A newbie virtual assistant from Davao City made Christmas 2017 extra special for grandmas and grandpas at Care For The Elderly Foundation, Inc., a nursing home in Davao City. Her loving act of altruism was inspired by a homily and funded by her boss of four weeks.
Editor’s Note: We got permission to share the photos featured in this article. May this story boost your faith in humanity.
Rodette Juaban Quintano, 27, says Christmas means sharing God’s love with your family — the ones you were born with, and everyone you choose to welcome in your life. She chose Care for the Elderly Foundation “to share God’s blessings, see [the elderlies] smile, and make them laugh even for a short while.”
Rodette’s recent Christmas charity work was not her first. It has become her personal tradition to do “little things” for the needy around the holidays. After all, that is when the needy and lonely folks might feel a little bit worse while a lot of families are in joyful celebrations.
In recent years, Rodette would be in the streets, walking or driving, two nights before Christmas to share some packed food for the homeless. There were times when she ordered food from a friend who cooks well. The same friend helped her distribute food on the streets.
This is her first time, however, to ask for a sponsor’s help. Rodette recalls she was somehow confident enough to ask him. It was a gut thing.
“I had this intuition that he would help because it was him who first came into my mind while hearing the sermon on charity. I thought maybe God is asking me to approach him, and I feel grateful for such an idea” Rodette shares.
Still, she feared the worst as she imagined her client’s reaction.
“While waiting, I really could not sleep at all,” Rodette tells Pilipinas Popcorn. “I thought if I followed-up or pushed the idea too hard, he would think that maybe I was just using him to get some money for myself,” she tells us.
Rodette left her corporate job in July last year to explore work-from-home opportunities for a change. For months, she patiently waited for the right job to come along. Finally, she was hired for a VA post on Nov. 3.
A month into her first fairly stable online job, she decided to ask her boss, Austin Muhs, for a favor.
Austin is a musician, astrologer and Tarot Card reader. Through his website, he spreads information on bitcoin and crypto wallet for charities.
Rodette remembers it was a Sunday because the idea occurred to her after hearing mass. She also remembers she sent her message at about 6 p.m. Philippine Time, which was 2 a.m. where her boss lives. She was overjoyed when she got a reply the next day.
“He immediately said yes and told me that I could simply tell him the amount that I would need for my Christmas project.”
“I cried. It was tears of joy, and it was really overwhelming to feel his trust after just about a month,” Rodette says, adding “I was thrilled that he’s really into helping others, too.”
Thanks to VA Rodette and her boss, the grandparents at Care For The Elderly Foundation, Inc. had a fun Christmas party on Dec. 23. Rodette did some research to find out the items she should prioritize, like adult diapers, toiletries, and some medical supplies. She also took care of the program (watch their Hep-Hep Hooray game video clip here) and made sure that everyone would have dietitian-approved food.
She also gave away malong to protect the elderlies from the cold, especially since the Amihan season is here. She also gave away rosary bracelets for the Catholics and charm bracelets for the non-Catholics.
While Rodette is sticking to her personal Christmas tradition, she is well aware that caring for others should be a part of our everyday lives.
“I hope people would spread love and kindness all throughout the year,” she says.