A pair of slippers is not simply a pair of slippers.
A meal is not simply a meal.
A dental mission is not simply a medical activity.
A ukulele is not simply an instrument.
A journey to a remote community is not simply a trip.
Behind every project is a child.
And behind every child is a future.
That is why we serve.
OUR WHY
We Believe Every Child Deserves People Who Care.
At the Kiwanis Club of Lubao Gems, service is more than a calendar of activities.
It is a choice we make.
A choice to give our time.
A choice to share what we have.
A choice to use our skills for something larger than ourselves.
A choice to show up when children and communities need support.
Our club brings together people from different professions, generations and backgrounds.
Teachers.
Healthcare professionals.
Entrepreneurs.
Business owners.
Parents.
Community leaders.
Professionals.
Overseas workers.
Volunteers.
People working quietly behind the scenes.
We do not all have the same lives.
We do not all have the same resources.
We do not all serve in the same way.
But we share one purpose:
To serve children.
The KCLG Members page expresses this simply: our members are connected by the belief that children deserve people who care.
WE SERVE BECAUSE CHILDREN DESERVE OPPORTUNITY
A notebook cannot guarantee a child’s future.
A meal cannot solve every problem.
A school kit cannot remove every barrier to education.
One outreach cannot transform an entire community.
But we do not have to solve everything at once.
We can help one child.
Support one school.
Encourage one learner.
Reach one community.
Help one family.
Open one opportunity.
Then we do it again.
And again.
Because meaningful service is built one act at a time.
Our Education & School Support work reflects this philosophy: KCLG recognizes that one project cannot solve every barrier, but believes that one child, one school, one teacher, one volunteer and one partnership can become the beginning of something meaningful.
WE SERVE BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS
Children do not grow in isolation.
They grow within families.
Schools.
Neighborhoods.
Communities.
And communities become stronger when people choose to care about one another.
That is why our service extends beyond individual children.
We work with schools.
We work with community leaders.
We work with foundations.
We work with businesses.
We work with healthcare professionals.
We work with volunteers.
We work with fellow Kiwanis clubs.
We work with organizations that share our commitment to children.
We believe service is stronger when people work together.
The club’s continuing partnerships—including the long-running Gift of Hope relationship—demonstrate how one connection can grow into sustained service.
WE SERVE BECAUSE SHOWING UP MATTERS
Sometimes service means organizing a major project.
Sometimes it means packing school supplies.
Sometimes it means driving to a remote community.
Sometimes it means teaching a child a new skill.
Sometimes it means making a phone call.
Sometimes it means writing a report.
Sometimes it means taking photographs.
Sometimes it means connecting the club with a potential partner.
Sometimes it means quietly doing the work nobody sees.
Every role matters.
Because a successful service project is never the work of one person.
It is the combined effort of members, volunteers, donors, sponsors, partners, schools, community leaders and supporters.
One person starts something.
A team carries it forward.
WE SERVE BECAUSE SERVICE CHANGES US, TOO
We begin thinking that we are going to help someone else.
Then something happens.
We meet a child.
We hear a story.
We visit a school.
We enter a community.
We work beside another volunteer.
We see children excited about receiving something simple.
We listen.
We learn.
And we realize:
We came to give.
But we also received something.
Perspective.
Friendship.
Gratitude.
Purpose.
Courage.
Connection.
That is one of the reasons Kiwanis becomes more than an organization for many of our members.
Service becomes part of who we are.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND OUR WHY
Every Kiwanian Has a Story.
There is no single reason why people serve.
Some were invited by a friend.
Some wanted to give back.
Some wanted to use their professional skills.
Some wanted to help children.
Some found friendship through service.
Some discovered leadership.
Some simply saw a need and decided to do something.
“Teaching Shaped My Profession. Kiwanis Expanded My Purpose.”
For Marilen Ramos, service to children was already part of her life as an educator.
Then came an invitation from her dear friend, the late Susan Capuli.
That invitation introduced her to Kiwanis.
What began as an invitation became a commitment.
As a Charter member of Kiwanis Club of Lubao Gems, Marilen has served in numerous leadership roles, including Club Treasurer, Secretary, President, Board member and Lieutenant Governor.
But titles do not tell the most important part of her story.
Her reason for serving is children.
Through Kiwanis, her service could extend beyond the classroom into communities throughout Pampanga and beyond.
Her personal story was recognized internationally when her “Why I Joined Kiwanis” entry received the Grand Winner award in the 2026 ASPAC Stories Awards in Manila. She has emphasized that the recognition belongs not only to her, but to the members who have served alongside her.
