On April 4, La Concha Spa massage therapist Ana Doriza Navia held a marathon massage session, performing 15 massages in a row. All the money and tips collected went directly toward building family dwellings for the homeless in the Philippines.

Navia, born and raised on this archipelago in Southeastern Asia, originally had the idea of holding a marathon massage day at La Concha to make it into the Guinness World Record books. When she discovered the process would be too complicated to complete, she decided to change her strategy and offer multiple massages for a good cause. The date she chose—April 4—also happened to be her 36th birthday.

Navia decided to commemorate her special day by raising money and awareness for those less fortunate in her native country.

Rene Punsalan, a client and friend of Navia's for three years, says the fundraiser fits her personality as a hardworking, caring person.

"On a person's birthday, you usually want to pamper yourself, but that is just what she is doing for everyone else," he says.

Navia began the fundraising event at 7:30 a.m. and by 10:30 p.m., she had raised $2,000. Some of her longtime clients even stopped by the spa during the day, without a massage appointment, just to donate money.

Punsalan, one of those clients, adds, "I think this is a very noble cause, because the money is going toward helping people. But I get tired just hearing about how many massages she will be giving."

At first glance it's hard to imagine that Navia, who stands only 4 feet 11 inches, can perform this marathon feat, but according to Punsalan, Navia's hands are quite strong.

Navia says, "I work out for about two hours a day, doing cardio and weights, so I'm stronger than people think."

Her years in massage work have also taken her around the globe. She spent three years at a palace in Saudi Arabia giving massages to a granddaughter of King Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Saud, who became the country's ruler in 1932.

Now she is using her healing hands in Willow Glen.

One of Navia's 15 clients, Mario Castellon, drove down from Redwood City to support the fundraiser. He comes to La Concha once a month to experience Navia's deep-massage techniques. He heard about the event after Navia called him and asked for his support.

"This is just a natural extension of her personality," Castellon says. "She is very committed to helping others."

The nonprofit Answering the Cry of the Poor Foundation that helped sponsor the event also showed its appreciation by providing food and cake in the waiting room for customers.

Answering the Cry of the Poor Foundation representative Lillian Ramirez says the money raised will go directly toward the construction of family homes in the Philippines and will also be used to help students attend school. It is one of numerous branches that began in the Philippines under the program named Couples for Christ.

The foundation is reaching out to the poorest of the poor in Third World nations until "no more slums" are found in the Philippines.

"Our goal is to build 700,000 homes for the poor in 7,000 areas in seven years," Ramirez says.

When Navia moved to California she became a foundation member, after finding out about the organization from friends. Being a member enables her to stay connected to the Philippines, her family and friends, even though she lives several time zones away.

"I did this because I wanted to prove something to myself," Navia says. "This is for the people who don't have a home to live in. God has given me a gift of this kind of talent, and I'm just using it to help people of the Philippines."

For more information about Answering the Cry of the Poor, call 408.238.5968.