Before there is a school kit, a feeding activity, a music lesson, a health mission or a community outreach, there are people who decide to give their time, talents, resources and heart.
At the Kiwanis Club of Lubao Gems, our members come from different professions, different generations and different places. Some are educators. Some are entrepreneurs and business owners. Some are healthcare professionals. Some are parents and homemakers. Some serve from overseas. Others work quietly behind the scenes.
We may have different lives.
But we share one purpose:
Serving the Children of the World.
More Than a Membership
A membership card does not tell the whole story.
It does not tell you who stayed after a long day to prepare for an outreach.
It does not tell you who used professional skills to solve a problem.
It does not tell you who connected the club with a partner.
It does not tell you who prepared reports, organized logistics, documented an activity, carried supplies, taught a child, raised resources or simply showed up when help was needed.
Those contributions are what make service possible.
And behind every contribution is a Kiwanian with a story.
For Marilen, service has always been closely connected with children and education.
A charter member of KC-Lubao Gems and an educator, she has served the club in several leadership roles, including Treasurer, President and Lieutenant Governor of Division 2B.
Her Kiwanis journey demonstrates how service can grow into leadership.
But perhaps what makes her story particularly meaningful is that leadership never became separate from service. Whether working with fellow Kiwanians, encouraging other clubs or supporting community projects, she has continued to place children and service at the center of her Kiwanis journey.
Rey’s Kiwanis journey began not with a title, but with service.
He initially became involved by volunteering and helping the club wherever he could. Over time, his participation developed into leadership within KC-Lubao Gems and eventually into service as Lieutenant Governor of Division 2B.
His story demonstrates something important about Kiwanis:
You do not have to begin as a leader to become one.
Leadership can develop naturally when someone is willing to participate, learn, accept responsibility and help others.
His journey—from volunteer to club and district leader—is an example of how Kiwanis can create opportunities for people who are willing to step forward.
Sometimes the first step is simply saying, “How can I help?”
Distance has never prevented Marlyn from remaining connected to KC-Lubao Gems.
A charter member living and working in the Netherlands, she continues contributing to the club through administration, communications, reporting, website management, social media and storytelling.
Her service illustrates another side of volunteerism:
Not every act of service happens at the project site.
Some service happens behind a computer.
Some happens across time zones.
Some happens through a report, a photograph, a video, a message or a partnership connection.
Through communications and digital storytelling, Marlyn helps preserve the club’s history and share its work with people beyond Lubao.
Her involvement in the club’s visual storytelling has also helped KC-Lubao Gems bring its service story to the international Kiwanis community, including recognition in the ASPAC Green Generation Photo Contest and the 2026 ASPAC Stories Awards.
Her story is a reminder that:
Service has no borders when the purpose is strong enough.
Micaella D. Bonaobra
Making Time to Serve
Micaella represents another reality familiar to many potential volunteers:
Life is busy.
Work, family and personal responsibilities compete for our attention. Yet meaningful service does not always require unlimited free time.
Mica continues to contribute to KC-Lubao Gems through participation, planning, club activities and service initiatives.
Her story shows that service can fit into real life.
You do not have to wait until your schedule becomes completely free.
You can start with the time you have.
Sometimes one meeting, one activity or one Saturday is enough to begin.
Joan Dizon
Serving Across Distance
Joan is another example of how technology has changed what it means to volunteer.
Based in the United States, she continues to participate in club discussions, planning and decision-making despite being thousands of kilometers away from Lubao.
Her story demonstrates that being physically distant does not mean being disconnected.
A volunteer can contribute ideas.
A member can help plan.
A professional can share expertise.
A friend can open a door.
Service can travel across borders when people remain connected by purpose.
Merly Sevilla
A Business Owner Who Makes Time for Service
Running a business and raising a family requires time, energy and responsibility.
Yet Merly continues to make space for Kiwanis.
Her story represents many people who wonder whether they are simply too busy to volunteer.
The answer is not necessarily to find more hours.
It is to find meaningful ways to use the hours you already have.
For Merly, service is also an opportunity to demonstrate to the next generation that success is not measured only by what we achieve for ourselves—but also by what we are willing to share with others.
Service becomes part of the example we leave for our children.
Many Talents. One Team.
These are only some of the stories behind KC-Lubao Gems.
Our members bring different strengths to the club.
An educator may understand what a school needs.
A healthcare professional may bring health knowledge.
An entrepreneur may bring initiative and connections.
A business owner may help create sustainable solutions.
A parent may bring a deep understanding of children’s needs.
A communicator may tell the story.
A financial professional may help manage resources responsibly.
A volunteer may simply be the person who says:
“I can help.”
That is the strength of a service organization.
We do not need everyone to have the same skills.
We need people who are willing to use their different skills for a shared purpose.
What Keeps Us Serving?
Ask a Kiwanian why they serve, and the answers may be different.