Her story reminds us:
Sometimes one invitation can change the direction of a life.
And sometimes the person you invite today becomes the person who inspires others tomorrow.
Service does not always happen where the volunteer lives.
Marlyn is one example.
Living and working in the Netherlands, she continues to contribute to KCLG through administration, reporting, communications, website management, social media and storytelling.
Distance has changed how she serves.
It has not changed why she serves.
Her work helps document the club’s projects, preserve its stories and communicate its mission to people far beyond Lubao.
She demonstrates that service does not always require standing in the middle of a project.
Sometimes service happens:
Behind a computer.
Across time zones.
Through a report.
Through a photograph.
Through a website.
Through a message to a potential partner.
Through telling the story well enough that another person decides:
“I want to help.”
Her contribution also helped bring the club’s story to a wider audience, including the club’s international recognition for its storytelling and impact videos.
Her story reminds us:
You do not have to live near a community to care about it.
For Reynaldo, Kiwanis is also a place where service and leadership meet.
Leadership in Kiwanis is not simply about holding an office.
It is about taking responsibility.
Organizing people.
Building relationships.
Finding solutions.
Encouraging others.
And making sure that a good intention becomes an actual project.
Because children do not benefit from plans that remain on paper.
They benefit when people act.
KCLG’s experience in division leadership and club service has reinforced the belief that leadership is strongest when it is used to bring people together around service.
AND THERE ARE MANY MORE STORIES
Not Every Kiwanian’s Story Has Been Written Yet.
Behind the projects are members whose contributions may never appear in a headline.
What began as a connection with the Alexis Louise Quiza Children’s Foundation developed into a continuing partnership serving Aeta children in Nabuclod. The project reached its seventh year in 2025, when 602 learners were reached.
We return because a community is not simply a location on a map.
It is people.
Children.
Parents.
Teachers.
Community leaders.
Partners.
Friends.
Service becomes more meaningful when it becomes a relationship.
WHY WE SERVE INDIGENOUS CHILDREN
We believe children should be supported without losing sight of their dignity, identity and community.
Our Indigenous community service has taken us to communities where distance can make access to resources more difficult.
We bring educational support and practical assistance.
But we also come to listen, learn and build relationships.
We do not want children to be defined by what they lack.
We want them to be recognized for what they can become.
Their culture.
Their talents.
Their dreams.
Their potential.
That is why we serve.
WHY WE SERVE THROUGH MUSIC
A musical instrument may look like an object.
But for a child, it can become an opportunity.
An opportunity to learn.
To practice.
To create.
To express.
To participate.
To discover something new.
KCLG’s Gift of Music initiative reminds us that service is not limited to meeting immediate physical needs.
Children also need opportunities to discover their abilities.
That matters too.
WHY WE SERVE THROUGH EDUCATION
Because education opens possibilities.
We cannot determine what every child will become.
But we can help provide a stronger starting point.
A notebook.
A school kit.
Encouragement.
Recognition.
A supportive adult.
A youth leadership opportunity.
A teacher who knows someone cares.
Sometimes opportunity begins with something very small.
Communities experience different needs at different times.
Sometimes the need is planned.
Sometimes it is unexpected.
When we can respond, we try.
Not because we can solve everything.
But because doing something useful is better than simply watching a need go unanswered.
KCLG’s humanitarian work reflects this philosophy: service is about building connections between people who care and communities that need support.
WHAT OUR STORIES HAVE TAUGHT US
Service Is Not About Being Perfect.
You do not need unlimited time.
You do not need to be wealthy.
You do not need a prestigious profession.
You do not need to know everything about community service.
You do not need to be in the spotlight.
You need a willingness to contribute something.
Your time.
Your skill.
Your idea.
Your connection.
Your resources.
Your voice.
Your hands.
Your heart.
The club’s volunteer experience shows that people with demanding jobs, businesses, families and responsibilities can still find meaningful ways to serve.
OUR WHY IN ONE SENTENCE
We Serve Because Children Deserve People Who Care.
That is our why.
It is simple enough for a child to understand.
And important enough for us to spend years living it.
OUR WHY IS ALSO AN INVITATION
Perhaps you have your own reason to serve.
Perhaps someone once helped you.
Perhaps a teacher changed your life.
Perhaps you believe every child deserves opportunity.
Perhaps you want your professional skills to mean something beyond your work.
Perhaps you want your business to contribute to the community.
