The HAPI Reading Room gets more books thanks to HGC!
By Glemir Sordilla
HAPI-Bacolod Member | HAPI Scholar
“Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible.”
– Barack Obama
HAPI-Alabang was thrilled to receive Humanist Global Charity’s (HGC) much-anticipated donation of books for the chapter’s Reading Room. HAPI Jr. Ambassador, Angie Driskell, and HAPI CFO, Mutya Valenzuela personally visited the Reading Room to deliver secular books including Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller, We Are All Different by Tracey Turner, among others. The Alabang kids, who love to get lost in the adventures that books can offer, were eager to get their hands on the books as they arrived. They’ve been yearning for new material to grace their shelves for a while!
Driskell explained each of the new books’ concepts and contents to the children. Not only were the illustrations colourful and fun to look at, but the texts were also easily readable for kids of their age! The books possess valuable lessons on how to be kind and the diversity of the world. They also provide basic information about the universe and evolution.
Starting this month, the Reading Room will begin weekly lessons and activities rooted in humanism for the kids. The room, with its emphasis on books focused on humanism and science, is the perfect place for teaching kids and moulding them into better members of society. As a youth-centred project, it has also been chosen as the venue for events such as National Children’s Books Day.
Valenzuela passionately championed for this grant from HGC and personally researched which books are the best fit for the community of kids in Alabang. In an interview, she pointed out that this is not the first time HGC has lent a hand to HAPI projects. “We are always grateful for the unwavering support of Humanist Global Charity to HAPI,” she said. “With their generous contribution, the children of Alabang [now have an excellent introduction] to humanism.”
One of the kids shared that Be Kind is their favourite book among the new arrivals as it is relatable and easy to digest. They also appreciate that whenever they want to read and spend time studying, the Reading Room is always ready to accommodate them.
It is HAPI moments like this that can warm your heart. The organisation is all about giving hope and inspiration to future generations. Many of us are book-lovers who often treat them as lifelines so it is delightful that HAPI and HGC can be the instruments for the kids of Alabang to discover their own love for books.
