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MEHS Memorial Foundation---Report for 2010 On behalf of all the Trustees, it gives me much pleasure to report on an eventful and successful year for the Foundation. Alumni may recall that, at the School Reunion in Pattaya, Thailand, and later in the Report for 2009, I regretted the shortage of applicants for the scholarships we had to offer, and asked all of you to publicise the Foundation to your old schoolfriends and relatives in Burma (Myanmar). This request has had the desired effect, as during the year we had a number of approaches for scholarships for the children and grandchildren of alumni, and are now awarding 3 university scholarships, and 6 scholarships for children still at school. All are children or grandchildren of MEHS alumni. I’m sure you’ll all agree that the Foundation’s Trustees, and their many helpers, in Burma are to be congratulated for a job well done in difficult circumstances, including the national elections. The cost of these scholarships for 2011 will be kyats 1,410,000 (approximately $1600), which was sent during the year to Trustees in Burma for disbursement. At the end of 2010 we still had the equivalent of US $19479, which includes Thai Baht 150,000 (approximately $4,600). This sum may look healthy, but as we expect the scholarships already awarded to run for several years to come, and as we also hope other applicants will come forward, we shall need a continuing supply of donations if we are to meet all our commitments. This time I don’t feel ah-nah-de to ask; the Foundation’s message is spreading, our outgoings will increase as students move from school to university, and the moneys will be needed! In this context, I should mention that the children of teacher Mrs Mavis Edwards pooled together and donated $1500 to the Foundation for a scholarship named in memory of their mother. Any other donors are very welcome to do the same. All donor names, other than those who wish to remain anonymous, and amounts donated are displayed elsewhere on this website. In order that you can see the real-life effect of your donations, we have asked our scholarship students to write a few words about themselves, and their aspirations and ambitions, and appended to this Report are two “thank you” letters. Such letters are not, of course, any obligation or condition of the scholarships, but we do hope our other students will also be happy to give us their thoughts, for you to share. This is a quite short Report, but I hope to be able to give you more news of the Foundation when we meet in Las Vegas in July. Till then, we Trustees wish you health and prosperity for the rest of 2011.
Marina (Pereira) Gaudoin Posted: June 7, 2011 | |||||
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MEHS Memorial Foundation---Update April 2010 For all those who have so generously supported the aims and objectives of the MEHS Memorial Foundation, here is the second Annual Report of the Trustees. I would first of all like to apologise for the late production of the Report. It was my responsibility, but after the MEHS School Reunion in Pattaya on January 9, 2010, my husband and I continued around the world, visiting family and friends, including many of our old MEHS schoolmates, and we only got back to our home in Perth, Western Australia on 28th February. The Report itself draws from the content of the speech I made at the Reunion, and while the information may be familiar to those who attended, there are many of our old schoolfriends who were not able to be there, and who could find the Report interesting. As I have mentioned before, the work of the Foundation depends very heavily on the efforts of the Trustees in Burma. Cyril Ba Than, Clement Tin Tut and Alan Kyaw Maung have now been joined by Johnny Saing, who had been one of their key, and very active, volunteer helpers, while in the USA we have also managed to recruit Roland Khin as our tenth Trustee. Roland brings valuable accountancy skills to the Foundation’s table, and has been able to advise on all the necessary financial information we need to provide to the financial authorities of the USA, where the Foundation is incorporated. The finances of the Foundation continue in a very healthy state, thanks to all who have given so generously. At the time of writing this Report, and including donations at the Pattaya Reunion, and a Reunion surplus, we have US $15,138 in our US bank account, Thai Baht 150,000 donated at the previous Reunion, and Kyats 410,000 held by Trustees in Burma.Against this surplus, we have commitments of only Kyats 300,000 a year for our young University engineering student, now in his second year, as the accountancy student we had been assisting has now passed her final exams. Hers is one young life we have positively affected. We are also giving Kyats 120,000 each to two young schoolchildren, children of an MEHS Alumnus. A current total of the equivalent of only around US $600 year. And this is where I, on behalf of the Trustees, ask for your help. Not for more money, but to tell all your old schoolfriends still in Burma