The Valentine's Season isn't just about lovers. Essentially, if you take out the flowers and the letters and the chocolates, all you have is unbridled love and affection.

Wouldn't it be nice to spend it for a good cause this time? Wouldn't it be nice to brighten up a poor kid's day just this once?

The Kristiyano-Islam Peace Library is inviting everyone to a Valentine's Date to be celebrated with kids from the slum areas of Brgy. Holy Spirit, Quezon City. Each guest will be paired with a child and there will be games, book-reading activites, and tons of opportunities to make those kiddos smile.

When: February 19, 2012 (around 9AM to 2PM) 
Where: Brgy. Holy Spirit, Diliman, Quezon City 
Bring: A storybook or small gift to give to your paired child

If you're interested, send me an email at arizza.nocum@gmail.com. :)

The Beatles' had sung that all we need is love. 

And though Valentine's is the season of couples, chocolates, flowers, and kisses, it all really boils down to empathy, goodwill, and affection. On February 19, join KRIS Library - Quezon City as it celebrates love with dozens of poor children from slum areas in Brgy. Holy Spirit. 

To shake things up on this day, we would like to pair one child to a volunteer/guest. There will be book-reading activities to join, games to play, and prizes to win that are sure to put a smile on their faces and yours.

When: February 19, 2012 (around 9AM to 2PM) 
Where: Kris Library Quezon City, 9 Dona Isidora Street, Don Antonio Heights, Diliman, Quezon City (see map)
Bring: A storybook or small gift to give to your paired child

Program: 
Opening Message - Mr. Armand Nocum, KRIS Library Founder
Book-Reading - Ms. Arizza Nocum, Administrator
Grouping Into Pairs
Lunch
Gift-Giving

If you're single, bring a friend. If you're taken, bring a date. The more we are, the more children whose lives we can touch. This event is an endeavor to impart a love for reading in these young tots. This event is the time to build a relationship with a child who needs a little more affection and empowerment for at least one day.

Giving. That's what love is all about. 

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If you would like to join, please send me an e-mail at arizza.nocum@gmail.com with your name, age, and cellphone number. Comments and suggestions will also be accepted :)

Her name is Cherry Love Tarroza. She has jet black hair and bright, gleaming eyes. Attacked by the sweltering heat of the infamous Zamboanga sun, she has dark skin like most of her friends. Her smile is that of an angel.

Although she's already in Grade 3, she stands only as tall as a toddler. Mangled like the thick branches of an oak tree, her legs awkwardly support her lopsided walk. Her left leg is twisted outward to reveal a deformed foot. Her right leg is a stump with a thin ankle underneath.

To what can we blame Cherry's condition? The Chavacanos call it "pi-ang", referring to the unfortunate incidence of polio.

Polio in the States, or in any first-world country is welcomed with merely a sigh. With surgery, therapy, and numerous facilities and privileges for the disabled, any boy or girl like Cherry there would find their special needs taken care of.

But here in the Philippines, it's a different story. Polio is welcomed with a flood of tears and heartache. Where does Cherry sit in the public school classroom? What means of transportation can she afford to comfortably take her to places? How can she keep up in a country of long lines and lost pedestrian lanes? What treatment can we mention when her parents earn only from a humble carinderia in the outskirts of town?

But so far, what she lacks in body or wealth, she makes up for in heart.

Everyday, she walks 3 kilometers to school and then back, just to be able to attend class. She says she does this because she dreams of becoming an accountant someday.

On some days, she even hikes an extra kilometer just to borrow books from the KRIS Library. She is spellbound with our fairy tale books there. Her favorites are Snow White and Cinderella.

However, in all honesty, I want to tell Cherry something she doesn't know: she puts these fairy tale princesses to shame with her courage to fight adversity.

Her steps may be awkward, but I have no doubt that she will go far. She puts the cherry of hope on top of the biggest of obstacles.

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We in KRIS Library want to help her. But we need your help too, in any way -- financial, educational, medical, etc. If you know of any way we could lend a hand, please don't hesitate to contact me through arizza.nocum@gmail.com or 09995609435.