure form—the heArt of giving.

Thursday, Vince put up the tarpaulin (BARYA BARYA GARAGE SALE) in our gate to announce the Garage Sale. Friday afternoon, boxes and boxes of goods donated by the boys started coming in, including tables and poster materials, which were placed in the boys’ pad, for sorting out. The boys, together with their class moderator Sir Jampao, planned to sort out the goods so that they would be ready by 8 am the next day. I almost panicked with the thought that they were not ready, and that it would be a gargantuan task for these sheltered boys to hold a garage sale in our home, with me having no experience at all for such an activity. When I got home from church at 7 pm, the boys were gone.

At 7:30 am Saturday, around 35 out of 41 B-Boys08 (that’s what they call themselves) started coming, some even with their yayas and drivers, to help them. Our household helper, Rose, was their advisor in pricing, as she is an expert buyer in garage sales. They set up the tables and the goods they sorted out the night before. They had a cashier in one table, with a green cartolina which said “PAY HERE”. All goods were costed below P100. Tops were priced at P10, P20, P30 and P50, pants at P50 and P70, shoes and bags from P20 to P50, leather basketballs at P60 and P100, toys from P10 up. Some of the goods were not even used.

And buyers started coming in, from tricycle drivers, to taxi drivers, to pushcart boys and their families, household helpers, and ordinary people who happened to pass by. Two B-boys stationed themselves by the road site, inviting passers by to come and buy, with Steph, who they consider as a Bgirl. The boys had their shifts and their tasks.

I saw the boys dealing with people who had a lower status in life, as if they were peers. They called their customers “kuya”, “tatay”, “ate, “tita”, “manong”, “manang”, “lolo”, “lola”, trying to convince them to buy, even joking with them at times. They seemed to be very comfortable doing this. When the customers requested for discount, they would say, “branded po yan”, not knowing that these people might not have even known what “branded” meant. Anyway, they relented most of the time, even gave away free goods. I heard one say, “Three long sleeved shirts for P150, lolo. You can pay us P180”. A joke of course, “lolo” ended up with a good discount—3 long sleeved shirts at P100. Another gave the equivalent discount that a customer asked for, say if the customer asked for a discount of P20, he would give the customer the cash of P20.

They gave away most of the muffins I served them as given aways, “1 muffin free for a sale of P250”. Kids were given free balloons. I myself ended up entertaining the customers, at one time took almost an hour baby sitting a 3-month old girl, whose parents had their time looking for good finds. It was so much fun taking care of the little one, but soon, I found myself crying unabashedly. How I missed Baby Michael.

Even when it was almost noon, the boys’ energies were high. My mother, on the other hand was in the kitchen all the time cooking, making sure that the boys were fed. Earlier, Vince, the graceful host drove to the supermarket to buy some snacks. In the afternoon he treated his classmates to chicken delivered by KFC.

When most of the goods were sold, my home was converted into an internet cafe. Some boys were huddled together, working, rather playing, with their laptops (remember, the Racoma home is a wifi hotspot), others went online with their PSPs and i-pod touch. Others watched TV, others were singing outside, others just rested on bean bags, and of course at the same time sending and receiving text messages. And boys were boys! It was an afternoon of camaraderie and fun.

I realized that the boys did it the hard way—they raised almost P17,000 for a cause—for their various projects, like Boys Town, CRIBS, Asilo, etc. They could have done it the easy way, shelving P1,000 each from their allowances, then there would have been no need to spend a full Saturday sweating it out in the afternoon sun selling their wares. And you know what? They were able to help their customers, to have decent clothes to wear, toys to play with, books and magazines to read, at a give away price. All the customers left with smiles on their faces. The B-Boys08 succeeded in a two-pronged objective: to raise funds for their beneficiaries, at the same time leaving their customers with smiles on their faces and the feeling of satisfaction of a good buy.

The good intention was contaminating. I ended up buying some goodies that I myself gave away to small kids. I helped move goods from one place to another, and did other small jobs, including baby-sitting for customers with babies and small children, in between taking pictures of the activity.

This gesture of the B-Boys is MUNIFICENCE in its pure form. Munificence—an extremely generous act. For me, an act from the Heart. MUNIFICENCE—the HeART of giving generously.

CONGRATULATIONS B-Boys08, CONGRATULATIONS Sir Jampao, for your kind-heartedness!

Comments

7 Responses to “Munificence–The HeArt of Giving Generously (by the Ateneo B-Boys08)”

Kongkong622 on January 27th, 2008 10:52 am

Way to go B-Boys!!

Any mother would be just as proud

Congrats for a job well done!
Kyels on January 27th, 2008 1:53 pm

You’re definitely a proud mother, Tita Dine! And well done to Vince and B-Boys!

Honestly, there aren’t much garage sales here and they only have it once in a while at the church. Pero, hopefully one day the teenagers here will come up with such an idea for a good cause!
palma tayona on January 27th, 2008 2:30 pm

sigh… your boys made me remember my own high school days.

particular of these youthful experiences, being a kid in a catholic school back then, was the reach-out project we had in our catechism classes. that was where we’d teach religion to public grade school kids who don’t have it in their curriculum.

i remember that it was fun to be young and be selfless, to just enjoy ones youth and be a service to others. as a high school kid, it opened my youthful eyes to another world that i rarely see outside the confines of our school’s walls.

sigh (2x)... it brings back wonderful memories.

thank you sexymom for writing these thoughts. i enjoy reading through these posts of yours every time i find myself stumbling in here.
Ria Jose on January 28th, 2008 4:09 am

A very nice touching story. Also very inspiring.
Sidney on January 28th, 2008 10:39 am

Great ! Nice initiative and good you opened your house for them.
No girls? Is it an all boys school?
purplishsistuh on January 28th, 2008 12:13 pm

Congratulations to the bboys! Sorry Ares and I weren’t able to drop by to lend a hand. Kung may part 2… count us in!
Cai on January 28th, 2008 9:02 pm

wow, that really is a good cause! Kudos to the B-Boys08!