Church, Charity Partners Unveil the Light the World Giving Machines

The #LightTheWorld Giving Machines are back and are now open to accept donations. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, together with its three charity partners, UNICEF Philippines, Caritas Manila and HERO Foundation, as well online influencers and celebrities unveiled the machines on Friday, 8 November at the 4th Level of TriNoma near Cinema 1, Quezon City opening the machines for donations.

Elder Evan A. Schmutz, General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, opened the ribbon-cutting ceremony by addressing those who were present. "We're grateful that all of you were able to join us today. We hope that this initiative will help you feel the Christmas spirit."

Following his remark, Elder Schmutz led the countdown. As guests counted from 10 to one, Elder Taniela B. Wakolo and Elder Steven R. Bangerter, General Authority Seventy of the Church with their companions Sister Anita M. Wakolo and Sister Susann H. Bangerter, joined by special guests, Major General Victor Bayani (Ret.), Executive Director of HERO Foundation; Rev. Fr. Ricardo Valencia, Caritas Damayan Priest Minister of Caritas Manila; Carlos Revillo, Country Director for Latter-day Saint Charities; Janella Renner, Junior Anchor for CNN Philippines; Lucas Carson, junior boxer; Diether Ocampo, actor, singer and HERO Foundation Ambassador; and Obed dela Cruz, blogger, held on to the red satin cloth and undraped the Giving Machines.

When asked what she can say about the Giving Machines, Janella Renner encouraged the youth to  touch the lives of people in need. “Youth, children, teens, we should not underestimate our ability to give,” she said. She then expressed gratitude to be part of the campaign and how it made donating accessible to everyone.

Lucas Carson also explained that donating doesn’t have to be expensive. “Either a little or a lot, it’s all your choice,” he said. “All the money goes to helping children. I hope with this opportunity, you can brighten their day.”

Light the World One by One

Soon after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the partners held a press conference at Banana Leaf to learn more about the Light the World Christmas initiative of the Church. Elder Wakolo led the panel together with Rev. Fr. Valencia; Ms. Kiel S. Fernandez, Marketing and Media Relations Head of HERO Foundation; Ms. Ma. Margarita Baula, Corporate Fundraising Officer of UNICEF Philippines; Janella Renner; Lucas Carson; Obed dela Cruz; Xia Vigor, ABS-CBN Child Actress; Chantal Videla, model and Star Magic Talent; Eric “Eruption” Tai, gamer, host, singer and athlete; and Diether Ocampo.

When asked about the reason behind the partnership between the Church and the three charity organizations, particularly with Caritas Manila which is a large Roman Catholic organization, Rev. Fr. Valencia said, “This is an inspiration coming from Him. This should unify all of us and make us understand that if we are with God, nothing can go between us. There’s no wall. There’s no separation.”

Elder Schmutz also agreed. He then shared many examples of the Church working with different faith groups, particularly with the Roman Catholic church. The most recent one was the turn over of digital records that contain 400 years of history to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

“This partnership, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is very valuable. It’s the embracing of one friend to another,” Elder Schmutz said.

“This illustrates how we are one," added Carlos Revillo, Country Director of Latter-day Saint Charities. "We truly believe we are one in this cause of helping one another because we love our Savior Jesus Christ.”

Talking about the Christmas initiative, Diether Ocampo stated, “It’s something very close to my heart, as I am also working with the HERO Foundation. I saw first-hand how these children who lost their fathers to war end up. I know how these kids feel.”

Ocampo then shared that he himself lost his dad at an early age. He said that he had to face financial hardships struggle growing up. "I’m inviting those who can to give something to help these kids live a better life," he concluded.

Tai also shared how he is no stranger to the conditions that the beneficiaries face. “Serving a full-time mission here in the Philippines opened my eyes to the needs of the people here,” he said with teary eyes. “Even when they didn’t have enough food to put on the table, they would always offer us something whenever we go and visit them,” the young father said as he shared about a family he met in Naga. He relayed that despite them having not enough food to feed the entire family, the family would always offer their meals to the missionaries first.   “Their example taught me that I can always give something, especially to those who need it more.”

CNN Philippines junior anchor Janella Renner assured everyone that they can participate in this initiative. ‘It doesn’t matter whether you’re young or old, you can always use your influence to let everybody know that they can make a difference in the lives of others. The giving machines allow you to donate and make it personal, to give to someone else, one by one, like Jesus did.

Child actress Xia Vigor, who is not new to charity work, expressed her thoughts by inviting those present to donate to what she called the “magic” machines. “I want everyone to know that you are never too young to give. It doesn’t matter how old you are. You can give in your own little way,” she said.                                                              

About #LightTheWorld

The Light the World is a Christmas campaign initiated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to encourage people to use the 25 days leading to Christmas Day to provide service to those in need, one by one. Learn more about how to transform Christmas into a Season of Service at www.lighttheworld.org.

The Light the World Giving Machines are part of the campaign, which encourage individuals to donate instantly to families in need. The Giving Machines are located at the 4th level near Cinema 1 in TriNoma Mall in Quezon City and will be open until 31 December 2019 during mall hours.

There are nine other locations of the Giving Machines, globally. The Philipines is the only country in Asia that has the special machines.