Is it because of Indy?

Doing this Indiana Jones resource generation project of KoFE for The Kolisko School was a major baffling experience to me. We had a plan to do fundraising and we simply visualized the experience that we get sponsors, sell the tickets and watch the movie on May 25. It was easy to do.

We did our jobs, the best letters were written, sponsors were approached and we thought it would be all in the bag. Wow! We were 2 weeks on the road, and well we could not even find a bag. Ha! It was a low moment. How could it be that no sponsor was interested to sponsor Indiana Jones? And there it hit me - oh my, what if the tickets won't sell???

The printing also took sometime ...we barely had 2 weeks to sell and we were not sure when the tickets will be released. But Roger Cuan, the project manager of New World Printing assigned to Indiana Jones 4, kept his word to deliver on time. No matter how bleak that week was, the ray hope was bright because Roger kept his word. Thanks Roger.

And so anyway, all 480 tickets were packed in 4 separate big boxes. When my little girl saw it she asked if I bought a television. It was bulky delivery because the Indiana Jones ticket is not a regular ticket. It is a crate-designed box. When you open it Indy pops out and hands out your ticket number. Cool isn't it? Hands up to Solar UIP for the innovative design. But when I saw those packages that one rainy evening, my world stopped for a moment. Now aside from selling it, delivery seemed to be adding up on the list of exciting moments to hack and overcome.

But by the 3rd day, our supply was down to 50%. Today, a long line of buyers await news if there are still tickets available. This is a movie block screening that will be shown side by side with regular showing of Indiana Jones in 3 or 4 cinemas in the same mall. More so, there were other malls with the same arrangement. It’s a lot expensive than the regular movie showing but people were asking for more. Is it because of Indy?

We had no radio or TV announcements, no posters and fliers...we had no marketing tool except this blog, our friends' blogs, email and text announcements. I did a profile scan of the buyers of the KoFE and The Kolisko School members. They were family members, co-workers, friends, strangers who are friends of friends, and strangers who became friends. And those who couldn't come just offered help in another form - took the task to help sell, referred another who eventually bought the tickets, donated their weekend or a month's worth of movie/leisure budget to the scholarship program. Others made pledges for the next 12 months!

And our special sponsors.

1. David Kuchenbecker sent funding because he supports our project. The email that convinced him to support us by the way was mis-sent mail! Regardless of the circumstance, he gave.
   
2. Jose Sevilla of Liwanag Candles was asked via text about possibilities and after reading the emailed proposal, he later gave a text info that a deposit was made.
3. Yellow Cab Pizza. Their support came as a surprise. It was a weekend after we were sure that there was no more hope for a sponsor to come our way. But we remained hopeful and so it was with this sense of optimism that I sent an email to their website's feedback form inquiring about partnership possibilities. A day after, Ms. Aileen Viloria, Yellow Cab’s Marketing Manager responded. By the end of the following week we got confirmation of their support.

Amazing isn't it? All three had varying experiences of how they made the decision to help. But I am certain that they found meaning in the help we were looking for and in their own best capacities found a way to respond to that call. And our ticket buyers! I continue to baffle at this amazing experience. And we are not talking about tycoons or CEOs of big time corporations, or seasoned philanthropists. These are ordinary folks like you and me who found meaning in the work that we do that sharing and giving support was easily done and freely given.

And so as we gear up for the weekend event, let me have the honor of saying THANK YOU on behalf of KOFE to everyone who came our way and made a difference. An act that flows from Love brings forth a wellspring of hope to others. And wow, what a really large and overflowing wellspring of hope we have here in this community. ;-) http://www.stservicemovie.com/

The Gifts of Love

I am amazed at how people from all walks of life have come at the right time to share what they can to help along the path of KoFE's work to build The Kolisko School for Steiner Education.

And it simply feels good to know how much love flows through. Have you noticed it? Each one finding a way to provide support, each one creating the bridge to establish the connection, each one extends a gesture of kindness that even a smile, an email or a text message can make your heart burst with butterflies and flowers...hahaha and the sunlight just shines through...

Just the other day I watched a movie and saw the trailer of INDIANA JONES 4 and I felt my heart glow. There goes Indy running and jumping, but instead of the excitement over the adventure I saw, I felt deep joy and gladness of seeing the people (even those I have not met yet!) who came our way and the love that they shared to help us build The Kolisko School.

