Help Alapide Clan Recover from Typhoon Rolly
Donation protected
They say it takes a village to raise a kid - for my family wherein I am one of five daughters, it took the sacrifice of a whole clan. On November 1, 2020, the strongest typhoon to hit the Catanduanes Region in the Philippines left most of my maternal relatives homeless. Please help me return the favor.
From left to right: Myrna, Melanie, Merojiel, Amador (Grandfather), Melvin, Marieta (my mom), and Margie
Raising all five of me and my sisters consisted of a teamwork that largely involved my maternal relatives. The entirety of my childhood was a rotation of all of my aunts and uncles taking turns, sometimes two or three at the same time, helping my mom raise us, especially when my dad left for the US. They got us ready for school, laundered our clothes, cooked, cleaned, made sure we took afternoon naps, and helped us with our school projects.
Tita Margie is an amazing scrapbooker and made all my projects the envy of my class, while Tito Merojiel, or Tito Buboy as we called him, is an all-around guy who knew how to fix things around the house, tinker with the computer and make a mean pandesal. He was the only man in the house and made us all feel safe at night. (He also snitched on us more than once, because we were daredevils who scaled down waterfalls and cliffs with no true concept of danger)
Tita Melanie and Tita Myrna were such sweet aunts that treated us like their own, all while taking care of their own children as well. Tito Melvin, the little time we had with him when we were very young, was very kind and took such great care of us.
My Lolo Papa (grandpa) and my late Lola Mama (grandma) was with us some summers, and indulged all my long-winded stories and endless karaoke sessions. Looking back, they all made such huge sacrifices out of their love for my mom and my sisters, trading in years of their early twenties to late thirties to go to Manila and help raise us.
Then there were relatives that are a little more distant, but loved us just as hard.
Our Tita Sheila lived with us during her early 20s to tend to us when we were just toddlers. Mama Tessie would visit often and help however she could.
Nanay Conching, my grandpa's sister, brought bags of purple yam every new years and made our favorite ube halaya from scratch because she knew it was our absolute favorite. She would then move in during our pre-teen/teen years to help out my mom full-time until we had to leave for the US.
// Nanay Conching //
I am so in awe of all of their selflessness and constant willingness to step in throughout the years, and am overwhelmed with the desire to give back, even just a portion of what they have given us.
On November 1, Typhoon Rolly hit Catanduanes island, living up to its prediction of being the strongest typhoon to ever land in that area. My mother's ancestral home, which has stood there since her father was young, was now decimated to a single pillar. Thankfully, people were able to evacuate to stronger establishments, including my family members. However, due to the fact that Catanduanes is still largely underdeveloped, the typhoon left a great deal of destruction to the houses and other establishments, sparing only the strongest ones. Unfortunately, many of my relative's houses were either heavily damaged, or destroyed, as well as their personal items. They will have to rebuild their homes from the ground up with sturdier materials, hopefully sooner than later, before another super typhoon comes. They will also have to replace clothes, basic furniture and appliances, such as beds to sleep on, and small fridges. My 7 cousins (ranging from toddler-college age) will need help replacing clothes, as well as school supplies so their education won't be interrupted. Tito Merojiel's wife is pregnant with their second child, and will need access to prenatal care.
// Nanay Conching's House (Ancestral house) //
// An aereal view of my mom's neighborhood //
// Photo credit: RS News Express //
I know the target amount is large and may not even be possible to reach, but there is intense need from multiple families that have lost so much in such a short amount of time, and whatever amount raised will be such a great blessing to all of those who are affected. For transparency, here is a rough list of where any donations will go:
+ Helping Margie's family rebuild their home, as well as basic needs such as clothes and basic appliances
+ Helping Melanie's family rebuild their home as well as basic needs such as clothes and basic appliances
+ Helping Merojiel's family rebuild their home, as well as basic needs such as clothes and basic appliances, and access to prenatal care for his second child
+ Helping Melvin's family rebuild their home, as well as basic needs such as clothes and basic appliances
+ Helping Lolo Papa (Amador) make repairs to the family house, which was in the middle of construction before the storm
+ Helping Mama Tessie rebuild her home
+ Helping Nanay Conching find another place to live, as she previously lived in our family's ancestral home
+ Helping my 7 cousins acquire new clothes and school supplies
+ Helping other relatives that were affected
+ Any other need that may arise caused by the typhoon
I promise to post frequent updates about my family's condition and how the donations are being used. I know money is so so important and tight right now for so many, so I would also love to show my utmost gratitude by giving rewards for donors: (Available for US donors only due to shipping restrictions)
Donations of $1, $10, $25, $50, $75 - You have our undying love and gratitude!
Donations of $100 + - a custom pouch from my shop, etsy.com/shop/shopmarieposa (10 words max, worth 20 USD)
Donations of $200+ - a custom snowglobe ornament from my shop (5 word minimum, worth 30 USD)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/665713903/snow-globe-calligraphy-glass-ornament?ref=shop_home_active_6&frs=1&sca=1
This typhoon has taken so much from my family, but at the end of the day they are all material things, and God has been so gracious in sparing them. While my family is doing everything we can from this side of the world, we recognize that we cannot do it ourselves and we need help. Thank you so much for the support - absolutely every dollar amount helps and is appreciated.
