Food For Hungry Minds News

08.10 — Makati 6th Graders Earn Top Private School Scores
Makati FHM 6th graders topped the scores of district private schools in the National Achievement Test (NAT) given February, 2010. Since FHM students are being challenged to contribute to their nations, as well as their families, seeing good scores in both Filipino and English is encouraging. A focus on learning from the results of external testing is integral to FHM processes. Principal Candice De Ausen led her team as she has before to incorporate new learning from another round of data. There is always more to learn about teaching, about working smarter as a team. Congratulations, teachers! Congratulations, recent FHM graduates!

07.10 — A Historic Day for Food for Hungry Minds
On Saturday, eight FHM graduates from the first Navitaire class spent their Saturday morning tutoring other students. Who were these students? The small 4th graders struggling with their lessons are part of the incoming class of FHM students − the third class Navitaire is supporting for the 3-year program. These high school students are not only doing well academically, but they have already learned something about the way giving back lets you “stumble into happiness.”

07.10— Honduran FHM Kids Belt Out World Cup Song
The song has played endlessly around the world this month. But when Honduran FHM kids belted out the World Cup song for global Cargill visitors in June, their pride and happiness lifted everyone’s spirit. The country celebrated the Honduran team being one of only four Western hemisphere qualifying teams. But in their newly-acquired English, the words were for themselves, as well, “For your information, know that you’ll find your dream. Give me your hand. When I get older, I will be stronger. They’ll call me freedom, just like a waving flag.”

Archived News

02.10 — Food for Hungry Minds-Honduras Opens!
This month, Food for Hungry Minds-Honduras opened its doors to a first class of 4th-graders. Academic Director Fernando Briceno Mackay has led the start-up effort. Located in the community, the school is dealing with infrastructure challenges that are part of life for families living there. Thanks to Cargill volunteers, who donated time, materials, and expertise to adequately wire the building, electricity is now working every day. But getting to the point where the team can count on good water pressure on hot days and sufficient water drainage on rainy days will take more work. Is there an upside to a FHM school being located right in the community? Already, a new FHM Dad stops in regularly with suggestions that Fernando often finds helpful. Here, in the midst of the challenges of daily life, another part of the FHM community is being born.

02.10— FHM Board Members Strengthen FHM Globally
FHM board members in each location strengthen Food for Hungry Minds globally. Following strategic planning last summer, the US board worked to expand and deepen board expertise. We are happy to welcome to the US FHM board Karen Beckwith, co-founder of the capital markets finance advisory firm Beckwith Crowe; Elisa Johnson, FHM Friend who has recently joined Cargill as a Change Management Consultant; Karen Rusthoven, Founder and Principal of Community of Peace Academy; Christine Schraml, Marketing Manager at Lifetouch Portrait Studios.

12.09 — Villanueva Authorizes Use of Five-Room Building
The city of Villanueva, Cortes has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Food for Hungry Minds Foundation, Honduras authorizing use of a five-room building without rent charges for the duration of the program. A new security wall is now going up and an asbestos roof is being replaced, as the site is readied for the first class of FHM students to start school in February. [News article]

12.09 — PCNC Accreditation to FHM Philippines
PCNC, the Philippine Council for NGO Certification, has granted a 3-year accreditation as a donee organization to FHM Philippines. Congratulations to the board and staff of FHM Philippines on meeting these important standards and receiving the full 3-year status!

12.09 — FHM Community Mobilized After Fire
The FHM community mobilized after a fire swept through the Metro Manila community of Paco in early November. Seven FHM students lost their homes. One FHM mother stepped up to cook a meal for everyone the first night. Other families made space in their homes for fire victims. Within days, contributions large and small began to arrive. A family from the rural FHM school sent several small coffee packets wrapped in plastic. Thank you to all who rallied in support. Those who lost their homes now have posts and roofing materials to begin rebuilding.

