St Augustine School Alumni International, Inc.

06/20/2024

SASAi Recognition & Awards
June 15, 2024
BFI Resort, Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

Attended by SASAi President & CEO Dr. Melanie Florentino and Board of Trustee Mr. Leonardjon Buenavista

➡️ 1 SASAi scholar graduated from Senior High School as 2024 Class Salutatorian of St. Augustine’s School.

➡️ 1 Grade 9 First Honor

➡️ 3 Outstanding Students in Grade 8, 10, and 11

We are immensely proud of these young achievers in the SASAi Financial Aid Program!

Every single cent donated by each donor is absolutely worth spending for the education of these bright kids from disadvantaged families in a private Catholic institution.

Since its founding in 2009, over a hundred scholars benefitted from SASAi thru kind-hearted and generous benefactors. It’s a great consolation that all these scholars continue to excel in college and in their respective professions. No hard-earned money was put to waste.

We sincerely thank you all who continue to believe and share in our mission by way of giving and lending support in whatever form. We fervently wish to help more deserving kids in Tagudin.

We remain grateful to the late SASAi Founder Deacon Tom Buenavista with this legacy of helping bright, promising, and motivated students to succeed.

Special thanks to Atty. Romeo Somera, SASAi VP & Secretary, and all the Board of Trustees for their relentless support. And to Ms. Margarita Bayan, SASAi Student Coordinator, for her supervision and motherly care to the scholars.

Thank you and Congratulations to all!

12/30/2023

Happy New Year, Fellow Augustinians and to all of you Beautiful Folks.

12/03/2023

St.Augustine School Alumni International Inc. (SASAIINC), a US non-profit organization incorporated in 2009 and providing full scholarships to bright but financially handicapped children to finish their High school education (in the Philippines) is soliciting donations to enable SASAIINC to continue its scholarship program. Please send your donations via PayPal (St.Augustine School Alumni International Inc) or you may mail your donations to 190 Belle Terre Blvd #188,Laplace, LA 70069-0188. Thank you. Merry Christmas.

09/23/2023

Deacon Tom, you are always in our minds.

A Tribute Message in Memory of our SASAi Founder, Deacon Tom Buenavista

By Kim Shelley Tan
SASAi Scholar, SAS Batch 2015
BA Communication, UP Baguio 2019
Writer, The Smart Local Philippines

I’ve never met Deacon Tom in person and neither have the many other SASAi scholars that came before, with, and after me. Despite this, I’m sure I can speak for all of us when I say he’s touched our lives in ways he - or we - might not have even known.

I became a SASAi scholar in my last year of high school in 2014. Being new to the organization, I thought we would just be supported financially, told to do well in school, and then left to prove ourselves. But little did I know that their support would go beyond that.

Our Field Team Leader, Mr. Albert Bunoan, scheduled activities for our batch of scholars to help each other out in our homework. And Deacon Tom, despite being halfway around the globe, consistently emailed and called us, checking up on us not just in our academics but also asking how we were doing life. He lived far away but he offered guidance and wisdom to our teenage selves just like a father would.

In my case, he even let me handle the old SASAi blog when he found out that I write. He gave me the freedom to write whatever I wanted there. Looking back, my writing wasn’t even good back then and I just wrote about the things I was going through as a teen. But Deacon Tom believed in my amateur writing skills. I didn’t know it then but he didn’t actually just let me write whatever. He helped me gain the confidence to put my most mundane thoughts into words and gave me a platform so that I can slowly ease into sharing my work to the world.

I’m not sure if Deacon Tom was able to see into the future or he was just a kind person who liked to give people a chance but I’m a writer now by profession. While writing has always been my dream, people like him helped me turn it into a reality and, for that, I am thankful.

I may not have met Deacon Tom in person, but he touched my life and helped me become the person that I am today. Deacon Tom proves that kindness goes a long, long way it crosses oceans and makes a huge difference in someone’s life.