And as you visit us one time, pass by the hallways, the rooms and the garden. Listen to the voices and bask at the smiles of the children and adults who come your way. Feel, smell, see and touch the beauty created by helping hands of caring individuals who have made an imprint on every seen and unseen creation in this place. You know that weaved in its very essence is a gift of Your Love.

Thank you Dear Friends (relatives included!). Your Light burns brightly! And every ray that shines through brings forth blessings that unfold a thousand gifts! May this message Bless You too!

What The Kolisko School Offers

Waldorf/Steiner Early Childhood Program in SY 2008-2009: Provides a nurturing environment based on an understanding of the young child's special developmental needs before the age of seven. Modeled after a good home environment. The mixed-age kindergarten has the advantage of being even more like a large family; older children provide a model for the younger ones and help them, while the little ones bring a softer element to the 5 and 6 year olds.

Waldorf/Steiner Education Grades 1 to 4 SY 2008-2009: A 'Renaissance' education where children take all subjects and do not work only on areas in which they excel. The approach to learning is in a holistic way - arts, humanities and sciences are viewed as interwoven with one another, not as a separate fields.

Subjects taught are presented in a lively pictorial way, because the elementary school child learns best when information is artistically and imaginatively presented. During the rest of the day, special subject teachers fill out the rich curriculum by teaching foreign languages, Filipino orchestra, and other subjects.

Emphasis on moral qualities such as truth, beauty and goodness which are not proselytized but experienced in the way the classroom and school is built and cared for, in the actions of the adults around them, and in the content and approach in delivery of the lessons.


Steiner Education - for the world

Acclaimed by UNESCO as education for the new millenium, the Steiner/Waldorf movement has more than 900 independent Waldorf/Steiner schools and 1,600 early childhood programs on five continents. Each initiative is started by individuals or groups within the community. The Kolisko Foundation for Education-The Kolisko School for Steiner Education started this way.

Not only is the Steiner Education truly global in its scope, but also in its approach. Wherever

approach. Wherever it is found, the Waldorf curriculum cultivates within its students a deep appreciation for cultural traditions from around the world, while all the while being deeply rooted in its local culture and context.

Testimonials on the Waldorf/Steiner Education

"If I had a child of school age, I would send him to one of the Waldorf schools."
- Samuel Bellows, Author and Nobel Laureate

"Being personally acquainted with a number of Waldorf students, I can say that they come closer to realizing their own potentials than practically anyone I know." - Dr. Joseph Weizenbaum, Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

"Waldorf education addresses the child as no other education does. Learning, is imbued with life and so with joy, which is the only true basis for later study. Such students possess the eye of discoverer, and the compassionate he study. Such students possess the eye of discoverer, and the compassionate heart of the reformer, which when joined to a task, can change the planet." - Dr. Arthur Zajonc, Associate Professor of Physics, Amherst College

"After having done thorough research into the neurological aspects of cognition, movement and maturity, it was a great pleasure to discover that that a curriculum so unexceptionable from a neurological point of view actually existed. With all my heart, I support the efforts to make Waldorf education more generally known." -Dee Joy Coulter, Ed.D., Univeriity of Colorado"

I fondly call my son 'baby magnet'. Notwithstanding his exuberance and being an only child, he has consistently, since the age of 5, shown care and empathy for any younger child that comes within close range. Little kids follow him around in complete trust and he is quick to defend the vulnerable. I believe Waldorf has significantly contributed and molded his strong and compassionate leadership skills, a keen eye for detail and beauty in any environment, creative and strong analytical skills, a confident and almost gleeful approach to math, and emotional and interactive resilience. I am therefore confident of his future and wish Wadlorf education to be experienced by other children." - Evangeline Navarro, Lecturer - Finance, University of the Philippines

Through the years, I watched my 3 children (and I, alongside with them) grow into individuals who nurture a reverence for life and a genuine love for learning in a Steiner School. Once, my daughter Samantha (now age 12) was working on her math exercises at home, she exclaimed, "when I am close to an answer, I can almost taste it!". As my children continue to flourish in a Steiner school, I am confident that their lives will unfold in a beautiful way that they will inspire others through the way they live their lives and extend the blessings of Steiner Education to the people whose very lives they touch." - Maria Lourdes R. Medrano, Pediatric Dentist, Waldorf-educated Teacher, Steiner-inspired Child Care Program

The KEAP Project and The Kolisko School

What is The Kolisko School for Steiner Education?

As a project of the Kolisko Foundation for Education (KoFE), The Kolisko School provides affordable Steiner Education to Filipino children.

