Davao Photos & More: Enchanted Christmas Forest at SM City Davao’s Christmas 2013 Launching
Davao Photos & More: Enchanted Christmas Forest at SM City Davao’s Christmas 2013 Launching
See many more photos below…
Santa Claus with his elves along with some of the kids who got their early Christmas gifts.
Ms. Debby Go, AVP for Operations Mindanao of SM, assisted by one of the ‘fairies’ was also there for the gift-giving of some of the toys to the kid beneficiaries.
This kid’s face is now lit up with a smile on as he holds on his toy gifts. He is one of the kids who are beneficiaries from CSSDO.
A choral group also sang Christmas songs to add more cheer!
Now here are some of the photos of the beautiful and enchanting Christmas forest of SM City Davao which you will find at The Annex event center.
Read related post: Enchanted Christmas at SM City Davao
Ms. Debby Go, AVP For Operations in Mindanao of SM SUPERMALLS gave the Welcome Remarks during the SM CITY DAVAO CHRISTMAS LAUNCH last Friday November 08, 2013 at 5:30PM in the Event Center at The Annex.
It is my pleasure to welcome all of you to SM City Davao’s annual Christmas Launch. Today we will unveil our Enchanted Christmas Forest centerpiece here at The Annex.
Many of you may be wondering why our celebration is called an Enchanted Christmas Forest. Well, the inspiration for this concept is Davao City being a beautiful forest with rich natural resources and abundant greenery. Later in the program, you will discover more how we have turned this idea into a reality.
Apart from this, our launch this afternoon is really for the kids. We will be giving away early Christmas presents to our child beneficiaries from CSSDO and provide them enjoyable activities to get them into the holiday spirit.
Let me just say that this past year has been quite a journey for all of us. At the onset, we struggled with the distraught and massive damage brought about by Typhoon ‘Pablo’ in Compostela Valley. We have also been hit by other natural disasters throughout the year – the floods brought about by Typhoon ‘Maring’ in Manila, Laguna and other parts of Luzon and the earthquake that recently hit Bohol and Cebu – rendering numerous families homeless and without a source of livelihood.
To extend support and relief assistance to the victims of these calamities, SM Foundation activated our Operation Tulong Express across all 47 SM malls nationwide. We thank you, all our loyal patrons, for your donations in cash and in kind and for responding to our call to help our fellow citizens. All the relief goods you donated at our drop-off points were able to go a long way, touching many people’s lives.
SM Foundation also conducted a farmers training program, Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan, to help in the rehabilitation of Typhoon Pablo-hit communities. We are pleased to tell you that over 150 farmers at Monkayo, Compostela Valley learned various methods and new techniques in yielding crops through the said program, which is organized in partnership with LGUs and the private sector. These people have been given a second chance in life and have started their road to recovery through this initiative.
It is humbling to see that these experiences in community outreach in the face of calamities have taught us the value of coming together as a people and sharing whatever we have to communities in need. These challenges provided us life-lessons, reminding us to look out and care for our brothers and sisters and encourage them to rebuild their lives.
It is in this essence that we celebrate Christmas with love and concern for one another, and thanksgiving to our Lord Jesus Christ. As one nation, one people, and one family, let us willingly share our time, efforts and resources to love and serve others.
This early Christmas celebration here in SM City Davao aims to foster a spirit of sharing and togetherness among us. We hope that SM becomes a place for you and your families and friends to come together and share happy memories. Let us not forget to share our blessings, no matter how little or how much, we can still make a difference, a contribution to better other people’s lives.
Thank you everyone and I wish you all a very merry Christmas!
(SM City Davao)
Last but not the least, this Christmas launch happened in time when typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines. Davao was spared from its wrath which we are really grateful.
When I saw this star for Christmas, I thought of the people in places which were badly hit by this typhoon. We pray and will continue to pray for them today and for the coming days, weeks and months.
One of the simplest things we can do for them is to pray for them aside from the help we can give through donating cash and relief goods.
May hope, love, and strength fill all the victims, survivors and their families in this most difficult time of their lives as we approach the season of Christmas.
May God’s enormous love through the help of other people and the whole nation as one, brighten up their Christmas despite going through probably the darkest times of their lives.
May they find comfort and may their lives be brightened up with hope to live and move on despite what they may have lost.
Keep our faith strong and God bless us all this very meaningful Christmas season!
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