One may talk about children.
Another may talk about friendship.
Someone else may talk about leadership.
Another may simply say that helping feels right.
Some members joined because a friend invited them.
Some discovered that Kiwanis gave them an opportunity to use their professional skills beyond their workplace.
Some stayed because they found a community of people who care.
And some discovered something unexpected:
Service changes the person who serves.
We begin by thinking about what we can give.
Along the way, we receive friendship, purpose, leadership experience, gratitude and memories that stay with us.
From One Member to a Community of Service
KC-Lubao Gems has grown because people chose to participate.
Since the club’s charter in 2015, members have helped build partnerships, organize projects, develop leaders and reach children and communities through education, health, nutrition, music, humanitarian service and other initiatives.
Our projects may be different.
Our members may be different.
Our circumstances may be different.
But when we come together, individual talents become collective impact.
That is the story of KC-Lubao Gems.
Could Your Story Be Part of Ours?
Perhaps you are an educator who wants to help children beyond the classroom.
Perhaps you are a business owner who wants to give back.
Perhaps you are a young professional looking for meaningful community involvement.
Perhaps you are a parent who wants your children to see the value of service.
Perhaps you have only a few hours to spare.
Perhaps you live far away but still want to contribute.
Or perhaps you simply believe that children deserve people who care.
There may be a place for you at KC-Lubao Gems.
You do not need to have unlimited time.
You do not need to be wealthy.
You do not need a special title.
Bring your time, talent, ideas, relationships, skills or simply your willingness to serve.
Start with one project.
Meet our members.
See what we do.
And perhaps, somewhere along the way, you will discover your own reason to serve.
Your Story Could Be Next
The stories on this page will continue to grow.
We want to introduce the people behind the photographs—not simply the officers, but the volunteers, quiet contributors, project workers, partners and members whose efforts make every activity possible.
Because our club’s story is not written by a few people.
It is written by every Kiwanian who chooses to care.
Member Stories
Meet the People Behind the Service
Every Kiwanis project begins with people.
Before there is a school kit, a feeding activity, a music lesson, a health mission or a community outreach, there are people who decide to give their time, talents, resources and heart.
At the Kiwanis Club of Lubao Gems, our members come from different professions, different generations and different places. Some are educators. Some are entrepreneurs and business owners. Some are healthcare professionals. Some are parents and homemakers. Some serve from overseas. Others work quietly behind the scenes.
We may have different lives.
But we share one purpose:
Serving the Children of the World.
More Than a Membership
A membership card does not tell the whole story.
It does not tell you who stayed after a long day to prepare for an outreach.
It does not tell you who used professional skills to solve a problem.
It does not tell you who connected the club with a partner.
It does not tell you who prepared reports, organized logistics, documented an activity, carried supplies, taught a child, raised resources or simply showed up when help was needed.
Those contributions are what make service possible.
And behind every contribution is a Kiwanian with a story.
The People Behind KC-Lubao Gems
Marilen V. Ramos
Teacher. Charter Member. Servant Leader.
For Marilen, service has always been closely connected with children and education.
A charter member of KC-Lubao Gems and an educator, she has served the club in several leadership roles, including Treasurer, President and Lieutenant Governor of Division 2B.
Her Kiwanis journey demonstrates how service can grow into leadership.
But perhaps what makes her story particularly meaningful is that leadership never became separate from service. Whether working with fellow Kiwanians, encouraging other clubs or supporting community projects, she has continued to place children and service at the center of her Kiwanis journey.
In 2026, her personal story reached the Asia-Pacific stage when her “Why I Joined Kiwanis” video became a Grand Winner in the ASPAC Stories Awards.
For Marilen, however, the recognition belongs not only to one person.
It represents the collective work of the Kiwanians who have served beside her.
Her story reminds us that one invitation to serve can become a lifetime of leadership.
Reynaldo “Rey” Bonaobra
From Volunteer to Servant Leader
Rey’s Kiwanis journey began not with a title, but with service.
He initially became involved by volunteering and helping the club wherever he could. Over time, his participation developed into leadership within KC-Lubao Gems and eventually into service as Lieutenant Governor of Division 2B.
His story demonstrates something important about Kiwanis:
You do not have to begin as a leader to become one.
Leadership can develop naturally when someone is willing to participate, learn, accept responsibility and help others.
Today, Rey continues contributing beyond the club, including service in Philippine Luzon District membership and growth work.
His journey—from volunteer to club and district leader—is an example of how Kiwanis can create opportunities for people who are willing to step forward.
Sometimes the first step is simply saying, “How can I help?”
Marlyn van Es
Serving Across Continents
Distance has never prevented Marlyn from remaining connected to KC-Lubao Gems.
A charter member living and working in the Netherlands, she continues contributing to the club through administration, communications, reporting, website management, social media and storytelling.