Perhaps you simply saw a child who needed help and thought:
“Someone should do something.”
That thought can become action.
And action can become service.
WHAT IS YOUR WHY?
Every Kiwanian Has One.
Maybe yours begins with a child.
Maybe it begins with a community.
Maybe it begins with a personal experience.
Maybe it begins with one invitation.
Maybe it begins today.
You do not have to know exactly where the journey will lead.
WHY WE SERVE
Behind Every Project Is a Reason.
A school kit is not simply a school kit.
A pair of slippers is not simply a pair of slippers.
A meal is not simply a meal.
A dental mission is not simply a medical activity.
A ukulele is not simply an instrument.
A journey to a remote community is not simply a trip.
Behind every project is a child.
And behind every child is a future.
That is why we serve.
OUR WHY
We Believe Every Child Deserves People Who Care.
At the Kiwanis Club of Lubao Gems, service is more than a calendar of activities.
It is a choice we make.
A choice to give our time.
A choice to share what we have.
A choice to use our skills for something larger than ourselves.
A choice to show up when children and communities need support.
Our club brings together people from different professions, generations and backgrounds.
Teachers.
Healthcare professionals.
Entrepreneurs.
Business owners.
Parents.
Community leaders.
Professionals.
Overseas workers.
Volunteers.
People working quietly behind the scenes.
We do not all have the same lives.
We do not all have the same resources.
We do not all serve in the same way.
But we share one purpose:
To serve children.
The KCLG Members page expresses this simply: our members are connected by the belief that children deserve people who care.
WE SERVE BECAUSE CHILDREN DESERVE OPPORTUNITY
A notebook cannot guarantee a child’s future.
A meal cannot solve every problem.
A school kit cannot remove every barrier to education.
One outreach cannot transform an entire community.
But we do not have to solve everything at once.
We can help one child.
Support one school.
Encourage one learner.
Reach one community.
Help one family.
Open one opportunity.
Then we do it again.
And again.
Because meaningful service is built one act at a time.
Our Education & School Support work reflects this philosophy: KCLG recognizes that one project cannot solve every barrier, but believes that one child, one school, one teacher, one volunteer and one partnership can become the beginning of something meaningful.
WE SERVE BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS
Children do not grow in isolation.
They grow within families.
Schools.
Neighborhoods.
Communities.
And communities become stronger when people choose to care about one another.
That is why our service extends beyond individual children.
We work with schools.
We work with community leaders.
We work with foundations.
We work with businesses.
We work with healthcare professionals.
We work with volunteers.
We work with fellow Kiwanis clubs.
We work with organizations that share our commitment to children.
We believe service is stronger when people work together.
The club’s continuing partnerships—including the long-running Gift of Hope relationship—demonstrate how one connection can grow into sustained service.
WE SERVE BECAUSE SHOWING UP MATTERS
Sometimes service means organizing a major project.
Sometimes it means packing school supplies.
Sometimes it means driving to a remote community.
Sometimes it means teaching a child a new skill.
Sometimes it means making a phone call.
Sometimes it means writing a report.
Sometimes it means taking photographs.
Sometimes it means connecting the club with a potential partner.
Sometimes it means quietly doing the work nobody sees.
Every role matters.
Because a successful service project is never the work of one person.
It is the combined effort of members, volunteers, donors, sponsors, partners, schools, community leaders and supporters.
One person starts something.
A team carries it forward.
WE SERVE BECAUSE SERVICE CHANGES US, TOO
We begin thinking that we are going to help someone else.
Then something happens.
We meet a child.
We hear a story.
We visit a school.
We enter a community.
We work beside another volunteer.
We see children excited about receiving something simple.
We listen.
We learn.
And we realize:
We came to give.
But we also received something.
Perspective.
Friendship.
Gratitude.
Purpose.
Courage.
Connection.
That is one of the reasons Kiwanis becomes more than an organization for many of our members.
Service becomes part of who we are.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND OUR WHY
Every Kiwanian Has a Story.
There is no single reason why people serve.
Some were invited by a friend.
Some wanted to give back.
Some wanted to use their professional skills.
Some wanted to help children.
Some found friendship through service.
Some discovered leadership.
Some simply saw a need and decided to do something.
These are some of our stories.
MARILEN V. RAMOS
“Teaching Shaped My Profession. Kiwanis Expanded My Purpose.”
For Marilen Ramos, service to children was already part of her life as an educator.
Then came an invitation from her dear friend, the late Susan Capuli.
That invitation introduced her to Kiwanis.