Partnership in the education of the child is at the heart of The Kolisko School. The school's influence is not only in the relationship with the child, but with the family and the greater community. By educating children and families and building communities that will care for others, the environment and the country, The Kolisko School helps achieve social transformation in the country through The Ripple Effect.

The Ripple Effect takes place when the impact of an action to an individual transforms that individual, who in turn creates a greater impact to everything in his environment and subsequently, other lives.

The Kolisko School also puts great value to the Environment and ensures that the child and its partner community share a deep connection to it such that the protection of environment is an outcome of the transformation of individuals, families and the country.

The Kolisko School is a unique Waldorf/Steiner initiative in the Philippines as it was created by a community of parents.

Why Steiner Education?

The Waldorf or Steiner Education of The Kolisko School prepares young people to meet the world with inner confidence, to trust in the value of each human being, and to think and work with initiative in their lives.

Developed by the Austrian scientist and philosopher Rudolf Steiner in 1919, Steiner Education is based on a profound understanding of human development that addresses the education needs of the whole child - the heart, the hands, as well as the head. Students are nurutred across the full range of human capacity - physical, emotional, intellectual, artistic, and spiritual.

By nurturing children lovingly in an age-specific stress-free environment, The Kolisko School enables children to develop a lifelong love of learning, acquire creative independence and balanced maturity in adulthood, and achieve an understanding of what is beautiful in the world in the broadest sense of the word.

Steiner Education in The Kolisko School is being indigenized to enable young Filipinos to appreciate what is beautiful about the country.

The KEAP Project

Of 100 school-age Filipino children entering Grade 1, only twothirds will graduate elementary, less than half will graduate high school, and less than 25% will enter college.

Poor nutrition, poor literacy, and lack of motivation are the common reasons for drop out. Former Department of Education Undersecretary Juan Miguel Luz cites that the Philippine educational system have failed in the education of the Filipino children to become responsible, productive and self-fulfilling. “We are graduating people who are learning less and less," he said. National achievement tests for elementary students show that a Mean Percentage score of 57% was common.

If the country fails to care for our children, how can they take care of the future of the country, and the future of their own children?

Yet, change is possible.

In 2005-2006, the National Secondary Achievement Test (NSAT) for grade 6 children yielded a Mean Percentage Score of 54.5%. The following year, the scores increased to 59.94%. The marked increased was a result of an active partnership of everyone involved (e.g. schools, communities and local government units). When people – through a strong, supportive, and collaborative partnership - create the way to improve the lives of children, a difference is made.

The presence of a strong alliance between parents, teachers, school administration, and concerned school administration, and concerned individuals and groups is the key.

In 2006, a group of parents, having witnessed first-hand the inspiring results of Steiner education on their own children established the Kolisko Foundation for Education (KoFE), a nonprofit, non-religious organization that aims to promote, develop, and advance Steiner-inspired initiatives in the fields of education, agriculture, community building, economics, and the environment. Key to the Steiner philosophy is the development of free human beings, who are able of themselves to impart a unique purpose and direction to their lives for the good of society and the environment. These free purposive individuals will naturally contribute to the social transformation of a country in dire need of one.

Fueled by volunteerism, resource donations and community participation, KoFE established its first school -- The Kolisko School for Steiner Education to provide affordable Steiner education for young Filipinos.

As an intial thrust to serve the community, The Kolisko School has created The Kolisko Education Assistance Program (KEAP) or The KEAP Project to provide holistic Steiner education for children of Filipino parents, who contribute to the country's social transformation and development but are not in the financial position to provide good education for their own children.

The KEAP Project is a tuition assistance program that provides a formal program platform for harnessing the support of the community in creating moral and purposive young Filipinos, who will contribute to the social transformation of the Philippines. Specifically, The KEAP Project

1. Educates qualified parents of their power to provide good education for their children beyond their own current resources; to recognize the presence of a community, which can help make this possible; and to prove them tools that will allow the education of their children and the children of others, who share the same plight.
2. Offers individuals and organizations a transparent mechanism to donate and support directly to the cause of child development, education, social transformation and community development.
3. Provides a venue, where creative initiatives and partnerships can be matched productively for the education of the young in The Kolisko School, and for addressing concerns shared by the community for the good of society and the environment.

The KEAP Project enables these via community education and implementation of a donor management system.

Who is the KEAP Beneficiary or The KEAPer?