Her service illustrates another side of volunteerism:
Not every act of service happens at the project site.
Some service happens behind a computer.
Some happens across time zones.
Some happens through a report, a photograph, a video, a message or a partnership connection.
Through communications and digital storytelling, Marlyn helps preserve the club’s history and share its work with people beyond Lubao.
Her involvement in the club’s visual storytelling has also helped KC-Lubao Gems bring its service story to the international Kiwanis community, including recognition in the ASPAC Green Generation Photo Contest and the 2026 ASPAC Stories Awards.
Her story is a reminder that:
Service has no borders when the purpose is strong enough.
Micaella D. Bonaobra
Making Time to Serve
Micaella represents another reality familiar to many potential volunteers:
Life is busy.
Work, family and personal responsibilities compete for our attention. Yet meaningful service does not always require unlimited free time.
Mica continues to contribute to KC-Lubao Gems through participation, planning, club activities and service initiatives.
Her story shows that service can fit into real life.
You do not have to wait until your schedule becomes completely free.
You can start with the time you have.
Sometimes one meeting, one activity or one Saturday is enough to begin.
Joan Dizon
Serving Across Distance
Joan is another example of how technology has changed what it means to volunteer.
Based in the United States, she continues to participate in club discussions, planning and decision-making despite being thousands of kilometers away from Lubao.
Her story demonstrates that being physically distant does not mean being disconnected.
A volunteer can contribute ideas.
A member can help plan.
A professional can share expertise.
A friend can open a door.
Service can travel across borders when people remain connected by purpose.
Merly Sevilla
A Business Owner Who Makes Time for Service
Running a business and raising a family requires time, energy and responsibility.
Yet Merly continues to make space for Kiwanis.
Her story represents many people who wonder whether they are simply too busy to volunteer.
The answer is not necessarily to find more hours.
It is to find meaningful ways to use the hours you already have.
For Merly, service is also an opportunity to demonstrate to the next generation that success is not measured only by what we achieve for ourselves—but also by what we are willing to share with others.
Service becomes part of the example we leave for our children.
Many Talents. One Team.
These are only some of the stories behind KC-Lubao Gems.
Our members bring different strengths to the club.
An educator may understand what a school needs.
A healthcare professional may bring health knowledge.
An entrepreneur may bring initiative and connections.
A business owner may help create sustainable solutions.
A parent may bring a deep understanding of children’s needs.
A communicator may tell the story.
A financial professional may help manage resources responsibly.
A volunteer may simply be the person who says:
“I can help.”
That is the strength of a service organization.
We do not need everyone to have the same skills.
We need people who are willing to use their different skills for a shared purpose.
What Keeps Us Serving?
Ask a Kiwanian why they serve, and the answers may be different.
One may talk about children.
Another may talk about friendship.
Someone else may talk about leadership.
Another may simply say that helping feels right.
Some members joined because a friend invited them.
Some discovered that Kiwanis gave them an opportunity to use their professional skills beyond their workplace.
Some stayed because they found a community of people who care.
And some discovered something unexpected:
Service changes the person who serves.
We begin by thinking about what we can give.
Along the way, we receive friendship, purpose, leadership experience, gratitude and memories that stay with us.
From One Member to a Community of Service
KC-Lubao Gems has grown because people chose to participate.
Since the club’s charter in 2015, members have helped build partnerships, organize projects, develop leaders and reach children and communities through education, health, nutrition, music, humanitarian service and other initiatives.
Our projects may be different.
Our members may be different.
Our circumstances may be different.
But when we come together, individual talents become collective impact.
That is the story of KC-Lubao Gems.
Could Your Story Be Part of Ours?
Perhaps you are an educator who wants to help children beyond the classroom.
Perhaps you are a business owner who wants to give back.
Perhaps you are a young professional looking for meaningful community involvement.
Perhaps you are a parent who wants your children to see the value of service.
Perhaps you have only a few hours to spare.
Perhaps you live far away but still want to contribute.
Or perhaps you simply believe that children deserve people who care.
There may be a place for you at KC-Lubao Gems.
You do not need to have unlimited time.
You do not need to be wealthy.
You do not need a special title.
Bring your time, talent, ideas, relationships, skills or simply your willingness to serve.
Start with one project.
Meet our members.
See what we do.
And perhaps, somewhere along the way, you will discover your own reason to serve.
Your Story Could Be Next
The stories on this page will continue to grow.
We want to introduce the people behind the photographs—not simply the officers, but the volunteers, quiet contributors, project workers, partners and members whose efforts make every activity possible.
Because our club’s story is not written by a few people.
It is written by every Kiwanian who chooses to care.
And perhaps the next chapter will include you.
Find Your Place in Service
Join us. Volunteer with us. Partner with us.
Kiwanis Club of Lubao Gems
Serving Children. Building Communities. Inspiring Hope.
Serving the Children of the World.
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