10.09 — Philippine FHM Principal Candice de Ausen Traveled to the US for Strategic Planning
Philippine FHM Principal Candice de Ausen traveled to the US for strategic planning in Minneapolis and then went on to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, to orient the new FHM Academic Director, Fernando Jose Briceño Mackay. “Teacher Candy” has served on the US FHM board since 2004. Several US FHM board members and friends took the opportunity to host events where others could hear her stories. With five years heading FHM’s pioneering effort in the Philippines, Candy understands the brave undertaking Fernando is now leading in Honduras. And she knows the poorest children can succeed!

10.09 — Villanueva Municipality Has Offered FHM Honduras a Building
The Villanueva municipality has offered FHM Honduras use of a 5-room building in El Calan, outside of San Pedro Sula. The local FHM pilot school will be launched there in February, 2010. For the first time, a FHM school will be launched in a venue where the program can grow until it serves all 90 4th-6th graders. Construction on various upgrades will begin soon to create a welcoming school for the new Honduran FHM staff and children. Our thanks to Villanueva leaders who identified this site and to Cargill volunteers who are offering their advice as the site is prepared for the first day of school.

07.09 — FHM Honduras Holds Founding Assembly and Receives Cargill’s Initial Funding
The Food for Hungry Minds launch in Honduras builds on Cargill’s long support of social progress in Honduras. Among the 17 leaders at the Founding Assembly were senior educators Alba Luz Ramirez of CARE, who has invested years improving local education, and Elsa Marina de Hoffmann, Rector of Mhotivo, a unique bi-lingual school serving disadvantaged children. Both CARE and Mhotivo have benefitted from Cargill’s substantial commitment to their work improving and expanding access to education. Food for Hungry Minds offers another way to engage this critical issue.

07.09 — FHM is Making News in the Philippines!
Over 50 children graduated from the two Philippine schools this year. Now, nearly 100 FHM graduates are succeeding in good high schools in Metro Manila and Malolos, Bulacan. Employees from a growing number of companies are exposed to the children and struck by the way they are meeting the challenges of life. What are they saying in the papers?

	Philippine Star, June 8, 2009
	Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 13, 2009

07.09 — Navitaire/Accenture Employees Provide a Day of Fun and Learning
After creatively raising funds for FHM, Navitaire/Accenture employee volunteers treated the FHM kids to a day in two museums. As they played and watched, the kids encountered oceans and stepped into science come alive. The happy exploration would have been enough. But the volunteers whose jobs depend on their science and math, analytical and technical skills, let students see the benefits — and the joys — of studying science. Thank you, Navitaire and Accenture volunteers.

04.09 — First Malolos Graduation at Cargill Pulilan Plant
The first Food for Hungry Minds students from the Bangkal resettlement community near Malolos will graduate on Friday, March 27. Appropriately, the ceremony will be held at the Cargill Philippines plant in Pulilan, Bulacan. As the donor supporting the 3-year program for this first Bulacan class, Cargill employees can be proud of the FHM School they launched and of graduates like Danica, age 12, who wrote this poem.

Who Am I?
I am industrious and friendly
I wonder why sadness is contagious
I hear courtesy in a child’s mouth
I see hope bloom in our nation
I want to make things possible
I am industrious and friendly.

I pretend to be an immovable wall
I feel the flame of love inside my soul
I worry about giving up my ideas
I dream of a world filled with equal opportunities
I am industrious and friendly.

I touch the goodness of life
I say let’s walk hand in hand
I try to fight for justice
I hope happiness will pour down from heaven
I am industrious and friendly.

04.09 — SAP Employees Sponsor New Students
Thanks to the generosity of its employees, SAP is now a partial sponsor of the incoming FHM class serving children from Paco and Pandacan in Metro Manila. Testing, interviewing, and home visits are already underway to identify the 30 new FHM children for this class. SAP, you’re going to be able to watch lives change!

04.09— US Board Member Meets Bulacan Rotary
Long-time Rotarian Mrs. Violeta Luna recently arranged for Kaye O’Leary to join a Rotary lunch in Malolos, Bulacan. As a neighbor of the Malolos FHM School, Mrs. Luna sees the program up close. Since its inception, Kaye’s finance and governance expertise have been critical to FHM. At this meeting, business women with shared values warmed to the FHM mission. We look forward to the next chapter together.

