Angels in the Sky Garden

There is no stopping this 51 year-old Certified Autism Angel. He grabs every opportunity and his gut feeling drives him to be one of the best photographers in the country. With his tough demeanor, he can be intimidating but he has always kept a soft spot for children with autism.

John Chua, a veteran advertising photographer, dreams of photo-workshops for CWAs in ASP Chapters. His vision rubs off to other photographers and amateurs, who all volunteer to help with this project. And they are many, strangers to the word of autism.

New found friendships blossomed between 16 CWAs and their mentors. They bonded as they strolled along the beautiful landscape of tropical trees and shrubs; a colorful contrast to the concrete jungles in Quezon City. The children made paper boats and floated them in the pond.

Special moments suspended in time, captured by the 10 cameras donated by Canon Philippines, through CEO Ramon Arteficio. Excited to see their photos, these shutterbugs were given opportunities to choose their favorite photos as they were loaded to the laptop. After which, their masterpieces were printed at that very moment, with Selphi printers, courtesy of Canon. 

"For me, special children are the sweetest kids on earth. Click here to watch this video on how they enjoyed the event together with their loving family,” says Joel Garcia, photographer. “The timeless smile, the emotions, the joy of these children even for a day, we let them know that they are indeed God’s children and they deserved all the attention, love and caring.”

On July 12, this angel flew to the Sky Garden of SM North EDSA to meet children with autism, their families and volunteer photographers. “It was not an ordinary orientation for the photographers about what and what not to shoot,” said Cathy Genovia, ASP’s program assistant. John introduced the volunteers one by one to their special partners.

“The children distributed to the volunteers Angel Baller Bands, a small gesture of gratitude, a testament to how their lives were touched. Angels fly in the sky. They also fly in gardens.

The Colors of the Sky Garden and Colors of A Spectrum Exhibits at SM TheBlock North EDSA, QC ran from July 17-23, 2009 in celebration of the 31^st NDPR Week