ANTA Philippines once again proved how impactful basketball could be in giving hope as it brightened the day of children living with life-threatening illnesses by serving as a bridge in meeting their hardcourt heroes in person.
In collaboration with Make-A-Wish Philippines, the Chinese sports brand’s local arm granted the wish of select kids to see their idols up close by holding a mini-camp last January 18 at the Ronac Art Center in San Juan.
“We asked our ANTA athletes and coaches kung kumusta. Halos pare-pareho ‘yung sagot nila; parang mas sila ‘yung natulungan nung mga bata, kaysa the other way around,” said ANTA PH marketing manager Mikko Abello.
Some of the brand’s ambassadors were in attendance, namely PBA players Poy Erram, Justin Chua, Keith Datu, Peter Alfaro, and Kib Montalbo.
Also present were veteran coaches Sandy Arespacochaga, Yuri Escueta, and Jeff Napa, all of whom have practically become fixtures in ANTA events.
Together, they made it a Saturday to remember for Zeus, Cody, and JP, spending some quality time with them through running basic basketball drills and playing mini-games which all of those involved truly enjoyed.
(C) ANTA Philippines
“Special siya kasi natupad namin ‘yung wish ng mga bata, na makasama kaming mga kuya,” said Erram, who plays for the TNT Tropang Giga.
“Very special din ‘to para sa akin kasi minsan lang ‘yung ganito, na may gustong makausap ka, makilala ka. For me it’s one platform na ma-share ko ‘yung journey ko, ‘yung stories ko sa kanila, and maybe ma-inspire sila,” he added.
The three also sat down with the players and coaches just before the mini-camp wrapped up, wherein they listened to the stories of the figures they look up to and received messages of hope and encouragement as well.
“This was different,” said Arespacochaga, who has been coaching since 1998. “Normally working with kids, mga camp, mga clinic, it’s always fun. This was fun also. But I think this has more meaning because of the situation.”
(C) ANTA Philippines
Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without ANTA giving presents that Zeus, Cody, and JP would appreciate as they each received a pair of the KAI 1.
Not only that, the kids also got treated by Bigboy Cheng to shopping at the Secret Fresh store, making their San Juan trip all the more memorable.
But no one was more fulfilled than ANTA Philippines after witnessing the impact of granting wishes, so much so that they are looking to forge a year-long partnership with Make-A-Wish Philippines to help make more wishes come true.
“We’re actually discussing with Make-A-Wish about having, like, a year-long partnership with them,” said Abello, himself a Make-A-Wish volunteer back in the early 2000s. “What they’re doing is amazing for these kids.”
ANTA Philippines also extended its gratitude to Banh Mi Kitchen and Jacob Lao of Strong Group Athletics for their support in making the event a success.
