Benefit concert for children with cancer, chronic illnesses

CNN Philippines

Premier vocal group 'The Company' is holding a very special concert on Valentine's day.  Dubbed "Beautiful Day" the concert at the Music Museum is a fundraiser for the Kythe Foundation.   It's an organization that supports children with cancer and other chronic illnesses.  Joining us now in the studio is Odette Magno she's the Executive Director of Kythe Foundation.   Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/  Follow our social media pages:  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

Transcript

00:00 Premier vocal group The Company is holding a very special concert on Valentine's Day, dubbed Beautiful Day.

00:07 The concert at the Music Museum is a fundraiser for the Kite Foundation.

00:11 It's an organization that supports children with cancer and other chronic illnesses.

00:15 Joining us now in the studio is Odette Magno. She's the executive director of Kite Foundation.

00:19 Good morning, Odette.

00:20 Good morning, Fabio.

00:21 Like I said, we got you out of bed early today.

00:23 Yes, indeed.

00:24 But for a very worthy cause, for sure.

00:27 This is really exciting. This concert is going to be, aside from Valentine's Day,

00:32 it's also a celebration to mark International Childhood Cancer Day on February 15

00:37 and the Kite Foundation's 32nd founding anniversary.

00:41 So it's very timely, obviously.

00:44 Yes, it is. And we are quite excited for the February 14 Valentine's Day concert, entitled Beautiful Day.

00:52 And it is a beautiful day.

00:53 Exactly.

00:54 It's going to be a beautiful day.

00:56 How did this partnership with the company come about?

00:59 I mean, you were just telling me behind the scenes how generous they are with their time

01:03 and what a wonderful group to work with they are.

01:05 Yes, absolutely.

01:07 And the concert actually is a brainchild of our producer, Mr. Edwin Torralba.

01:14 He approached us sometime in the third quarter of last year

01:17 and suggested that we actually celebrate International Childhood Cancer Day together with the company.

01:25 And the company proposed the concert title Beautiful Day, which is actually celebrating life.

01:35 Right. Well, you've already let the cat out of the bag in that sense.

01:40 It's a celebration of life.

01:41 But what are some of the other themes that are coming into this concert, Beautiful Day?

01:46 Beautiful Day also actually showcases our hope, right, that we provide our children, the Kaith children,

01:56 who are beneficiaries of Kaith, to have something to look forward to in the future.

02:01 Right.

02:02 And so the concert, Beautiful Day, exactly promotes that idea.

02:06 Sure. It's obviously a fundraising event.

02:09 People who will support will be supporting the Kaith Foundation.

02:13 Tell us a little bit about how this will boost the initiatives of the organization.

02:18 The company is one of the really popular singing group.

02:22 And this event, together with the celebration of the 32nd anniversary of Kaith and the International Cancer Day,

02:30 will actually allow us to have more events featured in the social media pages

02:37 and increase our awareness among the general public and allow Kaith actually to be able to communicate its messages,

02:49 its programs, its projects.

02:51 On that subject, let's unpack that.

02:53 What does Kaith do for children with cancer and chronic illnesses?

03:01 Kaith actually provides a unique service.

03:03 We have actually certified experts who provide what we call child life service to children battling cancer.

03:11 So this is, if you could imagine our young children with cancer, they have to undergo chemotherapy regularly

03:19 and they are traumatized by this.

03:21 And the psychosocial support provided by child life service coordinators actually help them surmount this challenge.

03:30 Right. You know, children are scared, they're anxious, they're worried.

03:35 The people around them pick up on this also from the people around them.

03:41 And there are many issues that need to be addressed.

03:44 It could be as simple as really providing, literally, a helping hand, you know,

03:49 just reassurance that everything's going to be okay.

03:52 And that's how Kaith sort of gets involved.

03:56 Are there specific programs that are really, you know, tailored towards this?

04:01 And how has the program developed over the years?

04:04 One of the key programs, in addition to the child life service we provide to children,

04:09 is what we call Adopt a Patient program.

04:11 This is actually a combination of the child life service plus financial support for marginalized families

04:19 who are actually saddled by this additional burden for the family.

04:24 We also actually provide psychosocial support to immediate family members.

04:30 It's challenging not just for the sick child, but also for their parents, siblings.

04:37 And so we actually embrace them and provide psychosocial programs for them as well.

