By Kristel Satumbaga
Volleyball stars will showcase more than their athletic talents when they host an all-star online variety show to raise funds for volleyball employees affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Scheduled on June 5 to 6, the two-day fundraiser dubbed as “SERVE AS ONE Variety Show” star Alyssa Valdez, Charo Soriano, Aby Maraño, Gretchen Ho and Amanda Villanueva – just to name a few.
The event, organized by Volleyball Community Gives Back PH, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on the ABS-CBN Sports website, ABS-CBN Sports Facebook Page and ABS-CBN Sports Youtube Channel.
It will have entertainment activities like singing and dancing.
Some players from the UAAP, Philippine Superliga and the Premier Volleyball League will also be participating.
Proceeds of the show will go to matchday employees like referees, line judges, ball retrievers, quick moppers and table officials who have been affected following the cancellation and postponement of various tournaments.
There are about 100 matches played in the UAAP men’s and women’s every year, 56 games each conference in the Superliga and over 200 games in the PVL Open and Collegiate Conferences.
“They’ve become more than just a support in the sidelines. They are (also) part of our stories,” said Villanueva in the video teaser circulating online.
“The game we all love so much would not have been possible without these men and women behind the scenes. That’s why we believe that with all that they’ve given us, it’s time we give back to them,” Ho said.
The event is just one of VCGB’s fundraising campaigns since pandemic hit the country early this year.
As of last Friday, the group has provided 200 care packs to volleyball personnel across Metro Manila.
Last April, the group raised funds for frontliners through selling memorabilia.
They had distributed 2,020 personal protective equipment (PPEs), 1,000 surgical gloves, 1,000 surgical caps to provinces like Sultan Kudarat, Batangas, Aklan, Puerto Galera and Cebu.
“We are one family. One community,” said Soriano.