01.09 — Cargill Meats Sponsors Honduras FHM Launch
In Honduras, Cargill and CARE are working hard together to improve education. This commitment is apparent once again in Cargill’s decision to sponsor the Honduran launch class of Food for Hungry Minds students. FHM will join with these partners to create an opportunity for children in the target community to achieve a high-quality, bi-lingual education. FHM is privileged to work with a local corporate team passionate about enriching its community and a development partner successfully engaged in a range of local projects, including the launch of Parent Associations.

01.09— Children Notice the Difference PeaceBuilders Makes
At the start of the 2007-08 school year, Karen Rusthoven, Principal of St. Paul, Minnesota charter school Community of Peace Academy, introduced FHM staff to the PeaceBuilders program. A year and a half later, students asked about changes they notice often mention the program. “PeaceBuilders helped me become more sensitive. Even when my siblings are fighting, I help them see that if they use harsh words things get worse.” If Emotional Intelligence is critical to success, FHM kids are already practicing for a better future.

11.08 — Dianne Dapog of FHMS Makati Wins Semi-Final Round of Book Marathon
Dianne Dapog, Grade 6, joined the Book Marathon Semi-Finals in the Filipinas Heritage Library. Participating in the contest were 30 Metro Manila public and private schools, including well-established schools like UP Integrated School, Assumption College, and Angelicum. Participants answered questions about 24 books they read. Dianne placed 3rd in the contest. Congratulations! Kudos, as well, to Dianne’s ILA teacher, Amie!

11.08 — Enchanted Kingdom Outing
Employee volunteers donated prize money for a FHM amusement park outing. Teacher Candy talked to the children about who should get to go. A grade 6 student said that since other grades had already gone many places, the 4th-graders should get to go. A 4th-grader said that the 6th graders should have the chance because after graduation they wouldn’t have outings like this. Another 4th–grader said the 5th graders should get to go because they treated the 4th-graders so kindly. Everyone wanted to go — but many were willing to share. Happily, Navitaire/Accenture friends like Ish, Jenny, Jen, and Ellen added to the funds. Everyone was able to enjoy a day with employee friends at Enchanted Kingdom!

11.08 — 13-Year Old Makes a Difference
As the daughter of an enthusiastic business sponsor, Samantha Leaming had long heard Dad talk about FHM. She knew he was traveling soon and had an idea. Samantha put up flyers in her school about a party. Everyone was invited, but they had to bring something for the kids. Dad came to FHM with markers and books that Samantha’s friends brought to her party — plus funds that her older sister, Stephanie, raised from friends at cosmetology school. You’re never too young...or old!

10.08 — Philippine FHM Board Plans for Future
The busy, talented people who make up the FHM board in the Philippines recently invested two Saturdays in strategic planning. The group includes educators, a former director of the AmCham Foundation in the Philippines, and business leaders from companies like Accenture, General Mills and Vulcan. A final exercise, led by Cargill HR Director Lani Gomez, made clear this group’s commitment to seeing that more children have an opportunity for a FHM education.

10.08 — Where are FHM graduates going to high school?

• Three graduates from the first two FHM classes are successfully studying in the highly competitive Manila Science High School
• Having competed in exams and interviews with 400 applicants, FHM students claimed three of the 60 slots at the lab school of Philippine Normal University
• At another high school, six of 20 the top-ranked 20 entrance exam scores were from FHM students

10.08 — Words of Wisdom
Recently, FHM students wrote thank you notes to donors who are supporting their class. Here are a few excerpts from their reflections.

“Before, everything to me was impossible. I was just an ordinary student. I feared everything. But now, the word “impossible” has no place in my vocabulary.”
— Darlene

“ I changed when I joined this school. Before, a page of my life was missing. My family was facing problems with the family budget, with their jobs, and with their relationships. Through FHMS, I felt that the missing page in my life has been completed. I am now an instrument of change to make our home a better place to live in.”
— Micaela

“My teachers and classmates help me know who I am. I know I can make a difference.”
— Alyssa