SM and its employees: cultivating a culture of volunteeriSM
SM employee-volunteers led the repainting of the SM school building at BBIS in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.
SM employees have it in them to always go the extra mile when extending help for communities. Good thing that SM shares the same purpose of spreading its social good programs in grassroots communities.
Just recently, SM Foundation, together with The SM Store, SM Supermalls, and SM Markets, brought smiles to the faces of teachers and students of Bakod Bayan Integrated School (BBIS) in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija during their Brigada Eskwela activity.
SM employee-volunteers participated in the clean-up activity, preparing the school for face-to-face classes once the situation permits. They helped with the clearing of the school grounds and the repainting of the previously turned over SM school building for BBIS in 2016.
One of the volunteers, The SM Store-Cabanatuan Branch Manager Kristine Mariette Bernarte, said how elated she was that SM shares the same value with her—serving the communities in need. “Very thankful ako na ang SM at SM Foundation ay very active in giving back to the community, sa pagbibigay ng tulong sa mga nangangailangan tulad ng mga ganitong pampublikong eskwelahan,” Bernarte shared.
Bernarte, along with the other volunteers, also helped in facilitating the turnover of donations and gifts for the BBIS students and teachers. Students were given school supplies, shoes, clothes, and other hygiene essentials from The SM Store. And to thank them for their tireless efforts, the teachers also received grocery packs from Savemore (SM Markets) and special gifts from The Body Shop. More so, SM Investments Corporation (SMIC) donated two desktop computer units to help advance the 21st-century learning of the students of BBIS.
“Natutuwa po ako na ang dami naming nag-volunteer para sa activity na ito. Taos puso po naming binibigay ang oras namin para sa pagtulong sa komunidad. Bukod sa pagbibigay sa amin ng way para makatulong, natutulungan din kami ng ganitong volunteeriSM activity na ma-develop ang aming team work at lalo pa nitong napapalakas ang bond ng team,” Bernarte further said.
BBIS Principal Artemio Dionisio expressed his gratitude to SM, “Bilang principal ng paaralang ito ay lubos akong nagpapasalamat sa SM Foundation dahil hindi nila kami pinapabayaan mula noon hanggang ngayon. SM, maraming salamat!”
SM Foundation, through its School Building Program, is an active partner of DepEd’s Adopt-a-School program. This social good initiative of SM Foundation aims to promote quality public education by building classrooms nationwide. To date, it has turned over more than 100 school buildings to grassroots communities nationwide.