FORTY-SEVEN Negrense children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases had fun in a Harry Potter-inspired party organized Saturday, October 29, by Suntown Camp Foundation headed by its president Millie Kilayko.
The party, held at the Social Hall of the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City, was hosted by the Assumption Class ‘65 who made sure the gala night was made especially for these kids.
Suntown volunteers composed of doctors, nurses, members of Assumption Class ‘65, bankers, professionals, and others shared their time, resources, talents, and skills in helping the kids experience love despite their medical condition.
Most of these kids come from impoverished families, Kilayko said.
“Every year, when we have a Suntown camp, we have several kinds of activities for these kids that helped them understand their situation and others in a fun and loving setting. All the volunteers don’t hesitate to make fun of themselves, to look silly and act like they never did before. This is what we do at least once a year, all for the sake of the children. They begin to see a transformation and they see that we are willing to go through all ends to make them happy and get a smile from their faces,” she said.
She added that “every year, we have a theme and this year is Harry Potter. They have transformed the social hall with a Harry Potter ambiance where at the entrance going to the main venue has a label of ‘Hogwarts Express’ in order to lead the participant in going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”
Kilayko played the role of Minerva McGonagall, headmistress of Hogwarts School.
Every participant in the gala night wore black or Harry Potter costumes.
Prior to the event, the children were already told about Harry Potter so they would understand the story, Kilayko said.
They have parents, but in their homes, they mostly come from poor families. Their lives are spent in their homes and at the hospital, she said.
Kilayko said: “We are here to give them a time of their lives, a time for them to feel loved, to experience joy and happiness in a care-free, five-day fun and loving setting.”
The kids know they have a rare disease. Some of our sessions helped them understand and accept their situation, she said.
So we feel that giving them a five-day break will also be a break for their family as well as for themselves because in their homes, it is usually a life of having to scratch pennies to be able to find enough money to be able to sustain the medical expenses, she said.
“We are learning from them as sometimes, we cannot cope with the situation, but then these kids have faith in God and in people who take care of them. So we are learning more from them than they are learning from us,” she said.