Hands On Manila Servathon 2025 and volunteerism

If you reflect on it, for most of us, volunteerism and the wave of selffulfillment it can engender, has its roots in our elementary education - and how, as part of the social studies curriculum or some civics course, we were encouraged to participate in some form of social service, helping those more unfortunate than us. Engrained in us was the idea of giving back, and being thankful for what social advantages we may have enjoyed by "paying it forward.

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ISSA LITTON (CENTER) with her 1Lit hosts who showed up that Saturday; Ansis Sy, Aziza Mondoñedo Sam Thurman, and Rocio Escaño.

To listen to Gianna Montinola, cofounder and current president of Hands On Manila, this innate desire to help even has its roots in the very Filipino trait of "bayanihan." And going beyond tradition, it's about reaching transformation - utilizing volunteerism as a powerful force for positive change. So for 24 years now, the Hands On Manila foundation has served as a mechanism for companies and their employees to come together in that spirit of volunteerism, and to do so with focus and intent.

It may have started off by recruiting individuals eager to volunteer, but to make the model work, to scale up its operations, secure vital resources, and evolve into a trusted partner; the decision was made to shift focus from individual volunteers to the corporate sector. Companies then were looking for ways to execute their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Hands On Manila (HOM) was adept at creating bespoke volunteer activities, and tailoring it to a company's chosen advocacies. HOM would design and implement activities, and find the recipient partner/ beneficiary that aligned with the CSR objectives of the companies signing up with HOM.