As part of its commitment to help the children affected by Typhoon Yolanda rebuild their spirits through play and sports, MILO has recently donated 16,000 pairs of new running shoes to selected recipients in Tacloban, Ormoc and Samar last January 26 to 28. Along with the shoes, foot cutouts bearing Messages of Hope were also passed on to the children. The inspiring messages came from those who answered MILO’s call to help the kids take the next steps and show them that the Filipino community is cheering them on.During the 38th National MILO Marathon season, avid MILO drinkers wrote on foot cutouts at the Help Give Shoes booth at the qualifying races and National Finals, while netizens posted nuggets of encouragement via the MILO Philippines Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram social media accounts. Celebrities and notable personalities also helped give hope to the recipients, including Jim Paredes who said, “A step at a time will get you there!” Christine Bersola Babao rallied the children on with her message, “Huwag kang mawawalan ng pag-asa. Kaya mo yan. Unti-unting humakbang muli! One step at a time until you reach your destination… your dream!”
Launched in 2010, MILO’s Help Give Shoes advocacy is an ongoing campaign which enables every participant of the National MILO Marathon to donate a part of their registration fee to support the cause. MILO matches the total amount collected to provide shoes to deserving public school students. Last year, on its 50th year anniversary in the Philippines, MILO has turned over a total of 50,000 pairs of shoes for the schoolchildren.
With delight, the recipients performed presentations in their classrooms, as a gesture of gratitude to those who have contributed to the advocacy. “Seeing the big smiles on their faces after this encounter with the children truly makes us happy, knowing that somehow, we were able to uplift their spirits,” said MILO Sports Marketing Manager Andrew Neri. “We at MILO would like to thank the Filipino community for participating in this advocacy. Through our efforts, we hope to inspire them to continue to overcome the roadblocks the typhoon brought in, and strive for their dreams.”