(In the photo is Kim Shelly Tan (front row-3rd from right) together with other scholars during the 2015 SASAi Recognition & Awards held at BFI Farola, Tagudin, Ilocos Sur. Also in the photo are SASAi President & CEO Ms. Melanie Florentino and Board of Trustees Mr. Leonardjon Buenavista and Ms. Tina Laycano.)

08/04/2023

Congratulations to our SASAI President, She is now Dr. Melanie P. Florentino, PHD.

03/10/2023

Dear Ma'am Melanie,

Greetings!

I hope this email finds you well. It's been a challenging yet fulfilling semester. Last Friday, we finally received our final report card for the first semester, and it is with a happy and grateful heart that I share with you my recent accomplishments.

First, I am pleased to report that I am among the outstanding students for the 2nd quarter and 1st semester. I have maintained good grades in all my courses and displayed good behavior and attitude. I owe this success to your kindness and encouragement, which motivate me to study and do my best

And recently, today, I performed a spoken poetry entitled "Kababaihan" for the school's celebration of International Women's Day. This was very challenging as I only had last night to prepare, but nonetheless a rewarding activity because it allowed me to express myself creatively and share my views on gender equality and women empowerment.

These are just some of the highlights of my first semester. I am very grateful for the opportunity to study here and pursue my dreams with your help.

Thank you so much for believing in me and supporting me throughout this journey. Please take care always and stay safe.

Sincerely, Esther Anne Sarmiento

P.S. - Attached in this email are my 2nd quarter report card and certificate as an outstanding student. Also, here is a copy of the piece I delivered:

Namulat siya sa isang mundo kung saan siya ay kontrolado
Na tila ba isang manika
Na nanggaling sa wala
Binihisan
Inayusan
Pagkatapos paglaruan
Ay bigla nalang pinabayaan
Kontrolado ang katauhan na parang walang kakayahan
Na parang kaakibat ng bawat pangalan
Ay ang salitang kahinaan
Masiyado kang mahina para gawin iyan
Mapapahiya ka lang kung iyong susubukan
Hindi mo kayang lumaban
Ganito siya iginuhit ng lipunan
Ganito siya itinrato ng sarili niyang bayan
Mga kababaihan
Na puro lang kahinaan
Laging pinoprotektahan
Laging tinutulungan
Laging binabantayan
Laging kinakayan-kayanan
Laging naiisahan

Alisin mo ang mga buhok na hindi kanais-nais
Para kang hindi babae ayusin mo nga ang iyong wangis
Ganito siya iginuhit ng taong bayan
Limitado ang bawat galaw
Tila digmaan ang paglipas ng araw
Winakasan ang bawat pangarap
Binalewala ang bawat pagsisikap
"Huwag ka nang mag-aral, ikakasal ka lang din naman!"
"Tigilan mo na ang pangangarap, magaalaga ka lang din naman ng anak." Kasabay ng pagpalit ng kaniyang dulong pangalan
Ay ang pagkawala ng kaniyang karapatan
Tama na ang diskriminasyon
Tuldukan ang nakasanayang takbo ng kwento

Ipikit niyo ang inyong mga mata
At alalahanin kung saan tayo nag simula
Sa likod ng bawat mukha
Ay isang mapagmahal na ina ang nag-aaruga
Mga kababaihan na pinagmalaki ng ating bansa
Mga nagtayo ng ating bandera
Sa iba't ibang lugar hindi lang sa asya
Ang mga kababaihan ay bigyan ng pwesto
Bilang bida sa sarili nilang kwento
Dahili hindi lang nabubuhay ang mga kababaihan
Upang mamalagi sa kusina't kayo'y pagsilbihan
Karapatan nilang maupo sa harap ng mesa
Karapatan nilang tingalain ng masa
Dahil bilang babae ay madami na silang nagawa
Minsang kinapitan ng mga tao
Minsang nag silbing bayani ng ating bansa
Na sa kabila ng pagdurusa
Ay laging may pag-asa

Hindi lamang inaabuso ang kanilang mabuting puso
Sapagkat dito nagsisimula ang pagmamahalan ng mga tao
Sa purong puso Nagsimula ang bawat tao
a kababaihan na minamaliit ng ating mundo
Sila ang dahilan kung bakit tayo nandito
Kaya't magpasalamat tayo
Nararapat sa kanila ang bawat saludo.

