Philippine Asian News Today Vol 20 No 15 | Page 11

August 1 - 20, 2018
LOCAL NEWS
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
Summer is the season when the
Earth is directly showered by the rays of
the sun, making it especially warm and
dry. This season brings brighter and
longer days, gloriously displaying the
beauty of nature, her verdant grass under
azure skies, dotted by a myriad of colorful
blooms, this lovely scene punctuated by
creatures scurrying out of their winter
hibernation.
For most people, summer is always
associated with fun --- a welcome break
from school and office routines, spent
in picnics and barbecues, or a trip to
the beach for a wade or a quick dip. Ah,
the dog days of summer always release
the pent-up craving for outdoor social
activities otherwise impossible on freezing
winter fields.
This is exactly what the FilCoopBC
and One Housing Society family did one
summer day last August 5. Dubbed “4 in
1: A Summer Day of Fun,” crafted by its
Social Development Committee into a
“package deal” of activities: family picnic,
garage sale, bingo and raffle held at Grays
Park in Vancouver.
A stream of activities flowed
from one to the other as the Social
Development Committee had planned
out in their preparatory meeting the day
before right at the site of the picnic.
Starting with the partaking of
an array of potluck dishes and treats
brought by the members. families and
friends grabbed a spot on grassy ground
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One Summer Day in the Park -- FilCo-op BC’s
Annual Family Picnic
or around a park bench
to enjoy a meal, exchange
news and stories, dishing
out humourous tales here
and there that lent the scene
a touch of spontaneous
liveliness.
As the picnickers
finished their meals, the pack
noticed members. alone or in
small groups, walk toward the
impromptu outdoor market
where cherished personal
or still-useful household items were
exchanged for value or out of generosity.
One knew someone picked an item or
two because of the ubiquitous plastic
bag hanging from an arm or someone’s
hand as they walked back to their picnic
blanket. The garage sale proceeds were
intended to augment the Damayan Fund,
FilCoopBC’s benevolent contribution to a
member in time of grief over the loss of
a loved one. At the end of the day, most
garage sale items left over were hauled to
a charity or two in town.
Then the master of ceremonies
called the picnickers to gather for the
most-awaited activity of the day --- the
bingo games and raffle draws! With
picnickers seated on picnic blankets or
in picnic chairs under the shade, all eyes
were on the bingo master as he called
the numbers one after another. As the
excitement increased towards that last
winning number call, all awaited with
bated breath as the winner hollered
“BIINGO”!
Bingo games were interspersed
with drawing lots for raffle prizes donated
by their cooperative, its officers and
members or business partners. A delighted
shriek from the winner, rushing to claim
the prize, was followed by an appreciative
applause by the grateful gathering. And
then back again to their picnic spot for
the next draw.
At the end of the day, most of the
family picnickers left the park with a prize,
a garage sale item or two, memories
captured and stored in cell phones of
iPads, some bits of update info about a
member, a family, a cherished cause or a
milestone in someone’s life.
FilCoopBC and One Housing
Society’s “4 in 1 -- A Summer Day of Fun”
is way more than what it promised. Picture
this. Individuals from all walks of life, from
toddlers to elders, living and working
across the Lower Mainland, long-time
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
citizens and newcomers alike, huddled
together under low-lying trees in a quaint
park of Vancouver, who decided to band
together and build a bond based on the
enduring principles of cooperativism, that
has, in nine years, evolved into a “family”
sharing a common vision for themselves
and for the larger community. As they left
their mark in that quiet corner in the park,
everyone walked towards their parked
cars enlivened by the thought that they
truly have become one of the fabrics that
make Canada a multicultural melting pot
they proudly claim as their own, too.What
a beautiful picture, isn’t it?
Sa mga nais maging bahagi at
maging member ng kauna-unahang
Kooperatibang Pinoy sa BC, mayroon
pong monthly Pre-Membership Education
Seminar. Mak