Hispanic American Foundation, dos decadas de apoyo a la comunidad / Hispanic American Foundation, more than 2 decades supporting the community

By Guillermo Rojas y Victoria Lis Marino | Tulsa, OK

¿Has oído hablar de la Hispanic American Foundation? Es una de las principales organizaciones de Tulsa que apoya la educación y el desarrollo de la juventud por medio de la entrega de becas universitarias. Desde hace 22 años la fundación trabaja codo a codo con la comunidad hispana para conseguir fondos que permitan promover la cultura latina y lograr que nuestros futuros lideres se capaciten.

Hoy, su presidente es Pedro Mari, un referente de la comunidad latina de Tulsa que hace décadas mantiene firme su compromiso con nuestra ciudad. “Buscamos promover programas culturales como el festival de las Américas para que todos puedan conocer más sobre el mundo latino. La educación es muy importante para que nuestra juventud tome parte activa en la comunidad de Tulsa y por eso damos becas”, explicó.

En el mes de Enero la fundación abre la preinscripción a la solicitud de becas, y las mismas se adjudican a mediados de año. “Son tres los requisitos para calificar como becario, los postulantes deben corroborar su necesidad financiera, tienen que demostrar compromiso y participación comunitaria y finalmente deben  presentar un plan para ayudar a la comunidad una vez terminada su beca”, dijo Mari.

En el 2022 la Fundación entregó unos $60.000 en becas, todo gracias al aporte de distintas organizaciones y personajes de la ciudad. “Una de las cosas que nos preocupa es mantener a los chicos dentro de la universidad, por eso, logramos crear otro programa de becas de asistencia de 4 años para quienes estén cursando, y ya están por graduarse un ingeniero de TU, una maestra y una enfermera en ORU”, afirmó con orgullo, destacando el fruto de sus contribuciones.

“Hay que resaltar que estas becas son para todos, no solo para los hispanos, es para toda la comunidad”, resaltó Mari.

Finalizando sus dos años de presidencia Pedro Mari asegura que su rol más importante ha sido el exponer la fundación a la comunidad, y proyecta la continuidad de la organización gracias al reclutamiento de sangre joven que tome las riendas del futuro. “Ya contamos con ex becados en el board de trustees”, afirmó con orgullo. “En el futuro queremos extender nuestros servicios y conseguir dinero para entregar más becas. Sabemos que el dinero está pero hay que buscarlo para poder entregárselo a nuestros niños que son nuestro futuro”, agregó.

A todos los jóvenes que deseen conocer más sobre la Hispanic American Foundation los invitamos a visitar el sitio web https://haftulsa.org y a involucrarse activamente en el desarrollo de la cultura hispana. “Participen, involúcrense, ayuden a otros que así se aprende”, concluyó Mari. (La Semana)

Hispanic American Foundation, more than 2 decades supporting the community

Tulsa, OK- Have you heard of the Hispanic American Foundation? It is one of the main organizations in Tulsa supporting higher education and the development of youth through the distribution and allocation of university grants. For 22 years the Foundation has been working side by side with the Hispanic community to obtain founds that may help foster Latin culture and build a future for the future leaders of the city.

Its president is Pedro Mari, a Puerto Rican who has become a strong presence in the city’s Latino community and has been working with the foundation since its beginnings.

“We promote cultural events like Festival de las Americas so that all can know a bit more about the Hispanic world,” he explained. “Education for us is a keystone so that our youth can take an active part in the society, that’s why we offer grants.”

The enrollment process begins in January and the scholarships are announced by mid-year.

“There are three requisites to qualify for a grant,” Mari said. “The candidates must require financial aid, they need to be active participants in their community, and present a plan that shows how they will support their communities after graduating.”

In 2022 the Foundation gave $60,000 in scholarships, money that was raised with the funds of members of the community and other organizations.

“Today one of our goals is to keep our children at university, which is why we have created another scholarships program to support those who are already studying for four years, so that they can graduate. And we already have an engineer from TU, a teacher and a nurse who are about to finish their studies with this help,” said Mari, proudly highlighting the extraordinary results of the program.

“One thing that must be pointed out is that the scholarships are open to all the community, you don’t have to be Hispanic to be awarded a grant,” Mari explained.

In his last year at the helm of the Hispanic American Foundation, Mari reflects and believes his major victory has been promoting the works of the foundation in the community. Today he projects a bright future in the hands of recently recruited board members, who are former grantees.

“The young are taking control of our future, and it looks bright,” he said. “We want to expand our scholarships, bring more money along. We know the money is out there but we need to dig so that we can help those kids who are the future of everything.”

To all those who want to know more about the Hispanic American Foundation, visit https://haftulsa.org to actively get involved in the development of Hispanic culture. “Participate, be active, and help others — that is the way of learning,” concluded Mari. (La Semana)