A TOP official of the Visayas State University was conferred the Good Samaritan Award by the Department of Education for her initiatives on Special Education.

VSU Vice President for Student Affairs and Services Dr. Aleli Villocino started SPED Day Camp for children with special needs.

“Every year for almost a decade now, VSU MAPEH majors under Dr. Villocino’s tutelage have gathered children with special needs and disabilities from the Baybay City North SPED Center,” VSU said.

“The children are presented with art, music, modified sports, recreational games including dance, and various outdoor activities to nurture their love for the environment and improve their psychomotor skills while also having fun,” it added.

The university said Villocino organized the one-day event that included a campus tour and awarding of prizes where each child receives a special medal courtesy of the Institute of Human Kinetics.

Villocino expressed her gratitude to the VSU administration, as well as SPED teachers, parents, caregivers, and other special education advocates.

“This award may bear my name on it but in truth, this recognition belongs more to the Learners with Special Education Needs of Baybay North SPED Center that I have had the privilege to serve since 2004,” she said.

She vowed to continue the SPED Day Camp program.

“We are exploring to organize a virtual counterpart of the SPED Day Camp because I think we need this right now more than ever. In fact, we should be more proactive in providing regular attention to our special children because this pandemic is surely taking a toll on their mental health the same way that it is affecting all of us,” Villocino pointed out.