PAY IT FORWARD

Written by:

Rhoda M. De Ocampo 2020 President, JCI Ortigas

2020 had been unexpectedly extraordinary. It was a year in history when a pandemic struck the world and forced us to change our norms. Here we are now, still in the new normal - trying to push on, while we look out and take care of each other’s health for the sake of those we love. To each of you watching today, I wish us all good health a kinder, brighter 2021.

Becoming the 17th JCI Ortigas LO President was not a path I did not plan or expect. I joined JCI because I wanted to give back in some way. In 2017, PP Raymond Lising’s thrust of responsible leadership struck a chord in me. JCI Ortigas was well known for fellowship projects but we also mean serious business. As I immersed further I’ve felt that palpable energy within the chapter - that aspires to getting better every single year. I felt this even more strongly through PP Tersh Tupas who tapped me to be part of her BOD in 2019 and eventually opened the more weighty challenge of taking the chapter’s leadership after her (such big shoes to fill!)

So there I was, a JCI newbie taking on that next big challenge. What pushed me to go against my original plan to just be a happy member supposedly after PP Tersh’s term was done? It’s that call to continue what the leaders before me has worked hard to built beautifully. When I decided to take the leadership role as LO president, I was certain that it’s not going to be an easy ride. There will be uncertainties along the way. I was ready to embrace the unknown because I was sure I wanted to be an agent of change for our dear chapter. My mission was crystal clear - cultivate a pay-it-forward culture within the organization and inspire people to do more, be more and give more.

We kicked off early in 2019 from BOD Strat Planning in September and rolled out our first project days after NatCon in October 2019. I remember bringing my bouncing 2 year old toddler to the National Conference at CamSur because he just didn’t want to be away from mommy. Thanks to our trusted nanny, I was able to multi-task between mommy and presidential duties. We were faced with natural disasters as early as October - earthquakes, fire - name it, we had it! For us that time, it could just be one of the usual disasters that we’ll quickly recover from, just like any year. I fondly remember holding our grand recruitment night in November with 30 attendees - for a Category 2 chapter like us, 30 is already a big number for one night. I look back with gratefulness to our past presidents who graced our face to face GMMs since October 2019 through February 2021. It was a delight for the new generation of members to see. To our private and public partners who enabled us to make our trainings and commdev projects rolling consistently month on month - we keep going because of people who trust us, and the members who continue to show up.

I would say the momentum was on a high, I was 4 months into my term - until I was caught off guard by a personal tragedy. We discovered my dad was sick, and I was confronted with scary thought : Life is short, how do we want to spend it with our loved ones? Unknown to most of you, this uncertainty shook me to the point of letting go. Because time was against me. I spent days in the hospital because we knew our dad needed us everyday and it matters like a lifetime. From hospital trips to coming home to my toddler at night, so I could

nurse him to sleep - he would literally just wait for me to come home, every single night, no matter what time I arrived. I took a space of rest and quietude to calm my mind who was scared that the end was near. I thought about resigning, but when I remembered my WHY - why I decided to take on the presidency, I knew I would still not have the heart to let go.

To my 2020 team of directors, you are the main reason why I chose not to let go. Thank you for being with me in my darkest days. Thank you for allowing me to lead you. I look forward to see the day that each of you will become bigger champions of positive change in what ever field you choose to pursue, and also here in JCI. January was hard because my father was sick. It wasn’t easy to plan and make decisions at the height of a personal and natural disaster. But we kept going, together. My dad was released from confinement and he stayed with me in our home while he recuperated, - I knew I wanted my kids and myself to spend more time with him. I even borrowed him from my mom. I thought things will be all well there after. I was proud to say we were also very supportive of Regional and Area Projects. We had the strongest chapter delegations for National Training Month. Back in March I was interviewed for a radio show and I was talking about women empowerment and JCI - what it stands for and why it’s worth your time. I saw my dad after, that same day and we had family lunch near the hospital where he had a follow up visit. It was a happy day. 3 days after, he died of a heart attack.

To my batch mates who also lost a father like me, I mourn with you. Let’s keep all the good memories of our loved ones alive. Just after I lost my dad, the lockdown happened. We all have stories of how we rose up to the situation. Because of JCI we were able to become vessels of hope. Through team effort, and thanks to our donors, we donated 33,000 PPEs to frontliners at the height of the pandemic. Things will not always go the way we want it. But the tragedy and uncertainty of 2020 all molded us Hiraya presidents to muster extra resilience and political will to make decisions. I had frustrations along the way but we just make the best of what can be done given limitations. When things were not exactly as we hope for, I just always remind myself to lead with the heartand the mind. And everything will be okay. To my Hiraya Batchmates, congratulations for our one year to lead. Tough is definitely an understatement.

I’d like to share 3 lessons I learned that enabled me to hurdle through the challenges of the presidency.

1. Be clear with your mission. My mission was clear at the very start. I wanted to cultivate a pay-it-forward culture- which was the very essence why I joined JCI in the first place. I wanted to empower others to believe more in themselves. I wanted to be a vessel of hope for others and inspire more people to take a step forward and make a choice to be active instead of just being a bystander. And when things go harder, I just go back to my why and my mission why I chose to do this in the first place.

2. Strive for growth not perfection. Every term is different , and so are the circumstance of every person in the chapter. Small improvements take you to the higher road. Enjoy the journey of the present. The changes today will be the building blocks of a better tomorrow.

3. Nurture love and connections in your heart. Whatever cause you decide to fight for, make sure to keep love in your heart - for your family, for what you do and the people you meet along the way. I have been honored to meet a wealth of good hearted people, new friends within the JCI community. To my Hiraya batchmates, advocacy partners, and new friends, I am grateful for the new friendships. I wish we can catch up on lost time when this is all over.

Before I close, I pass this leadership role to the 2021 Board of Directors. I am sure 2021 will be a better year with our set of high potential leaders. Keep the love for our chapter alive. Continue striving for excellence. Lead with the head and the heart. I close my presidency with my tanks full - there is fulfillment from JCI that no money can buy. It’s that fulfillment knowing we’ve helped others when help was badly needed. From millions worth of of donations done during the course of the pandemic last year, to smaller things unpublished but etched permanently in my heart… like raising future leaders, partnering with excellent advocates for mental health, environment conservation, women empowerment or disaster risk preparedness… or that small act of kindness for a frontliner without a PPE to use at the height of the pandemic, reaching off-coast community of students in Romblon with no access to water or giving hope to those who are stuck below poverty level. All these I lose my words for, but it is because of JCI that my heart expanded so much bigger because I know being an agent of positive change is something I would like to do even quietly, or past my JCI age (which is 2 years from now).

It’s been a great honor to serve and lead. Congratulations to all of us who decided to amplify the voice of the youth to do more for others. Positive change doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s just always done with decisiveness to change something for the better one person, one project at a time.

Be bold. Be brave. Be the light.