What began as an invitation became a commitment.
As a Charter member of Kiwanis Club of Lubao Gems, Marilen has served in numerous leadership roles, including Club Treasurer, Secretary, President, Board member and Lieutenant Governor.
But titles do not tell the most important part of her story.
Her reason for serving is children.
Through Kiwanis, her service could extend beyond the classroom into communities throughout Pampanga and beyond.
Her personal story was recognized internationally when her “Why I Joined Kiwanis” entry received the Grand Winner award in the 2026 ASPAC Stories Awards in Manila. She has emphasized that the recognition belongs not only to her, but to the members who have served alongside her.
Her story reminds us:
Sometimes one invitation can change the direction of a life.
And sometimes the person you invite today becomes the person who inspires others tomorrow.
MARLYN VAN ES
Serving Has No Borders.
Service does not always happen where the volunteer lives.
Marlyn is one example.
Living and working in the Netherlands, she continues to contribute to KCLG through administration, reporting, communications, website management, social media and storytelling.
Distance has changed how she serves.
It has not changed why she serves.
Her work helps document the club’s projects, preserve its stories and communicate its mission to people far beyond Lubao.
She demonstrates that service does not always require standing in the middle of a project.
Sometimes service happens:
Behind a computer.
Across time zones.
Through a report.
Through a photograph.
Through a website.
Through a message to a potential partner.
Through telling the story well enough that another person decides:
“I want to help.”
Her contribution also helped bring the club’s story to a wider audience, including the club’s international recognition for its storytelling and impact videos.
Her story reminds us:
You do not have to live near a community to care about it.
You simply have to find a way to contribute.
MICAELLA D. BONAOBRA
Service Can Become Friendship and Purpose.
For Micaella, service is also about the people encountered along the way.
Community activities, feeding programs and outreach bring volunteers together around a common purpose.
The long hours become easier when people work as a team.
The preparation becomes meaningful when the project comes together.
And the tiredness after an outreach is often accompanied by something else:
Joy.
The laughter of children.
The teamwork of volunteers.
The feeling that something useful was accomplished.
Service creates connections.
And sometimes those connections become friendships that last far beyond a single project.
REYNALDO M. BONAOBRA
Leadership Begins With Service.
For Reynaldo, Kiwanis is also a place where service and leadership meet.
Leadership in Kiwanis is not simply about holding an office.
It is about taking responsibility.
Organizing people.
Building relationships.
Finding solutions.
Encouraging others.
And making sure that a good intention becomes an actual project.
Because children do not benefit from plans that remain on paper.
They benefit when people act.
KCLG’s experience in division leadership and club service has reinforced the belief that leadership is strongest when it is used to bring people together around service.
AND THERE ARE MANY MORE STORIES
Not Every Kiwanian’s Story Has Been Written Yet.
Behind the projects are members whose contributions may never appear in a headline.
The person who prepares the list.
The person who contacts the school.
The person who counts the supplies.
The person who finds transportation.
The person who makes the phone calls.
The person who prepares the financial records.
The person who packs the boxes.
The person who takes the photographs.
The person who drives.
The person who teaches.
The person who introduces a sponsor.
The person who simply says:
“What needs to be done?”
And then does it.
They are all part of our story.
[Meet the Members]
WHY WE KEEP COMING BACK
Because One Project Is Never the Whole Story.
We return because relationships matter.
The Gift of Hope story is one example.
What began as a connection with the Alexis Louise Quiza Children’s Foundation developed into a continuing partnership serving Aeta children in Nabuclod. The project reached its seventh year in 2025, when 602 learners were reached.
We return because a community is not simply a location on a map.
It is people.
Children.
Parents.
Teachers.
Community leaders.
Partners.
Friends.
Service becomes more meaningful when it becomes a relationship.
WHY WE SERVE INDIGENOUS CHILDREN
We believe children should be supported without losing sight of their dignity, identity and community.
Our Indigenous community service has taken us to communities where distance can make access to resources more difficult.
We bring educational support and practical assistance.
But we also come to listen, learn and build relationships.
We do not want children to be defined by what they lack.
We want them to be recognized for what they can become.
Their culture.
Their talents.
Their dreams.
Their potential.
That is why we serve.
WHY WE SERVE THROUGH MUSIC
A musical instrument may look like an object.
But for a child, it can become an opportunity.
An opportunity to learn.
To practice.
To create.
To express.
To participate.
To discover something new.
KCLG’s Gift of Music initiative reminds us that service is not limited to meeting immediate physical needs.
