Last weekend, Manika Manila, our local BJD community, had its annual Christmas meet, Monito Manika 2011. I hosted it. It was a potluck party, but since not everyone would be able to bring something to share, monetary contribution was collected in order to offset the cost of food prepared by my lola. The next day, news of Sendong and its wrath on Cagayan de Oro and Iligan poured in. I found myself unable to think or talk or post about anything else. With the blessing of my lola, Manika Manila decided that the money we raised was to be donated to Typhoon Sendong relief operations. The money was already with me, and it was all just a matter of dropping it off to the proper channels.
I found a particular channel that couldn’t have been more appropriate for us.
This is my surprise for you, Manika Manila. A portion of the money we raised was used to buy a dozen of these adorable teddy bears to give to Yakapin: Batang Hilagang Mindanao, a campaign spearheaded by my good friend Pia/@photograpia on Tumblr and her mom to collect teddy bears and stuffed toys for the children affected by Typhoon Sendong in Northern Mindanao.
We BJD owners know that our dolls are not just dolls; not to us, at least. They are outlets for our creativity and self-expression, the personifications of characters we’ve long crafted in our minds, or simply quiet companions that we can look to for comfort when the world gets too crowded and noisy for our liking. At an age where we supposedly should’ve lost interest in dolls and other “childish” things, we still manage to see our dolls - and by extension, the rest of the world - with a certain childlike wonder. Thus, we can better see and appreciate what a toy would mean to a child. For a child, a toy is not just a toy. A simple teddy bear can become a child’s outlet for his emotions, something soft and warm that he can hug, a friendly face where he can find comfort in solace in a world that can be so big and scary.
Look at his friendly little smile! He and his eleven other brave bear friends will be sending smiles and hugs to the children of Northern Mindanao. :)
Give a hug to the children of Northern Mindanao by giving them a lovable stuffed toy to hug. Refer to this entry for various drop-off points around the metro where you can leave your stuffed toys and teddy bears. I’ll also be reblogging it here. Don’t forget to like Yakapin: Batang Hilagang Mindanao on Facebook!
I love you, Trisha. <3 Thanks for doing this!



