During our Give to LIFE! dinner last November 15 at the Every Nation building in Fort Bonifacio, I saw the power of cooperation and collaboration. It was amazing cause everyone involved brought something unique and valuable to the mix, and the result was a beautiful evening that raised a generous amount for the poor. 

Three thoughts on collaboration:
1. There has to be a common goal - everyone part of planning and executing the dinner knew that the purpose was to raising funds for the underprivileged recipients of  Real LIFE, and everyone aligned their actions and contributions to achieve that goal.

2. Bring what you already have - no one had to learn new skills to contribute. People just gave and volunteered what they already were capable of doing. This not only saves time on steep learning curves, but ensures that people are functioning in posts already familiar to them. If we were to go at this alone, Doc would be singing and I would be cooking - both are scary thoughts! Everyone is critical. 
3. Everyone is welcome! (Well, sort of…) - I can never understand people or groups who raise the collaboration flag but insist on a “we can do everything ourselves” atmosphere. The whole idea is to mark the areas of weakness, find people with complimentary strengths, and to work together with a healthy respect for what each one brings to the table. There is power in collaborating within an organization, but there is a greater opportunity when working with people from outside. We don’t really have a choice in Real LIFE given our small size, but collaborating with others has allowed us to do more than we would have on our own.  

These are my humble observations. The success of that evening was really because of the many people who contributed their time, money, skills, and connections, and we’re very grateful for that. 

In behalf of Dr. Joey and the Real LIFE Foundation, I would like to thank everyone who helped us with our dinner: Give to LIFE! The evening would not have been the same without you.We would like to specifically thank the following:
1. Laica Marquez (for planning EVERYTHING)
2. Tina Pamintuan (for arranging the food)
3. Chef Jessie Sincioco and Le Soufle (for the amazing food!)
4. Colby Delacalsada and Jazz Bureau (for the incredible music!)
5. Crystal Henares and the Belo Medical Group (for the beautiful table centerpieces)
6. Alex Compton and Joyce Titular (for doing a great job hosting)
7. Every Nation (for allowing us to use their facility)
8. All the volunteers (who are too many to mention, but were a huge help!)