Scholarship

By Jun Gonzales

July 8, 2012

During the fall of 2011, I wrote letters to friends seeking donations for our association. I had used the verbiage about our need for funds to finance our social gatherings and other initiatives of the organization. I received feedback that members and friends would be more supportive towards PAMANA if it had more worthy causes and programs and did not just operate as a social group. This made me think about what other initiatives we needed to achieve to make our association more effective when it came to soliciting donations. Also, there was a need to rechannel the purpose and goal of the organization and focus on giving back to the community. I have always felt that we need to evolve PAMANA with the changing environment we live in, otherwise we become irrelevant.

My parents were always proponents of education. My dad came from a very poor family and had worked and financed his own education by working odd jobs and made a lot of sacrifices until he earned his college degree. He always told me that education is your passport to the world; it is self-empowerment, and a path to a better quality of life. I will never forget their words.

There are so many deserving children that have the desire, aptitude and drive to pursue an education but may not necessarily have the means to fulfill their aspirations. Each of them has a compelling story to tell of what they want to be and how they wish they had the financial support to be a teacher, a nurse or a lawyer.

With the experiences I learned from my parents and with the goal of providing educational assistance to these children in need, I suggested this idea to the Board about setting some funds we have for scholarships. PAMANA at this time was also granted a very rare privilege of being a 501(c) (3) public charity organization by the IRS which meant that donations given to the association were deductible in the tax returns of donors. I thought this would be a game changer for the organization.

A committee was set up in February of 2012 to study and create policy statements for this endeavor. I am deeply indebted to Dr. Jessica De Leon Valdez (new board member) who worked on the policy and continues to be a major contributor to this critical initiative.

Thank you to all who have contributed to this scholarship fund. I am hoping that others will be as generous as you in support of this very worthwhile cause.