All hands down to the HOPE event!

Dine. Wine. Celebrate HOPE. May 22, 2010. A. Bonifacio, Fortunata Village, Paranaque City. Smart casual.

The backyard garden of Chito and Jo Intia and the magnificent wedding-like set up were so befitting for a happening of extreme importance as the HOPE event. The Good Lord did not give us rain, but sheltered us with the perfect summer weather.

The nicest dinner buffet (nicest = hot and good food, super service and reasonable bill) was provided by Verleo Catering, courtesy of the Intias.

The generous hosts Jo and Chito enjoying a dance

The yummy spread included yang chow fried rice, baked beef lasagna, chicken-ala-pobre, crispy fish fillet with aoli, pork spareribs, fresh lumpia wrapped-on-the-spot. And mango crepe and fruit salad for the sweet tooth. Plus we had a taco bar as a pre-dinner treat.

And of course, there were red and white wine overflowing! Thanks to Ruby Penarubia for sending boxes of wine over!

Bidibidi, Eena and Mia toast to the success of BTH

The guests weren't the only ones who needed dressing up. Bernadette de los Santos (Bidibidi) accentuated Verleo's table setup with dainty yoyo quilts and vintage black and red mini buttons. The design kept us true to our roots, and we were all drawn to it!

F.A.R.M. had to be on the spotlight. Fabulous new pieces of the F.A.R.M. bride collection plus the classic pieces were on display for the guests to feast on. F.A.R.M. scholar Nico and BTH scholar Jam efficiently managed the booth. And they even weaved choice buttons on the spot for the discerning guests!

Direk Ray Defante Gibraltar's documentary on F.A.R.M. and Buttons to Hope was a total must as it captured the inspiring story of this beautiful advocacy. The guests were so thrilled to see it (it was the first time to be seen by a wider audience) and were more than convinced to help. The documentary is the award-winning director's pledge to helping spread the good news about Buttons to Hope. Teresa de los Santos-Salah and other F.A.R.M.ers helped in producing the 24-minute film.

Direk Ray came with wife Queenie.

Ray, Jet, Queenie and Shiela

Buttons to Hope team leader Jane Barcenas-Bisuña (and Bidibidi), presented the project's milestones, financial status, and showed the many ways people can help Buttons to Hope. They also introduced the six scholars who are going to college in June (details about the scholars coming up in a separate blog entry).

Projectors4rent provided the facility.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed and got wacky over the F.A.R.M.ers' performances, which proved to be more delightful than the band's. We were all yearning for more. The Seven Verses band provided excellent music and was quite good in not letting the jammers pass up their chance of a lifetime to sing live! The HOPE event was a big hit because of you guys!

Jonathan and Adie jamming with the band

Monette and Diesu brought the house down

Adie was a total performer

Our ever-generous F.A.R.M.ers from overseas paid for the music. Terie, Susan, Gladys, Perlie, Mafe, Jessamyn, Margee, Sheryl and Jo - the fab and pretty girls with big hearts - thank you!

Professional singer Bembot and rather elusive Pecto were excellent!

We would never settle anywhere in the middle ground. So even the pass to the event and paparazzi wall were elaborately done and did not disappoint the paying guests! Jane conceptualized the designs and had them executed by professional artist, Arch. Jare Encallado. Bidibidi and the F.A.R.M. scholars added that remarkable button twist to the pass - which shows this at the back: Keep this button pass as proof that you have bought HOPE for Baao's youth. Isn't that interesting?

Thanks Jet, Jonathan, Mia, Cherry, Atty. Matt, Wheng and the rest for the great ticket sales!

The paparazzi wall, as expected, was a hit!

Grazielle and Jare; F.A.R.M.ers Bidibidi, Mia, Eena, Jane, Monette and Lani strike a pose!

As of posting, photos of the HOPE event are still selling all over Facebook. Thanks to Rommel, Adie, Bidibidi for these beautiful pictures!

We got around P40,000 ($900) additional funds from this benefit dinner-concert - just enough to sustain a scholar's two-year college education. But other than that, the fact that we were all able to put on a show as successful as the HOPE event is already getting a lot in return.

Thanks thanks thanks everyone for your support! You rocked our world!

Buttons to Hope - a tough act to follow

"You've gone too far." - The most heartwarming comment we got that says it all.

Buttons to Hope was a spur-of-the-moment idea. But we were right all along. We could make it soar.

Buttons to Hope aimed to raise a million pesos in one year to support the college education of a number of deserving students from Baao. A year hence, we achieved one-third of the target.

We realized the figure is not the real measure of our success. Because there are a lot more to talk about.

Buttons to Hope has incredibly won the hearts of many. The number of people continuing to give support is just overwhelming.

Buttons to Hope proved that service to others does not require power, plenty of money and massive following. It only takes a few determined individuals and a common cause to make it happen.

During the past year, Buttons to Hope has had a few milestones: we made our intentions public, encouraged friends to support, formed a core group of willing members, organized activities, mobilized funds and looked for scholars.

How did we fare? Very good. We have the funds, we are sending six students to school in June, and we are enjoying a good reputation.

Dine. Wine. Celebrate HOPE - our event last night would be a tough act to follow.

Buttons to Hope is a tough act to follow.

Thank you to all for celebrating with us. From the HOPEful button of our hearts!!!

Watch out for a series of blogs about the HOPE event.

The HOPE event happens tonight!

Come chic, hungry and ready to mingle!

It's a date!

Here comes the Bride (2)

Whether you're the virgin or the gold-digger type, we have the charm that suits you.

silver bride

gold digger bride

zebride

virgin bride

crystal bride

night bride

choco bride

Pick your choice of F.A.R.M. bride buttons custom-made for you, on the spot! Only at the HOPE event happening next Saturday. See you there.

Here comes the Bride

All dressed in white? Nah!

F.A.R.M. brides come in cool, deep, royal and even candy colors! And they are our newest!

cool bride

lemon and sunkissed brides

"The F.A.R.M. bride button charm bracelet is one of a kind. Each piece is unique -- my stash of vintage buttons attached to antiqued brass-finished chain with extender and fastens with a lobster clasp. Each is made with love, from the button of my heart." Bidibidi

deep bride

fresh bride

berry bride

candy bride

royal bride

You bet we never run out of awesome possibilities!