In celebration of its first decade on a mission to help children battling cancer, the I Want to Share (IWTS) Foundation threw a charity gala at the grand ballroom of the Shangri-La The Fort, BGC, on Friday, Sept. 15.

In attendance were 550 of Manila’s privileged set, who are in a position to help IWTS carry out its vision. The benefit ball included an auction of a Maserati and incredible pieces of jewelry and art from the likes of Dino Gabito, Andres Barrioquinto, Daniel de la Cruz, and Ramon Orlina. But what made it remarkable was the 25 children battling cancer who walked the ramp wearing pieces from the social set’s favorite designers like Avel Bacudio, Martin Bautista, Mark Bumgarner, Rajo Laurel, and Andrea Tetangco. 

“It is my goal to leave a positive impact and a difference in the lives of the Filipino people,” said Sheila Romero, founder and chair of IWTS before the black-tie crowd. In the works, as a direct result of the gala, is the establishment of two specialized rooms and a nurturing nurses’ station at the Bone Marrow Transplant Center at the Philippine General Hospital. These are steps that bring IWTS closer to its higher goal of increasing the survival rate of children battling cancer from 30 to 60 percent in the Philippines.

And what big steps they are, propelled by compassion and kindness, as proved by the first IWTS gala, which raised a total of P19 million—P7 million more than the target proceeds—in the course of a dinner!