proud to be a volunteer ...

It was meant to happen. Amidst the warnings of another typhoon hitting the city, I woke up to a slightly chilly but otherwise wonderful weather. There was not a single drop of rain and everthing seemed to be going according to plan.

Upon arrival at the office, one could feel the repressed excitement that people were feeling. There were smiles all over and people seemed more friendly and absolutely patient with one another. The buzz couldn't be contained and everyone was just petty stoked to be giving back.

Yes, today was all about giving back. Citibank has been so blessed that it is but natural that we give back in any way we can and this time around, we decided to give back by beautifying one of our country's historical places in the hopes of making it a tourist destination.

This year, we participated in the National Outreach Program and partnered with Gawad Kalinga to clean and paint a part of Intramuros. What made this all the more special is that it wasn't just us who helped out but a whole lot of other schools and corporations. It showed that Citibank is indeed a global company who does not just operate everywhere in the world but proves that we can work with others to achieve one goal.

There were 700 strong from Citiphone who joined in cleaning and painting the posts in the Del Pan area of Intramuros. It wasn't just employees but some family members too. It just goes to show that we go beyond the workplace in our endeavor to influence in social responsibility.

There were around 75 posts assigned to CBPS and we managed to clean every single one and paint the posts from the neglected state it was in to a sparkling and refreshing white. It took teamwork and cooperation which we had plenty of. It also took a lot of helping hand amongst the different groups because we needed to share information and resources to help each other out.

Truly, this day was all about community. It was not about you, it was not about me, it was not about us, nor them or we ... it was about us becoming one community to make everything work for OUR community.

Today and in the coming days, I am proud to be a Citi Volunteer.