#walkforthepoor

VANCOUVER - On August 25, 2013, nearly one thousand people, from all walks of life, gathered together for the annual ANCOP walk at Burnaby Central Park, which celebrated its 10th year anniversary this year.  Nationally, the walk took place in 11 cities in Canada including Vancouver. Internationally, the ANCOP Global walk was held in 33 cities in North America, and globally in Philippines, Australia, Singapore, Qatar, Riyadh and Nigeria. ANCOP is an acronym for Answering the Cry of the Poor. The walk is an annual fund raising event led by Couples for Christ (CFC) to support shelter and child sponsorship for impoverished families.

The participants were made up of the various chapters in the lower mainland. The diversity of walkers was exemplified by the family ministries of CFC (Couples For Christ), which were HOLD (Handmaids of the Lord), SFC (Singles For Christ), YFC (Youth For Christ), and KFC (Kids For Christ). The newcomers this year were the Holy Cross Mission Team, from Holy Cross Catholic High school in Surrey, who had the largest contributions for donations amounting up to $12,000 and more.  In 10 years, ANCOP Canada has built more than 2, 700 homes for the poor, and has sponsored more than 6,000 children who come from impoverished families in need of education. Rene Garrucho, Area Coordinator for ANCOP Vancouver, explains that these milestones have been possible through God’s blessings alone, and prayed that, “every step we take be a prayer of hope, of peace, and of love.”

Driven by the sole purpose of helping alleviate poverty in the Philippines and other developing countries, the sea of participants in neon yellow t-shirts truly witnessed their faith in God and love for the poor as they walked the 5KM route around Burnaby Central Park. Vancouver MLA, Mabel Elmore of Kensington, further affirmed the participants when she said, “Indeed just like Christ Himself, whatever we do for the less fortunate we did it for Him.”

The Dog Show was presented once again, attracting all dog lovers, and families alike for some entertainment. Moreover, there were performances from each of the family ministry which were: a dance by CFC-Youth KFC leaders, LiveLoud songs performed by CFC-Youth and SFC, and notably, the much anticipated dance performance by HOLD, which never fails to bring cheers and applause. Moreover, awards were given to the fastest runner and walker, oldest and youngest participant, walkers from farthest area, and the walker with the biggest family of walkers.   Furthermore, the park was turned into a mini Night Market, filled with the aromas of a variety of classic Filipino and Oriental food, which were thoroughly enjoyed by the participants. ANCOP Walk was indeed a showcase of fun, entertainment, exercise and food.

One of the inspiring highlights of the program was the shares by CFC-Youth leaders who went to the Great Adventure Tour (GAT) in Philippines earlier this year.  GAT is a program led by CFC-Youth where youths are fully immersed in the Philippines, visiting orphanages, ANCOP villages, as well as attending mass and having a daily prayer time. Paolo Dantes shared that, “being able to stay in the village was a true manifestation of God’s love. The love we experience in mass, the love of the Lord for us, was made tangible in helping the people there.” Another youth who helped build homes in the ANCOP village, Nikki Dionisio, said, “I was so humbled by their way of living. I felt like they had everything compared to me despite how little they had materialistically. The joy, happiness, and faith they had, was so inspiring.” Finally, Jimmy Arzadon, the CFC Area Coordinator of Vancouver, affirmed the young and old participants and said, “there is no age limit in helping the poor!” and quoted Mother Teresa, “You know in this life, we cannot really do great things, we can only do small things with great love.”

Overall, the walk raised nearly $40,000 in pledges and donations, and is still accepting donations until September 25. While the walk was a success in numbers, it was also a spiritual success in that the overwhelming presence and enthusiasm of the youth in helping the poor, shows God’s relevance in a culture that is increasingly secularized and self-centered. By living out their calling as missionaries of the faith, the participants in the ANCOP Walk bring hope of a future focused on helping the poor out of love for their neighbors. Indeed, answering the cry of the poor need not consist of conquering the world all at once, but by simple acts of kindness done out of love for one’s neighbor, just as God Himself loves us.  

By Joyce Bermejo

The photos for the ANCOP WALK 2013 can be found in here: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/90179179@N05/sets/72157635270139201/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/90179179@N05/sets/72157635309078536/

  Youtube ANCOP Walk 2013 recap video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAZ0mNEglA8