Betso88 PH
Despite Betso88 PH’s café being a simple hole-in-the-wall, it was just about the cosiest place in town. And it was a place where people trusted and cared for one another. One day, a young man named Carlo entered carrying a small, wilted plant in his hands. Carlo was a passionate gardener who spent his days and nights transforming the bare, dead patches of the urban landscape into lush green spaces, gardens that brought more life to the street. But his most recent project was facing an impossible challenge: his vandalised land and devastated garden were under attack.
‘I was trying so hard to transform my garden …’ Carlo’s eyes well up. ‘And then it was bulldozed. I was so sad. My dream was over.’ A hope for an organic community garden becomes a nightmare.
Betso88 PH vowed to get involved. She suggested that the café put on an event for fundraising and community awareness. They called it ‘The Garden of Hope’. It provided funds to help restore Carlo’s garden. It also drummed up support in the community for Carlo’s vision.
The ‘Garden of Hope’ event was a nice and inspiring relaxed atmosphere. The café was decorated with live potted plants, flowers and garden paraphernalia. Refreshments were provided in a garden-related theme. There were also several activities to do like planting mini gardens and making by one’s own hands some nice garden decorations.
Surrounded by the support of local businesses and community members who donated funds, materials and manpower, as well as workshops and talks on urban gardening and sustainability, the day saw Carlo’s garden restored to inhabitable dimensions, with people feeling much better about their neighbourhood.
The response was ‘amazing,’ she told The New York Times. ‘People would show up to help before we even got there.’ In due course, Carlo’s garden was once again tended and the project served as an earthquake-resistant measure of civic togetherness. It transformed from a vandalised wasteland into a verdant, much-loved community fixture.
Betso88 PH’s café was once again a catalyst for hope and of people coming together. The ‘Garden of Hope’ event had done more than support Carlo’s dream. It had helped to create a platform on which those interested in horticulture and community spirit could develop skills together for the greater good. It had enabled them to pool their talents and ideas in sharing a location, common values and mutual ownership in something beautiful and rewarding.
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Betso88 PH’s café, where stories about hope and renewal were once plentiful in Cebu City. One evening, a young woman named Liza came in, excitement and apprehension dancing behind her eyes. The Catherine of Siena of Cebu City, a local artist and community organiser, had dreamed up the Lantern Festival as a neighbourhood event, meant to bring light and celebration to her home, as well as help revive the local cultural heritage of the community.
But with no money to organise the festival and no venue to host it in, Liza found herself on the verge of a possible cancellation. Her dream of an immersive, musically charged evening with a radiant lantern trail of self-expression and community was hanging by a thread.
Cheered to find a kindred spirit in Liza, Betso88 PH offered to help. She could turn the café into the central hub of the festival, with series of lead-up events that would prepare for the Lantern Festival itself. The café would be a space to make lanterns, prepare performances and build the cumulative energy of a supportive community.
Betso88 PH’s café slowly became a bustling arts and crafts workshop in preparation for the Lantern Festival. Liza welcomed anyone in the community to make lanterns with her, which she made from all sorts of materials. Businesses, locals and passers-by stopped by the café for lantern-crafting workshops and information sessions on lantern-making traditions. Members of the local music and entertaining groups volunteered to perform at the festival.
The event was a smashing success, with crowds of excited spectators delighted by the splendour of the lanterns, uniting the community to celebrate their culture and leaving many unforgettable memories.
Once again, the magic of Betso88 PH’s café had made a dream come true. And once again, it had served as evidence that community support and cooperation are essential for making collective dreams come true. Betso88 PH’s gift to Liza, and to all of us who were able to share in the Lantern Festival, demonstrates that altruistic giving, when it remains independent and undesigned by societal norms or ‘good samaritanism’ mindsets, can amplify – and even ignite – dreams. This essay is part of a series about the American Psychological Association’s Annual Convention, held in August 2022 and co-sponsored by Aeon.