An excerpt from the email of Esther Anne Sarmiento
Grade 11, Saint Augustine's School (one of the SASAi scholars) to Ms. Melanie Florentino, President and CEO of SASAi.

Congratulations to all SASAi scholars who are all academic achievers!

12/21/2022

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Everyone.

11/25/2022

Our congratulations to our scholars who have done pretty well this grading period

11/18/2022

Extending our gratitude to generous donors for continuing to support the kids in the SASAi financial aid program. Thank you so much, Ms. Alicia Holitz, Mr. Ernesto Laza, and couple Joey and Annie Querubin. This is on behalf of the SAS Ai Board of Trustees Ms. Tina Laycano, Ms. Elizabeth Somera, Ms. Willie Santamaria, Ms. Estrelle Puruganan, Atty. Romeo Somera and President & CEO Melanie Florentino (who are all alumni of SAS and constant donors themselves).

May God bless you and your family a thousand fold.

We are SAS Ai, Inc., a public charity, non-profit organization, in good standing. Running a solid scholarship program is a group of committed and dedicated supporters of the mission to help bright kids from low-income families in Tagudin and Barangays to graduate from SAS high school with financial aid.

08/24/2022

A letter from Esther Anne Sarmiento
Grade 11 at Saint Augustine's School
SASAi Scholar

Dear Ma'am Melanie,

Greetings of peace!

After nearly three academic school years of not having face-to-face classes, we will finally embark on our first-ever in-person classes tomorrow, August 22, 2022. And I am truly blessed to have been given the opportunity to study at Saint Augustine School as a scholar of the Saint Augustine School Alumni International (SASAI). Without this scholarship, my mother would not have had the financial capacity to matriculate me to a school that would equip me with proper knowledge, hone my skills, and instill the values necessary to fulfill my goals and ambitions. Thank you for opening your hearts, letting me be part of the SASAI family, and helping me achieve my dreams. Despite the struggles and challenges we are all encountering, you and all the benefactors continue to lend your hand to help matriculate our education. For that, I will forever be grateful. Thank you for giving us hope, guiding our paths, and being a light in our lives. Through your help, we become one step closer to achieving our ambitions. As I embark on my senior high school life, I promise to stay focused and do well in my studies.

I pray that God gives you strength and lengthens your life so that you can continue to fulfill your mission, and many people will be able to feel and experience your generosity and, above all, your kindness.

Once again, thank you very much. May God continue to embrace us in His loving arms and keep us safe and healthy.
Sincerely,

Esther Anne N. Sarmiento

Photo credit: SAS

08/13/2022

SASAi Recognition & Awards 2022
June 30, 2022 at BFI Resort, Tagudin, Ilocos Sur
Attended by SASAi President & CEO Melanie Florentino

➡️5 SASAi scholars graduated from Senior High School including the 2022 Class Valedictorian and 4 with honors at St. Augustine's School!

➡️4 'Moving Up' Outstanding Students

We are extremely proud of these young achievers in the SASAi Financial Aid Program!

Every single cent donated by benefactors and sponsors is absolutely worth spending for the education of these bright kids from disadvantaged families in a private school.
Congrats to all the scholars and their parents!

Thank you to all who stay true to its mission by way of giving and lending support in whatever form.💕💓

A special posthumous award was also given to the late Crisostomo L. Buenavista, SASAi Founder, by Alumniana Agustiniana represented by its President, Ms Pamela Zabala.

07/19/2022

Please extend your helping hands to bright but financially handicapped children finish their secondary schooling by your donations. You can do it via PayPal or mail your donations to: SASAIINC, 190 Belle Terre Blvd., #188, Laplace, LA 70069-0188, USA. US taxpayers, your donations are tax deductible. Thank you and God Bless.