In The News
The first time he went to the typhoon-torn city of Tacloban in the Philippines, Aspen resident John O'Donoghue was so moved by its resilient residents that he knew he would return.
That was in September, when O'Donoghue and a group of St. Mary Catholic Church parishioners, including one of his teenage sons, went on a medical-aid mission to the town, which was wrecked by Typhoon Haiyan on Nov. 8, 2013.
"It had such a profound effect on me," O'Donoghue said. "I actually jumped at the chance to go again. The people there are wonderful and appreciative."
A huge thank you to Big Heart Children's Fund!
The basketball court which was donated by the Big Heart Children's Fund through its Director John O' Donoghue and members Ann O'Brien and Katherine O'Brien started construction last September and was completed this month.
Tacloban says thank you to the Big Heart Children's Fund
TACLOBAN CITY (CIO) -- Tacloban City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez along with Donors from the Big Heart Children's Fund led the turnover ceremony of a basketball court to North Hill Arbours Integrated School (NHAIS) today, November 7 at Brgy.106 Sto. Niño.
The basketball court which was donated by the Big Heart Children's Fund through its Director John O' Donoghue and members Ann O'Brien and Katherine O'Brien started construction last September and was completed this month.
According to O' Donoghue, the said facility is just one way to show their support to the education sector and provide the school with a venue for its activities.
"We started coming to Tacloban after Yolanda and I saw the needs of the community. There's no recreation, no facilities and by that, I just want to help them," said O' Donoghue.
Meanwhile, Mayor Romualdez thanked the donors for coming up with the project and urged the teachers to remind their students to be responsible for maintaining the said facility as their way of giving honor to the donors.
"It would be nice if we also show them that we can maintain it and use it properly. We use it not only to educate our children but to have fellowship with our children and their friends," said Romualdez.
"And now, we instill good values to them that they not only learn but they practice so that we will have a better and strong community, "he added.
The local Chief Executive also pledged the construction of the facility's covered court to maximize the use of it.
As the project will benefit the needs of students in NHAIS which has a population of about 1,120 from Kindergarten to Junior High School, the School Principal Noel Coritana extends his gratitude to the City Government and the donors from the Big Heart Children's Fund.
"They fulfilled their commitment to us. Everything has been financed well that's why the school is very grateful to them," stressed Coritana.
The School Principal promised as well to ensure the orderliness and cleanliness of the said court.
Also present during the turn-over ceremony was Public Schools District Supervisor Annie Pagatpat, other teaching personnel, and some Department of Education (DepEd) officials.
The NHAIS was established in 2017 and is one of the schools in the northern part of the city that cater to the needs of community-youth to education. - C. Merin/CIO
TACLOBAN CITY (CIO) -- Tacloban City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez along with Donors from the Big Heart Children's Fund led the turnover ceremony of a basketball court to North Hill Arbours Integrated School (NHAIS) today, November 7 at Brgy.106 Sto. Niño.
The basketball court which was donated by the Big Heart Children's Fund through its Director John O' Donoghue and members Ann O'Brien and Katherine O'Brien started construction last September and was completed this month.
According to O' Donoghue, the said facility is just one way to show their support to the education sector and provide the school with a venue for its activities.
"We started coming to Tacloban after Yolanda and I saw the needs of the community. There's no recreation, no facilities and by that, I just want to help them," said O' Donoghue.
Meanwhile, Mayor Romualdez thanked the donors for coming up with the project and urged the teachers to remind their students to be responsible for maintaining the said facility as their way of giving honor to the donors.
"It would be nice if we also show them that we can maintain it and use it properly. We use it not only to educate our children but to have fellowship with our children and their friends," said Romualdez.
"And now, we instill good values to them that they not only learn but they practice so that we will have a better and strong community, "he added.
The local Chief Executive also pledged the construction of the facility's covered court to maximize the use of it.
As the project will benefit the needs of students in NHAIS which has a population of about 1,120 from Kindergarten to Junior High School, the School Principal Noel Coritana extends his gratitude to the City Government and the donors from the Big Heart Children's Fund.
"They fulfilled their commitment to us. Everything has been financed well that's why the school is very grateful to them," stressed Coritana.
The School Principal promised as well to ensure the orderliness and cleanliness of the said court.
Also present during the turn-over ceremony was Public Schools District Supervisor Annie Pagatpat, other teaching personnel, and some Department of Education (DepEd) officials.
The NHAIS was established in 2017 and is one of the schools in the northern part of the city that cater to the needs of community-youth to education. - C. Merin/CIO
John O'Donoghue on The Locals Show
The Local's Show - "Selfishly Giving to Others" with John O'Donohue, Will Chesner, and Erik Skarvan
Aspen man set for another aid trip to Philippines
The first time he went to the typhoon-torn city of Tacloban in the Philippines, Aspen resident John O'Donoghue was so moved by its resilient residents that he knew he would return.
That was in September, when O'Donoghue and a group of St. Mary Catholic Church parishioners, including one of his teenage sons, went on a medical-aid mission to the town, which was wrecked by Typhoon Haiyan on Nov. 8, 2013.
"It had such a profound effect on me," O'Donoghue said. "I actually jumped at the chance to go again. The people there are wonderful and appreciative."
O'Donoghue, 51, will leave Aspen for another mission-aid trip to Tacloban on May 20, only this time he'll be on a solo quest. O'Donoghue is paying for the trip with his money, and he's not seeking any public support for his flight fares or lodging and meal expenses.
"This is my trip, my spring vacation," said O'Donoghue, who moved to Aspen 20 years ago to help a friend run Pour La France restaurant. He's been employed at the Miner's Building for the past six years.
However, he is asking the local community to help him in his efforts to raise money to buy school supplies for poverty-ridden children ages 5 to 12.
"You can outfit a kid with the basics for $1.65," he said. "That's five pencils, a couple of pens, a notebook, some paper, a ruler and a little glue."
Backpacks can run $3, so a $5 donation can help get a child through the school year with basic school supplies.
O'Donoghue is raising money through St. Mary Catholic Church. He said the cause so far has generated about $3,000, with the goal to eclipse $5,000.
O'Donoghue will work with Missionaries of Charity, which was founded by Mother Teresa in 1950, to buy the supplies and deliver them to the schoolchildren.
Typhoon Haiyan caused 6,300 casualties, damaged 11 million homes and displaced an estimated 4.1 million residents.
Tacloban is an industrial port city with a population of just more than 220,000.
"It was such a spiritual mission," O'Donoghue said of last year's trip. "There were smells and sights that we had never seen. We talked to a lot of people who you would think, with that amount of poverty, there would be a certain amount of crime. But there's also a lot of dignity."
O'Donoghue also will be part of the church's second aid trip to the Philippines in September. The mission will be led by the Rev. John Hilton, who also participated in last year's trip.
The September visit will entail building a new playground for the children. O'Donoghue plans to research the project during this month's visit.
The conditions the children endure are beyond fathomable, he said.
"For them to have an actual playground with swings and slides and fun stuff for kids, it will be unbelievable," he said.