IT’S THE SMALL THINGS
Last week, I wrote about two sectors that are undergoing major changes and shifts to adapt to what we have chosen to dub “the new normal” – the restaurant and education industries. This week, I will talk about another industry, as well as ways in which we can continue to help out free lancers and daily wage earners. Indeed, it is a challenging time for all. But regardless, life must go on! And so, it has started to.
On a personal note, as it is an industry I am heavily involved with and building upon the education industry (this time as an advocacy) would be the non-profit world. Undeniably, it is a tough time for our sector which, for the most part, is heavily dependent on grants, generous-hearted individuals, government, private sector and crowd funding. Add to that, the thrust of our advocacy, which is education, we are definitely undergoing some major changes that do not only require more time, but resources as well. At a time when fundraising events are out of the question, and retail partnerships are near impossible because the priority of businesses these days is to survive, and one must be innovative and find new ways and means. And that is how our Zumbathon (via Zoom) came about last week.
During the quarantine period, a lot of people turned to fitness and exercise to relieve stress and anxiety. Zumba has always been a favorite, and is a workout that can easily be done at home – alone, or with the rest of the family. At the height of lockdown, virtual Zumba classes continued and they became a way for some to socialize and see familiar faces, as a means of adapting to the new norm by retaining an old sense of normalcy. In the past, MovEd has held two zumbathon fundraisers where people danced this morning away together. This time, it was a little different – while we all still moved and sweated together for a cause for 90 minutes, we did so virtually – in front of our computer screens, so near, yet so far, but all with a common goal of helping out.
This time, we chose to collaborate with She Talks Asia. At the forefront of this partnership were two of its founders: Iza Calzado and Lynn Pinugu, who is also the executive director of MovEd’s co-beneficiary for the zumbathon, Mano Amiga Academy. They are joined by their co-founders Bianca Gonzalez, Sarah Meier, and Vicky Herrera. Just like MovEd, Mano Amiga is also riding through waves of change that the pandemic has brought about as we continue to go on in hopes of fulfilling our missions to its fullest. The 90 minute class was led by the best of the best – the internationally renowned duo of Prince and Madelle Enriquez Paltu-Ob. Prince and Madelle have been avid supporters of MovEd, so generously sharing their talents with us ever since our first fundraiser. But this time around, their generosity just seemed to be that much more heartwarming. At a time that has been so challenging for all, especially for freelancers such as them, to still choose to share their time and talent to help out with us in a whim, with no hesitation, just shows you the kind of genuine people they are. They are blessed, because they are both great blessings.
I choose to share this tidbit with all of you because being able to mount a fundraiser completely online, while staying at home, and execute it still at home, would have been unimaginable in the past. But here we are today, doing our best, to maneuver through a new kind of normal. At the end of the day, we adjust and we adapt in order to keep on going. We are grateful to all the generous participants who woke up on a Saturday morning to dance with us. Just comes to show that no restriction on big groups can hinder those who genuinely want to lend a hand to help out. These are the small glimmers of hope I constantly seek and live for. That, and well, this has just flashed before my very eyes that things, the pace of the past few days, if anything, are definitely going back, albeit in somewhat of a transformed way, to (a new) normal.