National fencer Maxine Esteban from Ateneo. UAAP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—National fencer Maxine Esteban donated her entire 2019 allowance from the Philippine Sports Commission to boost her and her sisters’ donation campaign to medical frontliners battling COVID-19.
Already collecting P360,000 from their donors, Esteban decided to add her allowance as well as her incentive from winning the bronze medal in the Team Foil event of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games to reach P500,000 for her “A Small Thing Goes a Long Way” fundraiser.
The money raised will be used to purchase rice and protective personal equipment for the frontliners.
The Esteban sisters have distributed packs of rice, face shields, bottles of alcohol, and pillows to several hospitals in Metro Manila.
On top of that, they are working on 10 paintings for selling or auction, with the proceeds going directly to the funds that will help the frontliners.
“Because we heard that there are many of our brothers and sisters that are still in need. We wanted to think of more ways to help them, that is why me and my sisters have another project on-going which is to sell our paintings,” said Esteban, the UAAP Season 81 Women’s Fencing Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player.
“We plan to put up 10 of our paintings. My sister and I have been painting a lot during the quarantine period. We have been watching the tutorials of Jay Lee, an artist who uses aluminum foil and cotton buds for his work.”