When HR at Acumen Strategy Consultants, a Filipino-led consulting company, proposed a fun, no-brainer day away from work, the majority of the Acumen Tribe voted to spend it with abandoned elderly residents of Bahay Kanlungan in Muntinlupa City. Partnering with Compassionate Community Kitchen, they played games, helped serve lunch and exchanged stories — and left feeling they were the ones blessed.
Just a few months after joining Acumen as part of the People Team, I can say I have met the brightest people in the consulting industry. Their intellectual horsepower is palpable, but they are also a fun-loving Tribe.
How a team day off became an outreach for the elderly
When we in HR proposed a fun, no-brainer day away from work, we were thinking of bowling or other typical group leisure activities. But we were pleasantly surprised when the majority voted to do an outreach for the elderly.
What we did at Bahay Kanlungan in Muntinlupa City
Bahay Kanlungan is a facility in Muntinlupa City that provides care for abandoned elderly people. In partnership with Compassionate Community Kitchen (CCK), the Acumen Tribe visited the facility.
The lolos and lolas (grandfathers and grandmothers) there played games with us, decorated cookies with us and even indulged us in a light Zumba workout led by one of our very own Tribe members.
As lunchtime approached, some Acumen volunteers helped distribute the nutritious food prepared by the CCK team. Some volunteered to feed the elderly who were bedridden and had to stay in their rooms. Most of us stayed in the activity room and assisted the lolos and lolas while they ate. It was a precious moment, listening to and exchanging stories with them — a privilege to learn about their journey through life.
What the visit meant to the residents — and to the Tribe
It was refreshing to see the Acumen Tribe in a non-work setting, but what made the day even more special was knowing that these very busy people chose to spend their time with the elderly and show them compassion.
As the Bahay Kanlungan staff told us, the lolos and lolas have no families to care for them and were turned over to the facility either by their barangays (the smallest units of local government) or by Muntinlupa Hospital. It makes them really happy when they get visitors who interact with them. At the end of our visit, we felt we were the ones blessed to have had the opportunity to serve the lolos and lolas.
We were also grateful for the chance to meet the other Tribe members and engage in a meaningful experience together. Personally, I felt proud at that moment to be part of the Acumen Tribe — a Tribe with a heart big enough to enable organizations to transform and do small acts of kindness to give back to the community.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bahay Kanlungan?
Bahay Kanlungan is a facility in Muntinlupa City that provides care for abandoned elderly people. According to the facility's staff, its residents have no families to care for them and were turned over to it either by their barangays or by Muntinlupa Hospital.
What did the Acumen team do at Bahay Kanlungan?
The Acumen Tribe played games with the residents, decorated cookies with them and joined a light Zumba workout led by a Tribe member. At lunch, volunteers helped distribute nutritious food prepared by Compassionate Community Kitchen (CCK), fed bedridden residents in their rooms and assisted others in the activity room as they ate. They also spent time listening to and exchanging stories with the residents.
How did Acumen's team decide on an outreach for the elderly?
The team voted for it. When Acumen's HR team proposed a fun, no-brainer day away from work, it expected bowling or a similar leisure activity, but the majority chose an outreach for the elderly instead.
What is the Acumen Tribe?
The Acumen Tribe is what Acumen Strategy Consultants, a Filipino-led consulting company, calls its people. A member of its People Team describes the Tribe as people of palpable intellectual horsepower who are also fun-loving, with a heart big enough to enable organizations to transform and to give back to the community through small acts of kindness.
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