Mañana or Not

Below is our scholarship project schedule timeline giving you an idea on critical dates we all should be aware of.

Please click on the image below to get a full view.

You all have received the latest fund update and quite easily you can tell some of us are a little behind in their pledge payments, hence we are short of our target goal.

I can only hope that all of you who have not made their pledge payments are just inhibiting the old “Mañana” habit, exercising their procrastinating style so to speak, and not for any other reasons.

Please continue to support our effort to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged kids like Patrick and Angelyn. Below are details of our SDA Batch ’78 bank account:

Banco de Oro
SM City Bicutan Branch
Dona Soledad Ave corner West Service Road
Bicutan, Paranaque City 1700

Account Name: St. Dominic Academy Batch ’78 Alumni Association, Inc.
Peso Account No: 152-801-2794

OR personally deliver your donations to Eva Fajardo/Paperbox Store/Rowena Castillo.

Please make sure to clearly indicate your intention that the donation is meant for this particular scholarship project.

More importantly, always obtain a receipt for all your donations. Also, notify us of your payment via email at ediboyd@yahoo.com or egfajardo61@yahoo.com.

I thank you all in advance for understanding my concerns. I sure hope all is well with you and family.

Meet the Scholars

You would wish you were there the day when the contract was signed and officially declared the two new scholars of SDA Batch ’78 Night High School.

I too wished the same to witness and experience the moment when parents of the kids were in tears as they signed on the dotted line.

It was a very touching and humbling moment to say the least.

Needless to say, everyone present felt a great, wonderful feeling knowing these two talented kids are secured and need not have to worry about their school needs until they graduate in the summer of 2015.

Some of you may have not realized yet or have second thoughts about our true intentions but I am willing to bet you will feel the same way like those people who were witnesses.

It was truly a great feeling!

Thanks to y'all who continue to offer their financial support, their time, and their prayers. Without a doubt, with all your help we can accomplish many things so please continue to support our effort.

It’s never too late...be part of this experience.

Classmates and friends, please meet our two scholars, Patrick Vasallo and Angelyn Galia:

 

Patrick & Angelyn, Our Scholars

I am happy to inform all of you that Patrick Vasallo and Angelyn Gaila were chosen to be our scholars for this school year 2010-11 after going thru the competitive process. Their complete profiles will be posted here soon.

Lilia, Susan, Teng, Vic, Dory, Precy, Violy, and Claire Melebo were there to witnesses the signing of the contract. Wena was also there but had to leave early because of prior commitment.

Many thanks to all of them for participating in the interview and selection process.

In addition, special thanks also to Precy and Teng who made their pledges. Monthly update of our funds will be email to all soon.

Please continue to support our effort to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged kids like Patrick and Angelyn. Below are details of our SDA Batch ’78 bank account:

Banco de Oro
SM City Bicutan Branch
Dona Soledad Ave corner West Service Road
Bicutan, Paranaque City 1700

Account Name: St. Dominic Academy Batch ’78 Alumni Association, Inc.
Peso Account No: 152-801-2794

OR personally deliver your donations to Eva Fajardo/Paperbox Store/Rowena Castillo.

Please make sure to clearly indicate your intention that the donation is meant for this particular scholarship project.

More importantly, always obtain a receipt for all your donations. Also, notify us of your payment via email at ediboyd@yahoo.com or egfajardo61@yahoo.com.

We are all winners!

The recent alumni homecoming like I mentioned in the SDA alumni website was an eventful one. One thing I didn’t mention just yet is that we actually won something...kaserola...hehehe

Di ko alam kung paano natin paghahati-hatian ‘to. Maghiraman na lang tayo kung meron kayong gustong lutuin na espeyal. Anyway, magkakapit-bahay lang naman tayo!

Syanga pala, maraming salamat ulit sa mga nagbigay recently ng kani-kanilang alumni membership fees and of course dun din sa mga nag-donate para sa scholarship project natin. The most recent one was Ed SanP, who recently made a trip to the Philippines from Africa with his wonderful family. Pero yung contribution nya di umabot sa year-end report I sent all fo you. Sa next update na lang pinsan, for sure andun na name mo. Salamat ulit sa lahat ng support and participation.

The complete listing (as of 2009 year-end) of all who made their payments/donations is in the last fund report update I emailed you earlier. If you didn’t receive them or have trouble reading the files, please let me know.

As always, kung may tanong kayo or comments, concerns, suggestions and whatnot, just shoot me an email or put your comments down here. Okie dokie?

Pics from our Christmas party, thanks Wena for hosting it:

Year 2009 Quick Review

As members of SDA Batch ’78 (automatic or honorary), we have a lot to be proud of and be thankful for. Dami nating accomplishments as a group for this year 2009.

First, we are now considered a legal entity with the successful SEC registration of our batch name. Cheers to St. Dominic Academy Batch 78 Alumni Association, Inc. (aka SDA Batch '78)

Meron na rin tayong bank account sa BDO under the same legal entity name we established thru SEC.

