A Journey of Hope and Gratitude: Our Summer Reading Program’s Beautiful Ending

Hello Hivers,

It’s @gracefulwrites here. Today marks the last day of our summer reading program, and it’s culmination day. My heart is filled with pride and gratitude as I reflect on the journey of these amazing kids. Completing the 20-day intervention program has been no small feat, and we, the volunteer teachers, are overjoyed by their progress.

From the very first day, we committed ourselves to helping these young learners, imparting whatever knowledge we could. Watching them grow and improve each day has been a truly rewarding experience. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the unwavering support of their parents, who played an integral role in their children’s journey.

During the culmination ceremony, we celebrated each student’s achievements by awarding them ribbons recognizing their improvement and certificates of completion. As a token of appreciation, some teachers also gifted small tokens to the students. Despite my busy schedule, I made the choice to skip a seminar to be present for this special occasion—it was worth every moment.

As Brigada Eskwela approaches next week, I wanted to do something meaningful to show my gratitude to the parents. I donated a sack of rice, intending to distribute one kilo to the first 50 parents who would volunteer and help at the school. However, as I reflected on the dedication of the parents attending the culmination day, I decided to extend this gesture to all of them. Each parent who came received one kilo of rice—a small token of appreciation for their unwavering support.

When I brought the rice to the event, no one knew what I planned to do. After thanking the parents for their steadfast support, I, along with my school head, handed out the rice. Their smiles and heartfelt gratitude were more than enough to make the effort worthwhile. One parent’s words will forever stay with me: “Thank you, Ma’am. It means a lot to us… ‘Makalung-ag najud me sa among balay.’” (We can finally cook rice at home.)

That simple act of kindness reminded me of the profound impact we can have on others, even through small gestures. Today wasn’t just the end of a program; it was a celebration of growth, community, and hope.

Thank you for reading,
@gracefulwrites

(Note: all pictures owned by me and edited by CANVA)