that we have the funds, and want to provide scholarships for their children and grandchildren, (even great-grand-children if any!) where there is some need of financial help. Out in the West, where scholarships are available for school and university, all kinds of families, wealthy and not- so- wealthy, readily apply. There is a pride in saying “my son/daughter has a scholarship”, but in Burma, and despite all the efforts of the Trustees, we get the feeling that families are reluctant to come forward to the Foundation, possibly afraid to lose “face” (myet hna nge ma so lok), particularly as they see other fellow students who have done better for themselves, in Burma and overseas as well. So, if you have family or friends back there, please tell them that they should not be reluctant or shy to apply for Foundation scholarships. We have the funds, and want to help, and (this could be important for them) we will also keep their identities confidential if they wish. It is no good our collecting more money from you, if we can’t spend it in the way intended. So I repeat, please help us to help them. Thank you. For those who wish to continue donating, in anticipation of more scholarship students coming forward, I should also mention that since the Reunion we have a couple of new enquiries for scholarships, and that Harry, our President and Chief Operating Officer, has registered the Foundation as a non-profit tax exempt organisation in the USA. So donations by US citizens can be exempted from their annual tax returns. The MEHSA website has the necessary details for those interested. In closing this Report, I would like to thank Kenny Teoh for continuing to make the website available to us, and all the organisers of the Reunion in Pattaya, where we were able to attract more donations to the Foundation. Naturally, all of us Trustees hope that we shall see many, many of you at the next Reunion, now scheduled for 2011 in Las Vegas. And please don’t spend all your spare cash at the tables. Keep some for our students in Burma! Till then, on behalf of the Trustees, my very best regards and wishes to all of you. Marina Gaudoin Posted: May 19, 2010 | |||||
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Dear Alumni, families, and Guests, We, the MEHS Memorial Foundation Members wish to thank you all for the successful Reunion event at Pattaya, Thailand on the 9th. of Janauary 2010. Without the attending Alumni, families and guests, and well wishes from those who could not attend, our event will not be successful and will not have good memories. Although it was a full day and night event, many who attended felt, how good it will be if it goes on for some more days!! The Foundation Trustees, wish to thank all for the memories: and thank you for the donations received for the Foundation. We will post the Speech of the Foundation Vice President, Marina Pereira of the Trustees. We had a fruitful Foundation meeting on the 8th. of January 2010. We have added a few additoinal Trustees. And will make an official report in April 2010. See you all at the 5th. International Reunion. More Photo displays of the Trustees will come forth soon.
Sincerely, Posted: January 11, 2010 | |||||
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MEHS Memorial Foundation - Update March 2009 |
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For some considerable time, many of us have been talking amongst ourselves about doing something worthwhile in appreciation and in memory of, in the words of our school song, “Dear Old MEHS”, our teachers, administrators and other staff, all of whom did so much for us. The idea we have come up with is to establish a fund - called the MEHS Memorial Foundation, and whose Constitution and By Laws will be published on the MEHSA web-site - which will be used to provide scholarships for bright students in Burma, who are in need of some financial support in order that they can achieve their maximum potential. Funds will also be used to help those who helped us through our own school years. It is expected that the Foundation will be registered in California later this year as an official tax-exempt charity. 2007 has been chosen as its launch year as it is the 60th anniversary of the opening of the MEHS in 1947. There are 5 initial Trustees – the original members of the working committee which developed the scheme - but the Foundation needs many more volunteer helpers if it is to be a success. And this is where each of you can help. The Foundation needs ambassadors who will promote the Foundation in their own countries; collectors of donated funds; and volunteers in Burma who will help identify those whom the Foundation should support. And donors most of all. We are also calling for a few more alumni who are willing to join as Trustees of the Foundation.
More details of the scheme will be available at the Reunion in Bangkok on 12th January 2008, when we will start collecting donations, but any interim questions you have can be sent to the initial Trustees, who are
Marina Posted: October 8, 2007 | |||||
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