Dynamic Duo
Brothers Diego and Andro Barrientos are long-time NVC Young Ambassadors. The list of things they’ve done to help others through the foundation goes on and on. To name a few, they’ve collected and cleaned Nespresso capsules to be used for our crafts. They’ve also raised funds for families in Marawi. And of course, they’ve been quite active at supporting our Mingo Meals Nutrition Program. They’ve even gotten many of their classmates involved in our efforts.
Center: Diego and Andro collecting funds for Mingo for Marawi. Right: The boys organizing some of the many Nespresso coffee capsules they’ve collected and cleaned.
Cool Kicks
Both brothers are gifted tennis players. Diego, now a university student in the US, plays tennis for his school’s team. Meanwhile, Andro is currently enrolled at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy. Andro’s tennis skills so impressed an uncle of his that the uncle decided to gift Andro with something very special: brand Nike Zoom Vapor RF x AJ3 in ‘Fire Red’. What makes these shoes even more special is that they were signed by tennis legend Roger Federer himself! They come in the original box, with the original tag and a certificate of authenticity.
Andro could have kept these rare collectible items for himself. Or, he could have sold them and used the money on himself. Instead, he decided to use them for a good cause. He spoke to his uncle to get permission, “Is it alright with you if I used it to raise money for less fortunate children?” Hearing that, Andro’s uncle gave Andro the green light. Andro auctioned off the shoes at the Salcedo Auctions ‘Under the Tree: The Wish List’, an online action on November 2. 2022. As you can imagine, the shoes fetched quite an impressive amount!
Upgrading the Mingo Plant
Andro’s first instinct was to use the gift of the shoes to help others. Initially, he thought of enrolling hungry children in our Mingo Meals Nutrition Program. But after speaking with NVC President Millie Kilayko, he saw how the gift could be used in a different way. He found out that the foundation was looking into upgrading the equipment of the Mingo Meals production plant. In the end, he decided to use the proceeds of the auctioned shoes to support this cause.
On July 3, 2023 Andro and his brother Diego visited the production plant where Andro turned over the proceeds of the auctioned shoes. After that, the strong lads helped move around heavy boxes at the plant.
We are so grateful that these young men have such kind hearts! And a big thank you to Andro for his latest gift!