A Visit to Corazon Roxas Foundation's Art Workshops

There is a sharp socioeconomic divide between the rich and the poor in the Philippines, and this divide is easy to see in Angono. The narrow roads in the poorer districts are lined with small shanty houses, where there is often no running water or sanitation. Kalayaan is the poorest of the 10 Barangays (districts) in Angono. Here, people live on less than $1.90 per day (approximately 85 Philippine pesos.)

Corazon Roxas Foundation identified ten high potential children in Kalayaan to benefit from a 10-week intensive Art Workshop, complete with professional instruction in a variety of mediums.  At the end of the workshop, the art will be displayed and auctioned, all proceeds benefiting the children and their families.

This month, Gigi Dresel, an accountant at CellMark San Rafael, visited the Art Workshops during her trip to the Philippines. Gigi packed an extra carry-on with clothes, backpacks, and other gifts for the budding artists, which she very generously purchased with the aid of Anneli Paulsson, CellMark San Rafael’s divisional controller.

“I was pleased to go and visit,” Gigi remarked upon her return.

Gigi has been involved in volunteering and giving back both personally and through PaperSeed Local activities for a number of years. During her visit to the CRF workshops, she got to see all of the amazing pieces the children have been working on. She was impressed with their talent, displayed in sculptures and paint.

“Even though I only stayed for a short time I kept thinking about these kids, their future." 

Back in the United States, Gigi is looking forward to keeping in touch with Corazon Roxas Foundation, and is planning to send a care package of school supplies for the children in the coming months.