Current MIF college scholars
By Mila Glodava
Currently, Metro Infanta Foundation has 12 college and two post-graduate scholars supported by grants from Weckbaugh Foundation, Cavan Corporation, Our Sunday Visitor and various families. The Catholic Association of Schools of the Prelature of Infanta (CASPI) recommends the scholars who best demonstrate leadership qualities. Initially, 10 scholars were chosen as the first batch of MIF scholars. Beginning this year, however, MIF will fund two scholars every year until they graduate. We hope to continue this process for as long as we can find donors to sustain this program.
As mentioned earlier, Socio Pastoral Institute (SPI) will serve as our mission partner in the Philippines to coordinate, to disburse funds, monitor progress, and submit regular reports to CASPI and Metro Infanta Foundation. SPI will also provide support to the scholars so that they are aware of the tremendous opportunity Metro Infanta Foundation provides for them to become contributing members of society. SPI has designated Mayee Abear-Marzan to coordinate all funding, monitoring, and reporting of grants and their recipients. Mayee will also develop annual leadership programs for the scholars.
Our long-term goal is to grow this important feature of the Metro Infanta Foundation to develop future servant leaders. You might notice, however, that most of the scholar sponsors are not from Infanta, but we hope this will change in the future. We hope to encourage our successful kababayans to support this important human development program to give our next generation a better future.
In an effort to encourage leadership, MIF requires that scholars perform community service (high school) or organize an "Impact Project" to show their leadership skills. The post-graduate students seem to have a good grasp of this requirement, but the college scholars seem to have a difficulty understanding or implementing their Impact Projects. Some think that just doing a community service or just volunteering is sufficient. This is not so.
Metro Infanta Foundation aims at developing future leaders and therefore would like to see scholars showcase their gifts and talents for the common good. This is the reason we acquired the services of Socio Pastoral Institute to assist our current and future scholars in understanding this requirement for them to continue to receive their scholarship grants. SPI will therefore assist the scholars and help them be aware of their talents and leadership skills and use them to implement their "Impact Projects." Families who designate scholarships to students of their choice must understand, and abide by, this and other requirements for MIF scholars.
Frederick Rili, one of our two post-graduate scholars at Lyceum University, organized, along with community leaders in his neighborhood, a credit cooperative bank, and it's proving to be a very successful undertaking. Members pool their resources together and lend to its other at reasonable interest at times of financial difficulties. The credit cooperative, with more than PhP256,000, is meant to be self-generating and self-propelling.
We are very proud of Frederick's accomplishment. This is one example of leadership that we would like to inculcate among our scholars.
Remember, Metro Infanta Foundation began as an "Impact Project" which has, in the last 10 years taken a life of its own and has proved to be an invaluable resource for the Metro Infanta towns of Burdeos, General Nakar, Infanta, Polillo and Real, and beyond. To date, we have distributed more than $262,000 (that's more than a quarter of a million dollars folks) or more than 13 million pesos in grants to many civic, religious, educational and humanitarian causes. In addition, because of efforts by Metro Infanta Foundation, another $150,000 or 7.5 million pesos made its way to various causes in Metro Infanta and the Philippines at large. Please check out an article posted July 31, 2006 for details.
Anyway, here are 2006-2007 scholars supported by Metro Infanta Foundation:
Leomar Eusebio, National Teachers College
Jane Talento, MCC Baler
Roland Eresmas, MCC Casiguran
Judith Padua, MCC Baler
Rosechelle Lagao, MCC Baler
Ronnie Quaimbao, MCC Baler
Carmela Prudencio, Polytechnic of the Philippines
Cherylyn Calangi, Batangas University
Michael Icasiano, Adamson University
Lydwyn Icasiano (school unknown)
Kaci Sequito, St. Joseph School
Nino Formaran, National College of Business Administration
Post Graduate Scholars, Lyceum University
Frederick Rili
Manette Mandario
If interested in funding a scholar for the coming school year, please contact us at editor@infanta.org or send your donation to Metro Infanta Foundation, 7350 Braun Way, Arvada, CO 80005.