Endless thanks,
Mariegin and family
From left to right: Myrna, Melanie, Merojiel, Amador (Grandfather), Melvin, Marieta (my mom), and Margie
Raising all five of me and my sisters consisted of a teamwork that largely involved my maternal relatives. The entirety of my childhood was a rotation of all of my aunts and uncles taking turns, sometimes two or three at the same time, helping my mom raise us, especially when my dad left for the US. They got us ready for school, laundered our clothes, cooked, cleaned, made sure we took afternoon naps, and helped us with our school projects.
Tita Margie is an amazing scrapbooker and made all my projects the envy of my class, while Tito Merojiel, or Tito Buboy as we called him, is an all-around guy who knew how to fix things around the house, tinker with the computer and make a mean pandesal. He was the only man in the house and made us all feel safe at night. (He also snitched on us more than once, because we were daredevils who scaled down waterfalls and cliffs with no true concept of danger)
Tita Melanie and Tita Myrna were such sweet aunts that treated us like their own, all while taking care of their own children as well. Tito Melvin, the little time we had with him when we were very young, was very kind and took such great care of us.
My Lolo Papa (grandpa) and my late Lola Mama (grandma) was with us some summers, and indulged all my long-winded stories and endless karaoke sessions. Looking back, they all made such huge sacrifices out of their love for my mom and my sisters, trading in years of their early twenties to late thirties to go to Manila and help raise us.
Then there were relatives that are a little more distant, but loved us just as hard.
Our Tita Sheila lived with us during her early 20s to tend to us when we were just toddlers. Mama Tessie would visit often and help however she could.
Nanay Conching, my grandpa's sister, brought bags of purple yam every new years and made our favorite ube halaya from scratch because she knew it was our absolute favorite. She would then move in during our pre-teen/teen years to help out my mom full-time until we had to leave for the US.
// Nanay Conching //I am so in awe of all of their selflessness and constant willingness to step in throughout the years, and am overwhelmed with the desire to give back, even just a portion of what they have given us.
On November 1, Typhoon Rolly hit Catanduanes island, living up to its prediction of being the strongest typhoon to ever land in that area. My mother's ancestral home, which has stood there since her father was young, was now decimated to a single pillar. Thankfully, people were able to evacuate to stronger establishments, including my family members. However, due to the fact that Catanduanes is still largely underdeveloped, the typhoon left a great deal of destruction to the houses and other establishments, sparing only the strongest ones. Unfortunately, many of my relative's houses were either heavily damaged, or destroyed, as well as their personal items. They will have to rebuild their homes from the ground up with sturdier materials, hopefully sooner than later, before another super typhoon comes. They will also have to replace clothes, basic furniture and appliances, such as beds to sleep on, and small fridges. My 7 cousins (ranging from toddler-college age) will need help replacing clothes, as well as school supplies so their education won't be interrupted. Tito Merojiel's wife is pregnant with their second child, and will need access to prenatal care.
// Nanay Conching's House (Ancestral house) //// An aereal view of my mom's neighborhood // // Photo credit: RS News Express //I know the target amount is large and may not even be possible to reach, but there is intense need from multiple families that have lost so much in such a short amount of time, and whatever amount raised will be such a great blessing to all of those who are affected. For transparency, here is a rough list of where any donations will go:
+ Helping Margie's family rebuild their home, as well as basic needs such as clothes and basic appliances
+ Helping Melanie's family rebuild their home as well as basic needs such as clothes and basic appliances
+ Helping Merojiel's family rebuild their home, as well as basic needs such as clothes and basic appliances, and access to prenatal care for his second child
+ Helping Melvin's family rebuild their home, as well as basic needs such as clothes and basic appliances
+ Helping Lolo Papa (Amador) make repairs to the family house, which was in the middle of construction before the storm
+ Helping Mama Tessie rebuild her home
+ Helping Nanay Conching find another place to live, as she previously lived in our family's ancestral home
+ Helping my 7 cousins acquire new clothes and school supplies
+ Helping other relatives that were affected
+ Any other need that may arise caused by the typhoon
I promise to post frequent updates about my family's condition and how the donations are being used. I know money is so so important and tight right now for so many, so I would also love to show my utmost gratitude by giving rewards for donors: (Available for US donors only due to shipping restrictions)
Donations of $1, $10, $25, $50, $75 - You have our undying love and gratitude!
Donations of $100 + - a custom pouch from my shop, etsy.com/shop/shopmarieposa (10 words max, worth 20 USD)
Donations of $200+ - a custom snowglobe ornament from my shop (5 word minimum, worth 30 USD)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/665713903/snow-globe-calligraphy-glass-ornament?ref=shop_home_active_6&frs=1&sca=1
This typhoon has taken so much from my family, but at the end of the day they are all material things, and God has been so gracious in sparing them. While my family is doing everything we can from this side of the world, we recognize that we cannot do it ourselves and we need help. Thank you so much for the support - absolutely every dollar amount helps and is appreciated.
Endless thanks,
Mariegin and family
Organizer
Mariegin Esposa
Organizer
Jersey City, NJ