C. ARELLANO HIGH SCHOOL
ALUMNI FUND INTERNATIONAL
Cayetano
Arellano Alumni Now A Global Village
The
Cayetano Arellano High School Alumni Fund International (CAHSAFI) is incorporated,
July 2, 2012!
Sixty
miles before enteringLas Vegas on Interstate 15
going north, there is a desert road that goes by the strange
name, Zzyzzyx. Participants to the launching of the first ever global
Cayetano Arellano alumni association, most of whom travelled to Las Vegas from
San Diego and the Los Angeles area, drove past Zzyzzyx Road. The symbolism
is uncanny.
Last
July 28, a diverse group of Arellano High School alumni living in the U.S. met
in Las Vegas, Nevada and launched a newly-formed non-profit organization which
main purpose is to provide financial assistance to deserving students and
organizations in their Alma Mater, the Cayetano Arellano High School, formerly
known as Arellano (Manila North) High School.
Reflective of the
national diaspora – the migration of Arellanites to different parts of the
world - accomplished and respected professionals in their respective fields are
now unified as a global village through the Internet and CAHSAFI.
The journey from A to Z,
from Arellano to Zzyzzyx,has been long and arduous. But it didn’t matter; the journey
has been a rewarding one. And now, the time to give back, the opportunity to be
generous, has arrived.
Drs. Emilio Ruidera of
class ‘71 and wife, Grace, flew in from Oklahoma. Jesse Tiamson of ’68 and wife,
Evelyn drove their Dodge Caravan from Washington State, some 1300 miles, along
with their neighbor, Anita Sese Schon of class ’55.Dinah Fe Aquino-Paner came
in with husband Ray from Temecula, California. Couples Tony and Sally Lacanilao
both of ’68 along with mate, Efren Mateo; Percival Cruz of ’64 and wife, Lili
drove from Los Angeles. Ed Abaricia of ‘67 flew in from Missouri. Salvador
Villanueva of ’66 lives in Las Vegas. Board members,along with other Arellano
alumni,dined and toasted the launching of the newly-formed organization and attended
its first board meeting.Thanks to the magic of cyberspace, Ysrael Cunanan of
’64 and Valeriano Obana of ’71, joined in via Skype from Manila, Nanding Cantor
via his cell phone from Washington, Cora Ilano-Gawaran via Skype from San
Diego. The Board had enough laptops and
iPads to accommodate anyone who wished to join in the meeting.
Prior
to this date, this same group of alumni created a diverse number of websites that
host the communication and activities of global Arellanites and these are:arellanohigh.com,
Arellano1964@yahoogroups.com, Ahsmultiply.com, and many other individual
e-groups of different batches.
This
new coalition incorporated and launched the Cayetano Arellano High School
Alumni Fund International (CAHSAFI), a Washington State-registered non-profit organization
with this mission:
“CAHSAFI
will endeavor to provide assistance to financially-challenged students and
organizations, reward academic excellence and encourage students to participate
in scientific, literary, educational, athletic, and other charitable pursuits.
To achieve our objectives, we will raise funds through contributions and
financial support from all legitimate sources and provide financial assistance
or scholarship assistance through grants and awards to deserving students.”
Given
the entity’s purposes, the organization began the process of applying for
tax-exemption determination within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
The
Board of Directors and Officers are as follows:
United States:
Jesse
“JT” Tiamson, '68, WA –President and Chair of the Board
Dr.
Emilio “Emil” Ruidera, '71, OK – Vice President and Vice Chair
Salvador
“Buddy” Villanueva, '66, NV -- Secretary
Evelyn
Tiamson, WA -- Treasurer
Victoria
“Evic” Manasan-Milan, '70, VA -- Auditor
Sesinando
“Nanding”Cantor, WA
Percival
“Percy” Cruz, ’64, CA
Imelda
“Mel” Lapitan-Fleming, '70, CA
Anita
“Ate Nitz” Sese-Schon, '55, WA
Simeon
“Sim” Silverio, '64, CA
Philippines:
Ysrael
“Yzzy” Cunanan, '64,
Valeriano
“Val” Obana, '71,
Dr.
Emma Valencia, '68,
Rick Banta, '80
Australia:
Lourdes
Dionisio-Rana, , '71, NSW
At
that Las Vegas meeting,the Board unanimously approvedthe funding of the following:
1.
CAHSAFI Marching Band/Rondalla Endowment
2.
CAHSAFI Chronicler/Tambuli Journalism Endowment
3.
CAHSAFI College Scholarship Endowment
4.
CAHSAFI General Endowment for Other Purposes
To achieve these
objectives, CAHSAFI calls on all Arellanites and friends around the world to
join them, to lend them support financially and in kind. Their success means that every deserving
student will have a chance in life.
Their success will be everybody’s success.
Recollecting the four
years at Arellano High brings happy thoughts to alumni.
Memorable are journalism’s
press conferences, the Hi-Y, Y-Teens, and SCA Baguio conferences, the
gymnastics competitions, and the Model Company cadets in their crisp uniforms.Did
you get to march with the AHS Marching Band or play the school hymn with the
AHS Rondalla? Most of the members of CAHSAFI did.
All of these gave the
alumni not only the competitive spirit but also the sense of adventure in
meeting other people beyond their academic circle. It was, for many, the start
of a journey, an expedition, a flight into the big wide world beyond teenage
comprehension.
It didn’t matter that
some had uniforms with holes in them; maybe too big or too small, or too old.
They did not mind that they could not join some classmates who could afford
lunches at Aling Munding’s. They were quite satisfied with one hopiang hapon and a glass of buko juice, gulaman at sago, or a bottle of sarsaparilla when they happened to
have extra twenty-five centavos in their pockets. Otherwise they packed lunches from home in a
tin box or wrapped in dahon ng saging.
They might have walked
for miles from home to school and back everyday. But that only made them physically
stronger and richly introspective.
Now they realize how
fortunate they have been; grateful to parents and everyone else who have
contributed to their success, to the teachers who spent countless hours molding
young minds; sculpting them with purpose; guiding them to the roads of life
ahead so that they may be better equipped to face the world.
The younger generations
who follow in their footsteps, who now walk the halls of the hallowed Alma Mater,
continue these traditions just as they did. They persevere in the face of the
crushing economic conditions they face daily.
If one thought they had so little growing up, one should see
how much less others have to live by today. They struggle to stay afloat in
this seemingly bottomless puddle they call life in the city.
Yet they march along
admirably, just as the alumni did. They are already winners, champions in this
competitive and chaotic world, just as the alumni were. They are
Arellanites! They carry on the legacy
which was passed on to them, and which was inherited from those that came
before.
Now,one will find Arellano
alumni in every corner of the world, pushing for a better life, a better
tomorrow for them and for their families. They may be in North and South Americas,
Australia, Europe, even the Middle East and other parts of Asia; it just
depends on where luck has taken them. But whoever they are and from wherever they
are, the important thing is that they are here today, they have arrived and they
are ArellanitesForever!
Now you will find them
united as Cayetano Arellano High School
Alumni FundInternational.
Come and join! Help them help others.
Tax-deductible donations
may be sent to:
CAHSAFI, 14912 127 Ave E,
Puyallup WA 98374. **
On behalf of the
students, CAHSAFI thanks you for your generous support.
** To deposit directly
to CAHSAFI’s bank account, write an email to:
arellanite@aol.com and you will be given a
coded Wells Fargo Bank routing and account numbers. A Philippine bank account
will be established to provide a more convenient way for other alumni who live
outside of the US to donate to the Fund.
