Tierra Santa Home Honors & Grants
2006 Third Grade Class Raises $4,000
The St. Thomas School third grade class in Medina, Washington, exceeded all expectations with their recent Read-a- Thon. The goal for the class of seventeen students was to read 4800 minutes for a two week period. These students almost tripled their goal and read over 12,000 minutes!
Every few days, they charted the collective minutes read for the class and the excitement grew as the chart filled in. The reading efforts were intended to raise money for the Tierra Santa Orphanage in Honduras. For a group of children to take on such a meaningful project for others is indeed remarkable. We applaud their motives, involvement and success.
The results of this exciting project are many. First and foremost is the improvement in reading skills and enjoyment by the students, and also their empowerment as agents of change, even at their young age. After a thirty minute deliberation, the class decided as a group to share their remarkable success and its unbelievable financial proceeds in several ways:
1 – $600.00 to repair the car of the Tierra Santa Home
2 – $1200.00 to sponsor 24 children for one month, to include food, clothing, housing, and school
3 – $1000 to go toward the agricultural project currently in progress
4 – The remainder of the $4000.09 is to go toward much needed new beds and mattresses for children.
Total: $4,000.09!
The distribution of the funds the class raised was thoughtfully considered and appropriated as they saw the needs. This is an absolutely wonderful conclusion to a carefully thought-out project on their part. As this educational service experience is recalled later, perhaps they will realize that each of us has a choice and a responsibility for one another, that we can help and make life easier for others, and that it's FUN to do this! We also thank Rita Egrari, a member of the Mona Foundation Board, whose efforts helped to make this incredible project possible!
2005 Salary and Scholarship Grant
The Mona Foundation is pleased to be able to grant $5,800 this year. This includes a year's salary of $2,400 for one elementary teacher and support of 6 children for one year ($50 per month).
top
2000 75 Pairs of Shoes
The Mona Foundation has provided a grant for $875.00 towards the purchase of 75 pairs of school shoes for students.
Ming Mei Scholarship
The Ming Mei scholarship has been established for orphans in Honduras. Our scholarship benefactor, Andrea Balsara, writes, “I wanted to let you know why Nar and I are giving right now. This is in memory of an anonymous baby girl in China who died in 1996. Her name ‘Ming Mei’ means ‘No Name’. Her death was documented and seen on the Oprah show recently, showing how the death of one can lead to changes for many. Ming Mei was left at an orphanage in China and placed in a ‘dying room’. The Westerners who secretly photographed her did what they could to comfort her. It took her ten days to die of no food, water, or love. It was the saddest thing Nar and I ever witnessed. We ask that the money be placed where it will help the most in the name of Ming Mei. God bless her.“.
2004 Mona Foundation Grants
The Mona Foundation grants for 2004 include:
$200 general scholarship
$2,400 for annual salary of one teacher for elementary school
$3,450 estimated value of toys, clothing, shoes, toiletries sent by Mukilteo Montessori School, Washington
2003 Mona Foundation Grants
The Mona Foundation grants for 2003 total $3,603 and include $2,400 for a teacher's salary and student scholarships.
2002 Mona Foundation Grants
The Mona Foundation grants for 2002 total $5,986 and include $2,400 for a teacher's salary and student scholarships.
2001 Mona Foundation Grants
The Foundation has provide a $2,400.00 grant towards salary compensation for a very qualified teacher for the children of this home for one year
We announce the establishment of the $1,000.00 Dao-Le Educational Scholarship. Mrs. Zlon Lee of Texas Instrument has generously established this scholarship in honor of her late father, Thanh Thien Le, her husband, Tuan N. Dao, and two sons, Dan Quy-Le Dao and Don Quy-Le Dao. The two girls who will be receiving this scholarship are:
Claudia Bonessa, 5th grade
Norma Fuaves, 10th grade.
In addition, there has been a shipment of several boxes of clothing, towels, undergarments, and other essential items, courtesy of Mrs. Pat Savage and her daughter, Mrs. Patrece Banks, and Mrs. Nancy Corbin. Thank you all for your generosity and sharing.
2000 Pastry Project
A grant for $2,680.00 has been provided for the Pastry Project. It will cover the cost of two ovens, one refrigerator and baking utensils. This is an income producing, life-skill building initiative involving several girls with three fold objective:
- To establish an ongoing source of income for the Home
- To teach life skills of business ownership and management to the participants
- To allocate 10% of net income to a trust fund from which the participating students may borrow to establish their own small businesses
2000 Attachmate Corporation Scholarship Grant
Mona Foundation is extremely pleased to receive $5,000.00 grant from Attachmate Corporation of Bellevue to benefit the educational needs of girls at Tierra Santa Home for Abandoned Children in Honduras.
Recipients of the Attachmate Scholarships:
Katerin Margot Lopez
Mailin Julieth Corrales
Cindy Patricia Ramirez
Martha Iris Calix
Margarita Cano
Bessy Carolina Garcia
Deysi Lizeth Vasquez
Marta Leticia Cano
2000 Funding Sources
The following organizations support this Home in variety of ways:
Tierra Santa Support Inc.
Arizona Branch, St. James Parish
Minnesota Branch, All Saints Lutheran Church
Virginia Branch, All Saints Lutheran Church
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'í's of Honduras
Bahá'í Community of Eden Prairie, Minnesota
The Bahá'í Agency for Social and Economic Development, United Kingdom (BASED-UK)
Mona Foundation
A Homepage was also developed for this incredibly inspiring social & economic development project, which is moving children from cradle to university under most difficult circumstances. For complete details, please see the Tierra Santa website.
1999 Initial Grant
Our first grant of $500 was awarded in October of 1999 before our first visit.