Helping People One Bike at a Time
2020-08-03
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1A year after he died at the age of 17, a young man's love of helping others lives on.
2Through a foundation established by his parents, Benjamin Canlas is still making the world a better place - one bike at a time.
3The Benjamin Canlas Courage to be Kind Foundation gives away mountain bikes to Filipinos who are struggling to hold on to jobs.
4The Philippines has been hit hard by COVID-19.
5Dr. Glennda Canlas and her husband, Dr. George Canlas, created the foundation to honor their son and his kindness.
6One time, Benjamin saw a food seller riding an old bicycle.
7Its pedals were missing.
8To help, Benjamin used his own money that he had saved to fix the food seller's bike.
9After their son's death, his parents saw a way to connect private donors with those in need.
10In this way, they could honor their son.
11In an interview with the Associated Press, Benjamin's mother said, "There is so much need out there. But people are willing to help. You just have to put them together."
12In the Philippines, many businesses have been closed and many jobs have been lost as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
13This has left thousands of Filipinos struggling to have enough money to survive.
14Many have had to take odd jobs.
15These are small jobs that are often done in someone's home, such as cleaning or repairing things.
16And that means traveling from one place to another.
17However, public transportation has been severely restricted by the coronavirus.
18So many people must walk for hours in the sun or rain to get to these jobs.
19Benjamin's parents had the idea to give away bikes to deserving individuals nominated by their friends, family members or coworkers.
20When the giveaway contest was announced on social media, they did not know how much interest there would be.
21At first, their plan was to give away seven bicycles.
22But then they received more than 50 nominations.
23All of them were then checked for truthfulness.
24And then on July 11, 27 people were awarded bicycles.
25These bicycles are meant to help make their lives a little easier.
26Among the winners is 25-year old Ronaldo del Rosario Jr.
27He lost his job at a fast food restaurant due to the coronavirus lockdown.
28To support his wife and young baby, he borrowed a bicycle.
29He sold rice cakes in the morning and smoked fish in the afternoon, traveling many kilometers each day.
30This caused the borrowed bike to break often.
31So, he often lost valuable time and earnings on repairs.
32Mharygrace Ortega is del Rosario's partner.
33Ortega nominated del Rosario because the wheels on the borrowed bicycle were always breaking down from working so hard.
34At first, del Rosario could not believe that he was getting a new bike.
35"A bike," he said, "isn't just a simple thing." He explained that a bike supports his life.
36A bike is his partner in his work every day.
37Del Rosario added that when he lost his fast food job, he also lost the usual daily routine that came with it.
38His new bicycle has helped him to get used to his new work, which has him traveling far every day.
39Another new bike owner is Liezel Camilla.
40Camilla is 24 years old and a mother of a 2-year-old child.
41When her husband's work was put on hold, she started selling and delivering food on her own.
42With tears in her eyes, Camilla said that she is "so happy" that she will not have to walk so far anymore.
43Even as the contest ended, nominations continued to come in.
44The foundation said there are people still in need and much work needs to be done.
45The foundation is working on launching more sustainable projects.
46The goal is that these projects will help more people while also urging others to be kind and help those in need.
47"We live in a world where it still takes courage to be kind," said Dr. Glennda Canlas.
48Benjamin's mother added that the goal of the foundation is to help create a world where kindness does not require courage - it is simply the thing we all do.
49I'm Anna Matteo.
1A year after he died at the age of 17, a young man's love of helping others lives on. Through a foundation established by his parents, Benjamin Canlas is still making the world a better place - one bike at a time. 2The Benjamin Canlas Courage to be Kind Foundation gives away mountain bikes to Filipinos who are struggling to hold on to jobs. The Philippines has been hit hard by COVID-19. 3Dr. Glennda Canlas and her husband, Dr. George Canlas, created the foundation to honor their son and his kindness. One time, Benjamin saw a food seller riding an old bicycle. Its pedals were missing. To help, Benjamin used his own money that he had saved to fix the food seller's bike. 4After their son's death, his parents saw a way to connect private donors with those in need. In this way, they could honor their son. 5In an interview with the Associated Press, Benjamin's mother said, "There is so much need out there. But people are willing to help. You just have to put them together." 6In the Philippines, many businesses have been closed and many jobs have been lost as a result of the coronavirus crisis. This has left thousands of Filipinos struggling to have enough money to survive. Many have had to take odd jobs. These are small jobs that are often done in someone's home, such as cleaning or repairing things. And that means traveling from one place to another. 7However, public transportation has been severely restricted by the coronavirus. So many people must walk for hours in the sun or rain to get to these jobs. 8Benjamin's parents had the idea to give away bikes to deserving individuals nominated by their friends, family members or coworkers. 9When the giveaway contest was announced on social media, they did not know how much interest there would be. At first, their plan was to give away seven bicycles. But then they received more than 50 nominations. All of them were then checked for truthfulness. 10And then on July 11, 27 people were awarded bicycles. These bicycles are meant to help make their lives a little easier. 11Among the winners is 25-year old Ronaldo del Rosario Jr. He lost his job at a fast food restaurant due to the coronavirus lockdown. 12To support his wife and young baby, he borrowed a bicycle. He sold rice cakes in the morning and smoked fish in the afternoon, traveling many kilometers each day. This caused the borrowed bike to break often. So, he often lost valuable time and earnings on repairs. 13Mharygrace Ortega is del Rosario's partner. Ortega nominated del Rosario because the wheels on the borrowed bicycle were always breaking down from working so hard. 14At first, del Rosario could not believe that he was getting a new bike. 15"A bike," he said, "isn't just a simple thing." He explained that a bike supports his life. A bike is his partner in his work every day. 16Del Rosario added that when he lost his fast food job, he also lost the usual daily routine that came with it. His new bicycle has helped him to get used to his new work, which has him traveling far every day. 17Another new bike owner is Liezel Camilla. Camilla is 24 years old and a mother of a 2-year-old child. When her husband's work was put on hold, she started selling and delivering food on her own. 18With tears in her eyes, Camilla said that she is "so happy" that she will not have to walk so far anymore. 19Even as the contest ended, nominations continued to come in. The foundation said there are people still in need and much work needs to be done. 20The foundation is working on launching more sustainable projects. The goal is that these projects will help more people while also urging others to be kind and help those in need. 21"We live in a world where it still takes courage to be kind," said Dr. Glennda Canlas. Benjamin's mother added that the goal of the foundation is to help create a world where kindness does not require courage - it is simply the thing we all do. 22I'm Anna Matteo. 23The Associated Press reported this story. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 24_______________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26foundation - n. an organization that is created and supported with money that people give in order to do something that helps society 27courage - n. the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous 28mountain bike - n. a type of bicycle that has a strong frame, thick tires, and straight handlebars and that is used for riding over rough ground 29donor - n. a person or group that gives something (such as money, food, or clothes) in order to help a person or organization 30contest - n. an event in which people try to win by doing something better than others 31check - v. to look at (something) carefully to find mistakes, problems, etc., or to make sure there is nothing wrong with it 32lockdown - n. a security measure taken during an emergency to prevent people from leaving or entering a building or other location: 33routine - n. a regular way of doing things in a particular order 34sustainable - adj. able to last or continue for a long time