Involvement with worldwide alumni community Continued from the preceding page


building on the campus which would substantially help tide over the finances of our alma mater. The Twin Portal Proj- ect was planned to be a building on the edge of the campus which would offer commercial and office spaces for rent to the public, the income of which would be plowed directly into the programs of the university. This was a novel way of put- ting up an endowment fund, where money is invested in real estate and rental earnings are collected as opposed to invest- ing the money in a financial institution. The SU administration posed a challenge to the SUACONA convention to raise funds for the first of the twin buildings, and seeing that this was a worthy project which would significantly impact Silliman, the SUACONA delegates agreed to take on the challenge. As SUACONA was now entering into a new and exciting


phase in its growth, and with the advent of this new fund drive, the SUACONA delegates voted to extend the term of Dr. Almiron as Chairman until 2005. Inspired by the success of the recent gathering, the NYNJ officers launched into action immediately after Tipon 2003. Jun and Jean Almiron hosted a caucus at her kitchen where Faith Garcia, Eula Bergado, Marty Visitacion, and several other NYNJ officers met with Prof. Leonor Briones and other Silliman officers to discuss how to proceed with the


fund drive. The goal was to raise $700,000, and after much deliberation a simple formula was reached: We will look for 700 individuals who can give $1,000 each. And how do you encourage people to donate $1,000? By creating a Tree of Life on the lobby of the building – a permanent installation which will acknowledge the donors by entitling them to a leaf where they can decide on their own inscriptions on who to honor or memorialize. Marty Visitacion was tasked with creating a prototype of the Tree of Life, while Eula Bergado was designated to work on the financial strategy of the fund drive. With constant advise, guidance and encouragement from Nan Hawkins of UBCHEA, the Tree of Life (TOL) campaign was off to a great start. SUAA-NYNJ Chapter, for its part, created its own strategy


on how to encourage donations. With an eye on donating to Silliman University the profit the chapter earned by host- ing Tipon 2003, NYNJ created a $10,000 matching fund. By availing of this matching fund, the donor only has to raise $800 for a leaf in the TOL; the chapter will put in the remain- ing $200. This matching fund has totally been used up, and to date the donations from NYNJ Chapter towards the TOL amounts to no less than $50,000. This is, by any stretch of imagination, the biggest donation by any chapter in terms of


Continued on the following page


Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to All! Love,


Pedregosa-Antone Family Silliman University Alumni Association - New York New Jersey Chapter • Page 22


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