The KEAP Project supports the proportionate tuition needs in The Kolisko School of deserving Filipino children, whose Filipino parents contribute directly to the social transformation and development of the Philippines but their full involvement in these areas often times do not provide them sufficient financial resources to provide good education for their own children.

The extreme demand of thier work requires a special support system to help them find balance and a healthy way of caring for their children that the Steiner education and its strong alliance with its community members can provide.

These KEAPer parents specifically are:

1. low income Development Workers employed in non-government or government agencies that specifically address the welfare of marginalized sectors such as children, Indigenous People, etc and the welfare of the Environment either through advocacy, education, protection, rehabilitation, research or training.
2. low income Teachers, who are involved in the education and care of children from families who belong to the lower middle economic strata, disabled children, and other children with special circumstances.
3. low income Overseas Filipino Workers, those who have household income that still cannot afford a full paying tuition for their children.

How can qualified parents join The KEAP Project?

To join The KEAP Project, the interested parent must:

1. Earn a maximum collective houselhold income of : Php30,000/mo if with one (1) child; and Php10,000.00 /mo for each additional child
2. Submit all the following required documents (items a-c to be provided by both parents):

a. Curriculum Vitae / Resume - with all contact deails to facilitate the process and full Employment History with stated salary in each position

b. Certification of Current Employment with stated Position and Salary from Employer

c. Parent's Info Sheet - filled out completely

d. Child's/Children's Info Sheet - filled out completely

e. Photocopy of Child's Form 138 or Report Card for the preceding year

f. MERALCO bill - with address consistent to the one stated in the CV

Emailed Blank Parent's/Child's Info Sheet can be requested from:admin.kolisko.school@gmail.com.

3. Submit all the documents in an envelope marked

"APPLICATION FOR THE KOLISKO EDUCATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM"

either by courier mail or in person to The Kolisko School for Steiner Education No. 10 Alabama St., Bgy. Kristong hari,New Manila, Quezon City

4. Undergo the Interview. Qualified parents will be contacted by The Kolisko School for an interview – concurrently held for the parents and the child/children.

Interviews are scheduled by appointment daily between 8:30-11:30am and 1:00 – 5:00pm, Mondays-Fridays.

5. Undertake Orientation on The KEAP Project, its support system for applicants and donors, and the methods for tapping into the community and enabling the enrollment of the child in The Kolisko School.
6. Comply with mutually-agreed enrollment parameters.
7. Personally, be active in school or community projects.

KEAP Applications are open for Pre-School to Grade 4 levels
(Ages 3 - 9) for school year June 2008 - March 2009.

Regaining My Son's Childhood

Often, parents would refer to babies and young children as “angels,” a comment meant to describe young children – full of wonder and eagerness, the givers of unconditional love, the source of humor and compassion. Yet in the same breath, older parents would be quick to add, “but when they get older…” and we hear a litany of failed expectations accompanied by a deep sigh.

My husband Eric and I felt this way about our son Jose. Jose was not a wayward teenager or a young man in his twenties testing the bounds of freedom and rebellion. Our son, at the tender age of four, was tired of a hurried life. Jose has always been surrounded by a family that loves him. He barely watched television, and preferred books and play. Like other "angels," he shared many special moments with Eric and me. The most special were our nightime "read-me-a-book-Nanay" moments, a routine we followed regardless of how sleepy we both were.

Jose started his “academic training” for the traditional schools when he was three and a half. As parents, we thought, for Jose to have a meaningful life, he had to start young to excel among his peers. Like a popular milk commercial on TV, we subscribed to having children start life with a competitive edge. A child’s self-worth was to be measured by the number of contests he won, getting and staying ahead of the game, and being stronger than the rest.

But it was a false headstart. The push to be the best turned out to be a constant battle for Jose to prove he could meet our standards. He was in a pre-school that equated intelligence with parroting back information, and performing robotic acts of completing workbooks and tests. Mimicry, as opposed to originality, was rewarded with high grades and a promotion to the next grade level.

While Jose’s academic skills were noteworthy, he exhibited signs of aggression that were non-existent before he entered school. At times he was also passive, then restless or distressed. He was doing everything in a hurry, especially his school assignments. But in the process, he was actually accomplishing less and less. He began to also watch more television to escape the drudgery of homework.

Jose’s young life was a hurried life, vis-à-vis our own hurried lives. At the young age of seven, Jose complained,” I’m too tired to do anything else.” Soon unmet expectations led to clashes within our young family, marked by impatience, anger, and a constant struggle to pinpoint a culprit to blame. The cherished moments of storytelling and reading with Nanay were no longer a source of delight.

