by Shadin Kitma, photos by Valerie Cornelissen
Giving feels better when it comes with a bit of fun.
So thought GESM 12th-grader Cassius Cornelissen when he decided to organize a football match last Sunday, Sept 25 at the Eurocampus.
"I play a lot of football," said Cassius. "[and] I love raising money for charity."
Cassius announced a friendly football match to friends and classmates, and charged everyone who wanted to participate a registration fee. The beneficiary selected to receive the proceeds from the match was the Care for the Children Foundation in Pampanga, a nonprofit that aims to take care of orphans and children with special needs.
With the help of fellow GESM students, they reached out to others via social media to come join the event. "Theo [Glen] designed the poster, while Julian [Janke] and Timmy [Lundqvist] helped with the invites."
To spice the game up, Cassius announced that he would donate an extra PHP 100 from his allowance for each goal scored during the match. He ended up shelling out an additional PHP 1,600.
"There's nothing wrong about a little more money for charity," Cassius explained, when prompted for his reasons to give extra. In the end, Cass and his classmates raised PHP 15,000 for the foundation in an afternoon.
Asked if he thinks fellow and future GESM students should organize another such event in the future, he answered, "I definitely think so. It's fun."
Whether he thought the fun comes from football or from the act of charity itself, Cassius didn't specify.
But we can assume it's both.
Cassius and his classmates are taking up the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) at GESM. Part of the requirements in this Grade 11 & 12 program is to initiate, organize, and conduct activities that promote creativity, encourage activity, and/or provide service for the community (CAS). To find out more, click here.