As parents, we always dream of a bright future for our children. As much as possible, we try to give the best to them, working hard so much to support our child's aspirations in life. We also teach our children values that will help them to succeed in life so that they will value life more as they grow old.
But, what if the family belongs to the poverty line? How do you think the children can have a bright future?
I'm so glad to know that there are non-government organizations (NGOs) and corporations which support the dreams of these kids. They have this genuine desire to create a bright future for them and to also instill good values to these children that they would pass on the kindness they have receive.
Last October 26, 2017, BIC Product (Asia) Pte Ltd., in cooperation with its distributor partner in Philippines--Filstar Distributors Corporation--, is set to kick off their biggest social campaign in Asia, #BICBrightFutures. As Champions of Education, BIC believes that a bright future is for everyone. As such, BIC will be giving half a million of stationery products to Children's Hour, Yellow Boat of Hope, and Kariton Klasrum to help kids as they pursue their dreams. To date, this is the biggest donation BIC has ever made in Asia.
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| Ready to have fun and mingle with kids from Children's Hour and Kariton Klasrum |
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| BIC executives handing out the 500,000 stationery and school supplies to Children's Hour, Kariton Klasrum, and Yellow Boat of Hope together with the iconic BIC mascot |
Apart from the donation of school supplies, BIC has also treated around 200 children from Children's Hour and Kariton Klasrum at Kidzania Manila for a one day of fun and excitement as they determine what kind of job would they like to have in the future. Children got to explore adult world by choosing in over 100 role-playing activities in Kidzania Manila. Each of the children were also given a BIC Bright Futures workbook where they wrote down their goals and dreams.
Frederic Dumon, Deputy General Manager of BIC Product (Asia) Pte Ltd. emphasized the importance of writing in achieving our dreams and goals in life. "We have always believed that bright futures are written by hand. As adults, many of us have become what we are today because we put pen to paper and wrote down our ambitions. That act of writing down our aspirations makes the dream seem real. Today, we want to inspire less-fortunate children to dream and work for their futures, because after all, everyone deserves a bright future, Mr. Dumon said.
Mr. Dumon also mentioned that even if we are already living in the world where technology is given much emphasis, he reminded everyone that we must always go back to the basics of writing down everything first before immersing oneself in technology. "It is true that we are living in a changing world and while handwriting might seem trivial for some, let us not forget that handwriting is still essential to a child's development. The act of handwriting alone helps develop a child's cognitive and motor skills, helps boost memory and creativity as well as promotes self-confidence and interpersonal skills," Mr. Dumon emphasized during the event.
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| Mr. Frederic Dumon, Deputy General Manager of BIC Product (Asia) Pte Ltd. |
During the event, Efren Penaflorida, 2009 CNN Hero of the Year awardee, education advocate, teacher, social worker, and founder of Kariton Klasrum, inspired everyone by telling the story of Kesz Valdez, one of the former students of Kariton Klasrum and now a volunteer. For young people to achieve their dreams in life, Mr. Penaflorida gave a powerful lesson in Kesz' life:
- Believe that you can have a brighter future. Do not let poverty be a hindrance for you to change your future. Strive hard and always bear in mind that you can reach your dreams no matter what.
- Excel in every work. Education is a very powerful tool in fighting poverty. In everything you do, do things excellently. Practice doesn't make something perfect, but it makes progress.
- Stand firm on what is true and noble. Cheating is not an option to succeed in life.
- Think of ways to improve yourself. When growth stops, decay begins. Decisions that you will make today will impact your future.
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| Mr. Efren Penaflorida of Kariton Klasrum |
BIC feels strongly about giving back to communities where the Group is present in the form of product or financial donations and volunteering. As part of its strong societal commitment, the BIC Corporate Foundation for Education was launched in 2016 focusing on fighting for universal access of education as a basic human right. Through this foundation, BIC is engaged in the fight against school drop-outs, access to education for girls and women and environmental education. In the same year, the global company has made 112 donations to promote education giving more than 6 million pens to children in need.
The whole event truly gave these less-fortunate children a brighter hope and a brighter future! You can see in their eyes how happy are they to have that kind of experience, which will be kept in their memory bank forever.
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| Children from Children's Hour and Kariton Klasrum having the time of their lives at Kidzania Manila |
Cheers to BIC for brighter future!
BIC is a family-owned company listed in the Paris Stock Exchange and a world leader in stationery, lighters, and shavers. For more than 60 years, BIC has honored the tradition of providing high-quality, simple, inventive, and reliable choices for everyone, everywhere, every time. A world leader in the consumer goods, 30.9 million BIC products are purchased every day worldwide (18.9 million stationery products, 4.2 million lighters, 7.1 million shavers, and 0.7 million promotional products).
Filstar Distributors Corporation prides itself as having been the exclusive licensee of Hallmark in the Philippines since 1974 and the exclusive distributor of BIC Stationery products since 2001. Since then, Filstar has evolved to be a distributor of not just these two distinguished brands but of other world class brands that supplement and enhance the self-expression industry. In 2013, Filstar expanded its partnership with BIC to cover BIC Lighters and Shavers categories.
For more information about BIC, you may visit their website at www.bicworld.com. You may also follow them on their social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram).
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