We also have a good accounting system for our batch funds. Every cent is accounted for and reported to all on a monthly basis.

We have full transparency in everything that we do, available for perusal on our website and thru sometimes annoying emails I sent y’all. :-) We’re open 24/7 for scrutiny, if one wishes to probe of our operations.

Another big thing is the scholarship project I proposed earlier. It is moving forward, thanks to you!

Understandably, not everyone agreed to the proposal...or some just don’t see it as a priority for them...or perhaps some, even if they really want to, just don’t have the capacity to offer financial support at this time.

No problemo amigas, amigo!

Good thing is we have some loving peeps supporting the scholarship project, really putting their money where their mouth is, without hesitation. Some cutely doing it anonymously, mysteriously.;-)

And mind you, a few are even outside of our core group...special thanks to them...

...with a kiss! hehehe

Pero di pa huli ang lahat for those who wishes to be part and help make a dream come true for deserving night high school kids. We still badly need your support, financial or otherwise. Whatever help or support you can offer us...a cent, a prayer or something else, all very much appreciated!

I am confident the scholarship project will be a successful one...many thanks to all those who have already shown their supports and made their pledges! The project is moving the right direction folks...”oh thank you very much”, sabi nga ni Elvis. :-)

My only wish is for this coming year 2010 is that sana marami pang mag-participate para ma-expand natin ang scope ng scholarship project natin… or makagawa pa tayo ng iba pang projects...like my dream library. hehehe

More importantly, we have an open-door policy so anyone can ask questions and raise any concerns, if there’s any, about how we operate as a group. Always feel free to ask when you have questions or doubts. Nothing is personal here so don't hate my guts for being so uber-aggressive and pro-active; we all have the same goal. ;-)

So all of you give yourself a pat on the back, congratulate yourself for a job well done in 2009. You really just didn’t talk the talk, you actually walked the walk. Maraming Salamat Po!

Oh yeah, Happy 2010 nga pala! hehehe...Cheers to the new year!

Ultimate Goal

The pledge season will NEVER be over until we reach our ultimate goal. I’m still calling all who have not made their pledges to please consider doing so.

Your time is now!

Just because we have already met our target, doesn’t mean pledging should stop?

What you should all realize is that the goal reached so far was just the initial one. Providing scholarship to two souls is NOT the ultimate goal at all. It is only the by-product of the effort to bring us ALL together in unity, in harmony...

...playing good music together...

...in a concert hall,

like a symphony!

Unfortunately, we’re still short on that one...evidently!

Just like I’ve been saying and preaching you all since this scholarship project begun to unfold, all of the money pledged and contributed will ONLY be used for this specific project. Let me make it clear to all that any unused money will either be returned to the contributor or put somewhere else depending on what will be agreed upon by all who put their money on it. Rest assured that your pledge and support, financial or otherwise, will not be for naught.

I said it once and I’ll say it again,

Every pledge count, every peso counts.

We would rather have A MILLION OF US donating one peso each, than have a handful giving big amounts. That means a million of us are getting involved. Not just a few.

Moving forward 5 years or so from now after our scholars get their high school diploma; I would like to see them continue to pursue their quest for knowledge at the college level under our guided wings, still financially supporting them until the day they become real professional in their field of studies and ready to face that tough world out there with full confidence and maturity, determined to make something of what WE, in all unity, opened the door for them...and offered them, unselfishly.

Now, that’s the ultimate goal!

Revised: Night High School Scholarship Guidelines

I made some revisions to the initial draft posted here.

Revisions were made in particular to Section III - Funding and Coverage and Section VIII - Administrative.

Please review and let me know if you have any concerns, questions, comments, and/or suggestions. Our new email address is sdabatch78 at yahoo.com

Night High School Scholarship Agreement

Here's a sample of the Scholarship Agreement the Student/Parent need to sign prior to officially awarding the scholarship grant, as mentioned in the Scholarship Guidelines posted earlier.

As always, if you have any input you would like to share regarding all this, please don't hesitate to post them here or email to me directly if you prefer. If you have any questions, please refer back to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Ciao!

Night High School Scholarship Guidelines

Please click the bottom lower right corner icon for fullscreen display of the documents.

Night High School Scholarship Project Timeline & OR

This project timeline gives you an idea of the typical schedule we should follow in order for us to be successful with our project implementation. It’s pretty straight-forward with critical dates set for starts and deadlines of pledge payments, as well as special events that will occur as related to this scholarship project.

Click on any of the image to get a clearer view of it.

You may all now start fulfilling your pledges. Please.

Here is a copy of our blank Official Receipt (OR) for your reference.

If making payment directly to our bank account via remittance or bank-to-bank transfer, please send us a copy of the transaction confirming the money transfer for proper accounting.

