F3 = FRIENDS, FOOD AND FUN ? That was the winning formula for the hugely successful Children?s Day event at our parish on Saturday, 8 February 2014. ?Let the little children come to me?, Jesus said and come they did, and in their thousands to the St. Mary?s church compound - tykes, tweens and teens from six to nineteen years old - and all had a truly wonderful time. The day long programme from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm was inaugurated by our parish priest Fr. Tomasito Veneracion who looked clearly delighted, his love and fondness for children radiating through his countenance. And the party began ?
Organized under the banner of the CCD office in our parish it was a day set aside to celebrate the gift of children and to help build the feeling of community among our youngsters. Entirely free for the children with breakfast, lunch, snacks, goodies, gifts, games and more and supervised by about 300 members of the Catechism team and more than 200 volunteers from the parish (all together, ?the orange brigade?), the children truly did feel special, loved and needed.
With the premises divided into three zones for the children according to their age group, each area had its own set of activities to keep the children entertained. The six to eight year olds in the Green Zone with bouncy castles, train rides, face-painting, movies, game stalls, arts and crafts to amuse them had a wonderful time.
The Orange Zone for the nine to twelves was a beehive of activity with game stalls, bingo, dancing, bouncy castles, the obstacle course ? they had a fantastic time.
The Youth Zone with costumes and deejays and a live band in the Main Hall kept the teenagers wanting more ? In addition, the X-Box stall and the hugely popular rodeo bull outside was a great hit and kept them all busy.
The stage entertainment provided by Adonis and Troupe added to the fun factor for all three zones and had the children singing and dancing along.
We are truly grateful to all our sponsors and well-wishers who contributed towards the success of the event: