A Celebration of God’s Goodness
The annual gathering of ADRA Family and Supporters via Zoom last December 13, was a success with attendees logging in and participating from all parts of the Philippines. Brief reports of ADRA’s achievements in 2020 were shared and virtual games were played while guests ate at their own banquet tables in their respective homes/areas.
ADRA also took advantage of this event to give special recognition to the implementers of the Stronger Together Project, as well as the hosts of the Stronger Together Concert Series, as the project showcased the importance and strength of the ADRA’s partnership with the Seventh-day Adventist Church and institutions.
Celebration 32 Years of Service to ADRA
The night was a celebration of God’s goodness to ADRA in 2020, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program ended with a celebration of Adelaida “Aida” Ortilano’s 32 years of service to ADRA Philippines. Aida, who began working in ADRA in 1987, is scheduled to retire at the end of this month. Short messages from former ADRA colleagues were shared, and despite becoming teary-eyed, Aida expressed her thanks to everyone who got a chance to work her at ADRA.
Sharing God´s Blessings
ADRA also launched the ADRA Christmas Basket during the 2020 Christmas Season. This program gives an opportunity for individuals to donate a Noche Buena family food pack to a vulnerable family worth P500. This food assistance is different from the normal emergency relief packs because each donor is given an opportunity to write a special message of encouragement to their recipient.
The campaign ran for one month and concluded during the ADRA “Share a Meal” Virtual Banquet.
The campaign was able to raise a little more than P200,000 from individual and corporate donors and allowed ADRA and our Adventist Community Services partners to distribute 400 ADRA Christmas Baskets in the National Capital Region (Pasig City), Iloilo (San Joaquin and San Dionesio), and Cagayan de Oro City.
Special Thanks
ADRA would like to thank all of the attendees and would like to particularly mention the West Visayan Conference in Iloilo City and the South Philippine Union Conference in Cagayan de Oro, for their attendance and participation in the program. We would also like to thank MVC Employees Cooperative for being our corporate partner for 2020, and the Kasama Multipurpose Cooperative and the Negosyanteng Bagets for agreeing to being our corporate partners for 2021. It is through great partnerships like these that we look forward to an even more productive 2021.
