On Wednesday I visited one of the poorest areas here. The town captain, Eves DelaCruz, gave me a tour of the area. Seeing these kids and their families broke my heart. They lived near the garbage dumpsite. What separated them from the mud, dead animals and garbage were simply makeshift bridges, which also served as their floor, made of scrap wood and bamboo. Just this month alone 4 children died after slipping through holes in the walkways and were never found. Their homes are made of cardboard, scrap wood, boxes and whatever materials they can find to make a makeshift house. Living conditions are very poor and access to health services is non-existent. There are no words or pictures to describe the depth of poverty these children live with every day. No one has a choice in when and where they are born, they simply must survive as best they can. There are so many factors to global poverty that very few understand. One thing I know for sure, no one wants to be poor and relying on the support of others. How can these children with no education or sense of hope lift themselves up from their situation? They have no means of their own, they need your help…

After speaking with the teachers and faculty members this afternoon. I was informed that a lot of the kids cannot afford to attend school everyday because their family income is barely enough to buy food for the family. There are over 1200 kids at this school that need the gift of education, they are the poorest of the poor. The school year in the Philippines is about 10 months long. They go from 1st to 6th grade. I asked the teachers what are the barriers the school faces day to day with educating these kids? Their answer – lack of school supplies, school uniforms, educational sponsorship, water wells to free children from the task of hauling water, classrooms, school lunch programs and all types of other school supplies including desks and blackboards. Guaranteeing each child one meal per day improves their overall health, affects their performance in school and encourages better school attendance. I am so grateful that with your help we’re able to provide school supplies and meals to over 200 children.

After 20 hours in the air I finally arrived in Manila. As soon as I stepped off the plane I felt the humid air hit me in the face. What a sauna! I wondered how I am going to focus staying in the slum where I grew up. In such suffocating heat without even an electric fan to ease the humidity. Also, there was another typhoon meaning muddy, wet afternoon and downpours in the evening.

I’m in a tiny coastal town called Bacoor, south of Manila, in the province of Cavite. Most people here make a living from fishing and it’s not much of a living. Today I visited Bacoor Elementary School where the poorest of children attend. I met with Mrs. Tessie Malabana (on my left in the picture) she’s the guidance counselor, to my right is the assistant principal Lori Roderos (the principal is attending a convention). I’m scheduled to have a working lunch meeting with 32 of their faculty members tomorrow to assess their needs.

Woke up this morning at 430am with so much excitement. I am really on my way. As I boarded my short flight to Los Angeles. It made me think about a question that someone asked me a while back. Why am I doing this when there’s so much going on here in the United States? My answer is even the poorest of the people in American are better off than the poverty-stricken in third world countries. It’s hell on Earth and there’s no help. There’s no community, neighbors, government or church to help. Every day these children wake up to yet another day of hunger, pain and general torture. My goal is to help them, and find ways to give them the head start needed to make something of their lives. They have to believe that they are destined for excellence, that things can change for the better and that they have the ability to control their future.

I am so overwhelmed by the support and love I have received from everyone. I am very grateful. I am so honored to share this journey with you.

When I first thought of an outreach project to help the impoverished children of the Philippines it was nothing more than a lofty dream. Three months ago meeting my goal of raising $3,000 seemed like an impossibility. Tomorrow I am on my way to Philippines to personally distribute food, school supplies and basic neccessities to the children living there.

I am grateful for all of you who stepped up, supported and believed in this cause. To my friends, colleagues, acquaintances and everyone else, through all your collective energy we gathered clothing, school supplies and exceeded my monetary goal, raising over $4000 so far. Thank you all for your generosity, love, friendship and support. My adventures are your adventures. What we will accomplish on this trip will impact the lives of many children. The weakest and the most helpless in our world can only depend on your goodwill.

As the world becomes a smaller place with technological advances, we become more aware of the well-being of our neighbors around the world. It is up to us to decide whether we choose to try to help our neighbors. Human nature is not the problem; it’s giving back to human nature that’s the challenge.

Thank you for joining in my commitment to give these children a real shot of the future, a sense of pride, dignity and an opportunty for a better life one with love and education at the forefront so they don’t have it so hard.

