A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting with a group of HWC members in the Manila area. It was certainly one of my highlights on this trip around the world in search of the secret to a happy marriage. Ten of us enjoyed tea and banana bread while sitting around a table and talking about love, family and marriage.
I quickly fell in love with the Filipino culture, their kindness, gratefulness for everything they have, and their love for life and people. I left the Philippines wishing I could have just a few more days there. But just a couple days after I departed, Typhoon Saola plowed through the area and of this morning, more than 2 million people have been affected by the rains and floods.
One of the hardest hit (and most densely populated) areas was Metro Manila, and the area where the ladies and I met for our get together was completely flooded. As soon as I contacted them to see how they were doing, none of them cared much about themselves but just wanted to know how they could help others members of the Club -and community- in need.
I looked for an organization already on the ground and assisting those most in need and came across the Red Cross Philippines chapter. Their volunteers have already rescued more than 7,500 people and they’ve assisted in the evacuation of more than 200,000 families (and fed hot meals to nearly as many). They’ve provided generators to local hospitals to ensure they can continue operating and have set up more than 560 evacuation centers across the area.
Please join me in helping our members in the Philippines and their fellow residents. You can make your donation directly to the Red Cross by clicking here. To make life a little easier for you, I’ll share a couple things I learned while donating: 1) Click the PayPal link whether or not you’ll be donating using PayPal; and 2) All monies donated are in PHP (Philippine Pesos) so you’ll want to use an online money converter to determine how much your donation equates to in PHP. For instance, $50 USD is the equivalent of more than 2,000 PHP because the conversion rate is 41.75-to-1.
The reason I say this is a rare chance to make a difference is many of those you will be helping will actually be connected to this Club through family and friends. And although many have been displaced, the damage done through this typhoon can be remedied much faster than the typhoon and flood that enveloped this region last year.
Our thoughts and prayers are with our beautiful Filipina members, their families, friends and community. Until tomorrow…make it a great one!
Comments: With more than 45,000 Happy Wives Club members already actively engaged on our Facebook page, what better place to share your thoughts? Join me there and let’s continue the conversation: Happy Wives Club Facebook