04:42 Right. I mean, we do want to see continued positive progress for these kids

04:47 throughout their treatment and hospital stay and beyond that, obviously, as well.

04:53 How many kids have we or are we able to extend help to?

04:58 We've actually already engaged with about 20,000 kids.

05:01 Kaith has been in the country for 32 years now.

05:05 That's our 32nd anniversary.

05:07 So over the years, the kids really say we have helped thousands.

05:11 Fantastic stuff.

05:12 Well, going back to the company, obviously, they're very much aligned with what you guys are wanting to do

05:19 and want to achieve.

05:20 What were their thoughts on, I don't know,

05:22 the show that they wanted to put on and how did you guys work out the theme, the repertoire,

05:28 and the ultimate message that they wanted everybody to leave with?

05:33 The company also actually have a song that they recently introduced.

05:38 It's also entitled "Beautiful Day."

05:40 So it's like a match made in heaven, right,

05:43 that at this point in time we are working together and collaborating on this project.

05:48 And what's it like working with a group that's been--these guys have been around since 1985.

05:53 They are an institution in the entertainment industry and, yes, very, very generous with their talents.

06:00 They are an amazing group.

06:02 I cannot describe how selfless they are and very--not just generous but really very supportive, right,

06:10 to ensure that we are successful in this cause.

06:12 Well, we certainly wish you the best in that respect.

06:15 Everybody, though, can lend a hand.

06:17 I mean, the company has found their way to do it, and we all can lend a hand,

06:21 and we all can lend a bit of support.

06:23 For those who want to donate money, goods, services, just be involved.

06:28 What's the best way to get a better appreciation of what the organization does

06:36 and how we can get involved in different ways?

06:39 First of all, I'd like to invite the audience and everyone to join us in the concert on Valentine's Day

06:46 if you don't have a date yet.

06:48 We are your date.

06:49 Come to the Music Museum on February 14.

06:53 And also, please do visit kite.org.

06:57 There are many ways to be able to help.

06:59 Yeah.

07:00 It's certainly not about simply making a donation in terms of monetary donations.

07:04 For those who want to be of service, are there ways for other people or for people to be involved?

07:09 Absolutely.

07:11 We do have a volunteer program where individuals who might want to have direct interaction,

07:19 direct engagement with kids, they are most welcome to join us,

07:23 and we bring them to our partner hospitals in Metro Manila, in Cebu, in Tarlac, and in Bicol.

07:29 Okay.

07:30 What are some of the usual activities for the organization, for KITE, on a day-to-day basis?

07:37 How do you provide these services?

07:40 On a day-to-day basis, our child life coordinators, who are actually based in the various partner hospitals,

07:47 they engage with the children who are in the ward

07:50 and also engage with the children who are coming for their chemotherapy.

07:55 We have playrooms in designated centers inside the hospitals,

08:00 so it is something that children who are undergoing chemotherapy look forward to.

08:05 Right. In that respect, what sort of services are you most in need of?

08:11 Where can people be of most help?

08:15 That would, of course, always be financial support.

08:19 Yeah.

08:20 Please feel free to donate.

08:22 We have the information on kite.org, our website,

08:27 and there are many ways to help even our international donors find a way to send their support

08:34 and there are PayPal and other pathways where they can send their monetary donation.

08:40 Right. Well, beyond that, you mentioned that psychosocial development is an area which you do focus on.

08:46 Are there, I don't know, services or people in particular industries that are of great benefit to the organization?

08:56 Oh, absolutely.

08:57 We have partner organizations who actually help KITE develop its capabilities.

09:03 It's like capacity building programs.

09:05 Ernst & Young is one of our key partners.

09:08 They are helping build our training program and pool of modules for our children to deliver the childlike service.

09:17 Companies like Oracle support our NetSuite and accounting programs.

09:24 Canva is actually a supporter.

09:26 Fantastic.

09:27 So there are many ways where companies can actually support NGOs and nonprofits like KITE.

09:32 Right. Well, it certainly shows that it doesn't matter where you are, who you are, everybody can get involved and lend a hand here.

09:39 Kids who are sick, fighting, and dealing with chronic illness and cancer do need our help.

09:46 And this concert is just one of the many ways that we can become involved.

09:49 Odette, thank you so much for chatting with us here this morning. It's a pleasure.

09:52 Thank you. Thank you.

09:54 [MUSIC PLAYING]

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