Our football fund-raiser, “Cheer, Drink and Save a Life” at Rex Lounge this past Sunday was a great success. The day was beautiful, the game was exciting and we raised over $250 for the impoverished children of the Philippines. A big thank you to all who came out to support our cause, the money we raised will go a long way toward providing food and school supplies to the children. Without the support and generosity of Danny and the staff, it never would have happened. Thank you for the generous donations of your time, venue, drinks, snacks, efforts last week we had a great time.

There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things that we crave most in life… happiness, freedom, and peace of mind.. are always attained by giving them to someone else. To everyone who attended this event thank you for your ongoing support. You are a hero for the young children that we will visit on this trip.

What matters in today’s world is not the difference between those who believe and those who don’t, but the difference between those who care and those who don’t. In every community, there’s work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is a power to do it.

At our fundraising event this past Sunday at Snooze, $1 for every alcoholic beverage purchased was donated to our cause, our friends and the rest of the Snooze customers stepped up and raised almost $250. This will go a long way towards helping the Filipino children by providing school supplies and food for them. Without Jon Schlegel’s support and generosity it never would have happened. I cannot begin to tell you the many ways the donated funds will help and impact so many childrens lives. It’s about caring… It’s about positive attention, hope that things will get better. It’s about affecting lives and helping kids so they don’t have it so hard, and giving them a chance. I am extremely grateful for your support. Thank you.

Youth groups on Sunday called for donations of school supplies such as notebooks, pencils and ball pens, school bags, old uniforms, chalk, paper and chalkboard erasers for students and schools affected by floods spawned by typhoon Ondoy.

Tulong Kabataan, a volunteer youth network, made the appeal as classes resume Monday with students and schools affected by Ondoy having no materials and resources to begin again. The group also appealed for donations of textbooks, educational materials and other school paraphernalia. You can find information on their efforts at their website.

I will be there less in less that four weeks to provide rice, canned goods and packs of school supplies to students, containing vital items such as paper, pens and school books with the money I’ve raised.

MANILA, Philippines, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — UN children’s agency, UNICEF, is pre-positioning people and supplies to prepare for typhoon Pepeng/Parma, forecasted to hit the already battered islands of the Philippines this weekend.

The agency has staff on standby in North Luzon, and emergency family kits ready to be distributed to those displaced by the massive storm. By current forecasts, Manila is also set to receive heavy rains, further endangering those families whose homes were underwater only a week ago from flooding caused by tropical storm Ondoy/Ketsana.

“With large areas of stagnant water, overcrowded evacuation centers and the possibility of contaminated water, the conditions are in place for disease outbreaks particularly among children,” said Vanessa Tobin, UNICEF Representative in the Philippines.

UNICEF is also concerned that children are safe and protected at this time. The number of families affected by storm Ondoy (international codename Ketsana) which dumped a month’s worth of rain within 12 hours, has reached 629,000 or over 3 million individuals. Over one million of those are children.

UNICEF is coordinating all operations with NDCC, to ensure that supplies reach those most in need. The children’s agency is preparing: family kits containing cooking pots, blankets, water buckets, sleeping mats and soap; hygiene kits containing soap, toothpaste, slippers and towels; emergency health kits with essential drugs and water purification supplies.

Our fund-raiser, Dance 4 kids, was a great success! We raised awareness and over two hundred dollars with the young adults in the Denver area. With their bright minds and big hearts, we have taken a step towards saving children living in the Philippines from hunger and poverty. You may have heard the sad news from the Philippines: it was hit hard by a tropical storm and lots of people need your help. Every little bit makes a huge difference.

These young people are our future. They’re amazing and they do care deeply. They contributed their ideas, signed up to volunteer their time, and gave their hard earned money. To everyone who attended this event thank you for your support. You are a hero for the young children that we will visit on this trip.

Thank you to all our DJ’s: Co Day, Waffle, Hyperglycerine, Hazard and CidKid. Your music brings people together and fills us with joy.

Thank you Susan, Andy and others for generous donations of your time and effort and for your ongoing support of this cause. We are working towards another fundraising event to reach our goal of $3,000 by October 24, 2009. If you have any idea on how we can fundraise please let us know.