Money can be sent directly to an already established SDA Batch ’78 bank account at:

Banco de Oro
SM City Bicutan Branch
Dona Soledad Ave corner West Service Road
Bicutan, Paranaque City 1700

Account Name: St. Dominic Academy Batch ’78 Alumni Association, Inc.
Peso Account No: 152-801-2794

or personally deliver your donations to Eva Fajardo/Paperbox Store/Rowena Castillo.

Please make sure to clearly indicate your intention that the donation is meant for this particular scholarship project.

More importantly, always obtain a receipt for all your donations. Also, notify us of your payment via email at ediboyd@yahoo.com or egfajardo61@yahoo.com.

Our FAQ has answers to frequently asked questions regarding this scholarship project.

FAQ: Night High School Scholarship Project

Please click the icon on the lower right corner at the bottom for fullscreen display of the documents.

“On-Target”

Dear Classmates & Friends,

I am very pleased to tell you that in spite of an astonishing but somewhat disappointing low percentage (just under 20%) participation from alumni members, still, we were able to meet our targeted goal for the proposed Night High School Scholarship Project. Suffice it to say, that if only majority of us participated, there’s no doubt in my mind we can do a lot more.

Thanks in part to all those alumni (automatic & honorary) members who submitted their pledge forms, and in particular, to an anonymous donor, albeit not truly a member, but wholeheartedly offered support without qualms or hesitations.

In other words, the efforts we have exerted so far to try to make a difference in the lives of two underprivileged kids are not lost at all!

In the next few days, all those who made their pledges will be receiving an email detailing the full mechanics this scholarship project entails. Instructions and payment procedures will also be included in the email so that you may all start fulfilling your pledges as soon as possible.

Thank you to all for understanding that your total commitment to this project is very much valued, needed, and expected in order for us to succeed in the actual implementation.

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge those who were not able to offer their financial support at this time for one reason or another. I am confident and hopeful that next time, you will all be in a better position, ready, able, interested, and/or willing to make a commitment to similar projects or undertakings. Needless to say, that at any time, your support, financial or otherwise, is always welcome.

Lastly, let’s be proud of our batch, because we did not let ourselves down. It was not an easy ride but we were able to meet our first challenge.

Now, I can’t wait to shake hands with our future scholars. Don’t you feel the same?

Maraming Salamat Po!


Sincerely,

Edgardo David

Pledge Status as of August 15th, 2009

With approximately only 11% member participation, as of today, 64% of the target amount of at least Php350,000 has been reached so far.

Many thanks to those of you who have already made their voluntary pledge donation to the proposed scholarship project. They are the following: Ason & Jaime B, Boy B, Edith B, Wena C, Egay D, Eva F, Emy G, Ariel D, Dom M, Noel N, Susan R, Bert R, Alex R, Lil S, Al T, Lou T, and one Anonymous pledger.

If you wish to participate but haven’t yet submitted your pledge donation form, please do so as soon as possible. Our deadline is September 30, 2009.

Thanks!

“Night” or “Day”

To give you a better understanding of what providing FULL scholarship to a potential high school student entails, click the image below to see a full view comparison table of how much the estimated cost will be between the "night" school program and the regular "day" school.

Figures noted with * symbol means the information came directly from SDA Administration while figures noted with *** symbol means it’s only an approximation of the cost.With these estimated annual figures in mind (which I think is not too far from the actual, notwithstanding the inflation and all that jazz)...,

...do you think we are capable of pulling this off until the student graduate from High School?

This is a four or five-year commitment from all of us, depending on which option we choose. We haven’t really discussed about the idea of continuing it thru college but it’s something to keep in mind if we want the scholar(s) to pursue under the same sponsorships...ours.

Now, if we push through with this scholarship plan, I propose an initial funding (covering at least the first 2 years of school) already deposited into our bank account prior to the start of the intended school year. In other words, if we go the “night” route, I propose at least Php70K per student readily available by early next year. Similarly, if we choose to do the “day” route, Php120K is the minimum initial funding allocation per student.

What do you think?

We are looking to get this proposed scholarship program implemented starting next school year (2010-11). However, without your approval and of course financial support, this project is not going to materialize.

….and so I beg you...literally and figuratively! :-)

It is very important that we hear from you and share your cash, dinero, moolah, etc...oh yeah! I’m sure you’ve got comments, thoughts, ideas, questions too... whatever. :-) Post them here, even anonymously if you are shy about it. Just make sure you stick with the topic at hand and keeping it clean… or I’ll hunt you down with a vengeance. hehehe

Seriously, you may have some issues or even grievances or complaints...or you’re not happy about any aspects of our association. Don’t just keep it to yourself or to your few close selected classmates hoping they’ll sympathize with you and it gets resolve by itself. We can talk about all that with an open mind. Email me if you prefer...please Luis?

Thanks and hope to hear from all of you...soon!
________________________________________________

Side Note: For this school year 2009-10, we have already committed Php5K to SDA for school uniforms to incoming new students of the Night School program. (as agreed during our last meeting in April 2009)