Children also need opportunities to discover their abilities.
That matters too.
WHY WE SERVE THROUGH EDUCATION
Because education opens possibilities.
We cannot determine what every child will become.
But we can help provide a stronger starting point.
A notebook.
A school kit.
Encouragement.
Recognition.
A supportive adult.
A youth leadership opportunity.
A teacher who knows someone cares.
Sometimes opportunity begins with something very small.
That is enough reason to help.
[Explore Project Stories]
WHY WE SERVE WHEN COMMUNITIES NEED HELP
Communities experience different needs at different times.
Sometimes the need is planned.
Sometimes it is unexpected.
When we can respond, we try.
Not because we can solve everything.
But because doing something useful is better than simply watching a need go unanswered.
KCLG’s humanitarian work reflects this philosophy: service is about building connections between people who care and communities that need support.
WHAT OUR STORIES HAVE TAUGHT US
Service Is Not About Being Perfect.
You do not need unlimited time.
You do not need to be wealthy.
You do not need a prestigious profession.
You do not need to know everything about community service.
You do not need to be in the spotlight.
You need a willingness to contribute something.
Your time.
Your skill.
Your idea.
Your connection.
Your resources.
Your voice.
Your hands.
Your heart.
The club’s volunteer experience shows that people with demanding jobs, businesses, families and responsibilities can still find meaningful ways to serve.
OUR WHY IN ONE SENTENCE
We Serve Because Children Deserve People Who Care.
That is our why.
It is simple enough for a child to understand.
And important enough for us to spend years living it.
OUR WHY IS ALSO AN INVITATION
Perhaps you have your own reason to serve.
Perhaps someone once helped you.
Perhaps a teacher changed your life.
Perhaps you believe every child deserves opportunity.
Perhaps you want your professional skills to mean something beyond your work.
Perhaps you want your business to contribute to the community.
Perhaps you simply saw a child who needed help and thought:
“Someone should do something.”
That thought can become action.
And action can become service.
WHAT IS YOUR WHY?
Every Kiwanian Has One.
Maybe yours begins with a child.
Maybe it begins with a community.
Maybe it begins with a personal experience.
Maybe it begins with one invitation.
Maybe it begins today.
You do not have to know exactly where the journey will lead.
You only need to take the first step.
FROM WHY TO ACTION
There Are Many Ways to Serve.
🙌 VOLUNTEER
Give your time, skills or energy.
[VOLUNTEER WITH US]
💙 DONATE
Help provide the resources that make service possible.
[DONATE]
🏢 SPONSOR A PROJECT
Help turn a service idea into action.
[SPONSOR A PROJECT]
🤝 PARTNER WITH US
Bring your organization’s resources, expertise, network or people.
[PARTNER WITH US]
⭐ BECOME A KIWANIAN
Make service part of your continuing journey.
[BECOME A KIWANIAN]
THIS IS OUR WHY.
We serve because children matter.
We serve because communities matter.
We serve because opportunity matters.
We serve because dignity matters.
We serve because people can accomplish more together.
We serve because one act of kindness can begin a relationship.
A relationship can become a partnership.
A partnership can become a project.
A project can reach a child.
And that child may one day change the world in ways we cannot imagine.
We may never know how far one act of service will travel.
But we know where it begins.
With someone who cares.
WE ARE THE KIWANIANS OF LUBAO GEMS.
We are teachers.
We are professionals.
We are entrepreneurs.
We are parents.
We are healthcare workers.
We are community members.
We are volunteers.
We are people living near home and people serving from far away.
Different lives.
Different stories.
Different reasons.
One purpose.
SERVING CHILDREN.
BUILDING COMMUNITIES.
INSPIRING HOPE.
This is our why.
What will be yours?
STORIES FROM OUR WHY
Continue exploring the people behind the service.
WHY I JOINED KIWANIS
Discover what brought our members into Kiwanis.
MEMBER STORIES
Meet the people who give their time, skills and resources to serve.
PROJECT STORIES
See how our “why” becomes action in communities.
CHILDREN & COMMUNITIES
Meet the people at the heart of our mission.
OUR STORY
Discover the journey of Kiwanis Club of Lubao Gems from 2012 to today.
Kiwanis Club of Lubao Gems
Serving Children. Building Communities. Inspiring Hope.
Serving the Children of the World.
Our projects tell what we do.
Our stories tell why we do it.
And our “why” is always the children.
Connect your own reason for caring with Kiwanis Club of Lubao Gems’ mission.
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