Help Save Lives By Donating Blood and Volunteer To Plant Trees
Taylor Joy: Oh! Hey! For this week’s recap, we’ll need to stay hydrated and do some stretching. We’re going to cover a lot of ground and meet some INC Giving volunteers who are putting in the work to give back to the community. Let’s go!
Taylor Joy: (Drinks water)
Taylor Joy: (Quenches thirst)
Taylor Joy: Our first stop is in southern Ontario. During the summer, it can get even hotter than it is where I’m from, in southern California.
Taylor Joy: It is really important to stay hydrated when the temperature rises, especially when you’re about to donate blood.
Taylor Joy: These are our amazing INC Giving volunteers from Guelph, Ontario. And here is another group from Kitchener, Ontario.
Taylor Joy: Congrats to this donor proudly holding up a poster to share this special moment. “My first donation!” Great job.
Taylor Joy: Now we head over to Italy to meet our next set of INC Giving blood donors. Volunteers in Milan South headed to Policlinico di Milano, a public district general hospital in Milan.
Taylor Joy: Donating blood helps save the lives of others, as we know. But did you know that donating blood can also help improve your blood circulation? So literally, it feels good to give.
Taylor Joy: Yeah! We’ve learned so much about blood donation as so many INC Giving volunteers have rolled up their sleeves to help save lives. If you and your fellow INC Giving volunteers are planning to donate blood, please remember to share your stories with us at incgiving.org.
Taylor Joy: I remember my first time donating blood. It was about seven years ago. I prepared by eating foods that are rich in iron. Drinking lots of water and getting a good amount of sleep the night before. And afterwards, I felt incredible knowing that my blood could potentially save a life.
Taylor Joy: Fun fact: When you’re about to donate blood, you’ll usually be offered more water and a salty snack. Why? The salt helps raise your blood pressure and reduces the amount of fluid lost by kidneys.
Taylor Joy: Well, over in San Mateo, Rizal, Philippines these INC Giving volunteers gave out—Guess what? Water and salty snacks!
Taylor Joy: Well, actually I’m not sure if there are salty snacks, but free snacks of any kind is a win.
Taylor Joy: It’s a great feeling to set up a table and offer something for free that’s sure to make people happy.
Taylor Joy: Like these happy kids in Rizal East, where INC giving volunteers handed out free snacks and games. Looks like loads of fun.
Taylor Joy: Where to now? Davao!
Taylor Joy: In Davao City, volunteers gave out free taho! If you know, you know. But if you don’t, taho is a popular Filipino sweet treat. It’s made of a silken tofu which has almost the same consistency as custard. And it’s served with a brown sugar syrup and sago or tapioca pearls.
Taylor Joy: Mmm. And it’s my favorite.
Taylor Joy: These INC Giving volunteers offered taho to all the joggers at Crocodile Park. Great job!
Taylor Joy: Taho is a good source of plant-based protein.
Taylor Joy: Okay. Our next stop is North Shields, England for an INC Giving ‘Singing For A Cause’ activity. As I’ve said before, I love these.
Taylor Joy: Our young volunteers belted out Christian music with so much love and joy. And I love the smiles that we see here at Princess Court Care Home as residents and staff enjoyed the musical performances.
Taylor Joy: Another favorite INC Giving activity is Teacher’s Appreciation Day.
And in San Diego County, California, INC Giving volunteers invited their teachers to the special event so they could express their appreciation and gratitude.
Taylor Joy: If you could thank one of your teachers today, who would it be? And what message of gratitude would you share?
Taylor Joy: At our next stop, INC Giving volunteers shared gratitude for another class of local heroes—firefighters!
Taylor Joy: Over in Lubao, Pampanga, an INC Giving Firefighter Appreciation activity honored the courage and resilience of the firefighters.
Taylor Joy: We head now to the Ilocos region of the island of Luzon. Here in Santiago, INC Giving volunteers held a coastal cleanup.
Taylor Joy: I looked it up and this must be the Lingayen Gulf? It’s a beautiful spot, wonderful work, volunteers! Your efforts add to that feeling of safety and peace, which is so important for the community.
Taylor Joy: And now we head over to Kabankalan City, in the Panay Gulf, for another coastal cleanup. Shout out to our INC Giving volunteers from Binalbagan, which I learned was one of the earliest settlements in Negros Occidental dating back to the 1500s.
Taylor Joy: For this place, rich in history and rich in beauty, it’s a great location for a cleanup drive. Wonderful work by all the helpers, keeping it clean for the community and tourists to enjoy.
Taylor Joy: To wrap up our recap—ooh, try saying that three times fast!
Wrap up our recap. Wrap up our recap. Wrap up our recap. I’m giving myself a pat on the back for that one.
Taylor Joy: These next two INC Giving activities involve work that cleans the air that we breathe, filters the water we drink, and prevents soil erosion.
Taylor Joy: Sounds too good to be true, right? But this work is very real. What is it? Tree planting!
Taylor Joy: First, let’s meet more INC Giving volunteers from Rizal East who united to preserve nature by planting trees.
Taylor Joy: We can see that most of these volunteers are still very young. It’s great for them to learn how tree planting is a really great way to give back to the community.
Taylor Joy: Next, we head over to Isabela East, where volunteers planted various fruit-bearing trees including rambutan, calamansi and lanzones. Amazing!
Taylor Joy: Tree planting is key to sustainability and adds stability to the community. A great gift to the people. It’s also a great gift to the INC Giving volunteers who get to take care of the land that God has blessed us with.
Taylor Joy: *Sighs*
Taylor Joy: Wow! This week’s INC Giving activities saw volunteers getting a great workout. Great exercise for our bodies and hearts. Feels great to help the community. Let’s keep it up!
Taylor Joy: Don’t forget to check out incgiving.org for all our recaps and vlogs, and find more ideas for your next INC Giving project.
Taylor Joy: Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it. Take care and see you next time.
Taylor Joy: Where did I put my water bottle? I think it’s this way.
