#WeGotNow PH advocacy launched
INSPIRATION is hard to come by for an athlete in the time of pandemic. Games and events are put on hold and most coaches mentor their players through Zoom.
To help alleviate the plight of athletes and coaches, sports and lifestyle products retailer MAP Active Philippines Inc. on Wednesday launched an advocacy to help motivate Filipino athletes in these challenging times.
The advocacy, #WeGotNow PH, puts into the spotlight inspiring stories of perseverance, dedication and hard work.
Through the campaign, New Balance is also donating over P2 million worth of new basketball shoes to underserved but deserving communities nationwide.
To jumpstart #WeGotNow PH, MAP Active Philippines shared the stories of JRU men’s basketball head coach Louie Gonzalez, former URCC flyweight champion Geli Bulaong and Ateneo de Davao athletics director Noli Ayo as pandemic heroes who rose to the occasion and continued to push their causes amid Covid-19.
Gonzalez created the Facebook coaching group LGONZ Corner where more than 1,500 coaches had joined.
“I stepped up hoping in my own little way, I could inspire these trainers and coaches and at the same time, encourage them to be there for their family and athletes who need them most. We need to engage and connect with each other; to fight anxiety by promoting an active lifestyle through home workouts and training,” Gonzalez said.
Bulaong, on the other hand, has been supporting indigent youths. She helps children off the streets and into schools by raising funds for food, educating and motivating them through basketball.
Along with four-time World Jiujitsu champion Meggie Ochoa, Bulaong helps raise funds for aid homes that care for survivors of child sexual violence through their advocacy, Fight to Protect.
Likewise, Ayo is finding ways for athletes, coaches, sports leaders and experts to connect and learn from each other during the pandemic. He started regular learning sessions every Monday, Wednesday and Friday last year, a forum which he later called Moving Wonders Forward.
“When the lockdowns came and removed physical interaction, I just found a way through technology to nurture our human connections once again,” said Ayo, who also initiated the virtual Mindanao Peace Games Leadership Summit for Athletes, the online coaching programs for the newly created Bangsamoro Sports Commission and the Online Sports Leadership Program with the Philippine Olympians Association.
“I wanted to provide more access to knowledge and expertise to our sports community. And thanks to technology and better relationships between leaders, there has been more willingness to share each other’s time, expertise and resources via online platforms.”
Through these “pandemic heroes,” New Balance will provide 300 pairs of shoes to deserving communities in Bulacan, Cavite, Manila, Davao and BARMM.
“In partnership with our campaign heroes, New Balance shoes will be donated to their identified communities,” said New Balance Philippines marketing manager Mishka Rafael.