But angels have gifts of wisdom, and they never cease to try to fulfill their purpose. Despite our boxed up view of “should and should- not’s,” or being labeled as “troublesome,” by the disciplinary standards of his traditional school, the angel in Jose never died. True to his nature, he found ways to escape the academic prison he was in. While we thought he was attending special classes for academically advanced students at his school, he was in the middle of the football field, rolling on the grass, playing and laughing, enjoying how wonderfully blue the sky was. Once he shared a secret. Jose said that when he found something that made him happy he learned to refrain from expressing it as his teacher would see it as class disruption; instead, he would feel the happiness inside his heart and jump with joy but always with a mask – a deadpan expression on the outside. It was one of the saddest secrets I had ever heard.

As parents, we all have the same angel source in ourselves. And when we learn to quiet down, we discover that we too share the same wisdom that our angel children have. It was during one of those quiet moments that I deeply felt I was unwilling to have Jose suffer through his traditional school for yet another year.

A friend whose child was enrolled in a Steiner school convinced me to investigate its “stress-free” curriculum. I visited the first Steiner school in Quezon City with my son Jose in tow. While I visited the administrative office, my son explored the school grounds. When I had finished with my queries, I headed for the playground to look for Jose where I found him – quietly still and relaxed on top of an elevated structure, his eyes fixed at the blue sky. I savored the sacredness of that moment. I felt a sense of peace seeing him there; it was obvious, he too found his own. Later that afternoon, he joyfully announced to my colleagues at work that he was going to a new school, a Steiner school.

Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner established a school in 1919 for the children of the Waldorf cigarette factory workers in war-torn Germany. Today, Steiner education (also known as Waldorf education) is the largest and fastest growing, non-sectarian educational system in over 900 independent schools in at least 60 countries.

In Steiner schools, skills, subjects, and concepts are introduced only at a time when these are appropriate to the child’s emotional, psychological, and intellectual development. Beyond rote memorization, children are taught to ‘experience” concepts, and integrate age-specific abstract thinking into the realities of work and environment.

During an orientation program in Kolisko School for Steiner Education (KoSSE), parents were given crayons and paper. They were asked to remove their shoes and socks, wedge the crayons between their toes, and write their full names on the paper, first with the left, then with the right foot. Amid giggles, the adults complained that it was a difficult task. “This is exactly how your pre-schooler feels when you force him to learn the alphabet and write his name before he is ready for it,” remarked one of the teachers.

Jose readily adapted to his new school where the academic curriculum was creatively taught using painting, form drawing, puppetry, and games. He learned to play the recorder, the violin and indigenous instruments. His fascination for nature led to an interest in bird watching, a passion he now enjoys with his father. But I knew for sure that I had my little angel back when one evening, Jose approached me with a book, and lovingly said, “Nanay, please read to me.” I cried a river after that.

My experience isn’t unique; it is shared by other parents whose children are in Steiner schools. For the past year, Eric and I have joined a group of parents who are so gratified with the way their children have developed that they see it now as a calling, to spread Steiner education to as many Filipino children as possible. In June 2008, the Kolisko School for Steiner Education located at No. 10 Alabama St. Barangay Kristong Hari, E. Rodriguez (near St. Luke’s) Quezon City will make Steiner/Waldorf education available to middleclass Filipino families. The Kolisko School will offer a parent-toddler class (for 2-3 year-olds), kindergarten (for 3-6 year-olds), a first and a fourth grade.

Like Jose, we now want our youngest child, four-year old Yma, to experience an unhurried life at the new Kolisko School.

###

About the Author: Techie dela Torre is presently the Dean of the School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies at De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde. She is also one of the founding members of the Kolisko Foundation for Education, Inc (KoFE, Inc.) and the Kolisko School for Steiner Education.

About KoFE

The Kolisko Foundation for Education, Inc. (KoFE, Inc.) is a non-stock non-profit organization that seeks to create opportunities that will contribute to the social transformation of the Philippines. It's mission is to be "a loving and compassionate community of parents and individuals that seek to HEAL OUR LAND through relevant education, fostering authentic relationships and self-awareness." KoFE dedicates itself to promote, develop, and advance Steiner-inspired initiatives in the fields of education, agriculture, community building, economics and the Environment.

One of it's projects is The Kolisko School. It was established to make Steiner education accessible to the average Filipino Family. As a sign of commitment, KoFE has set up The Kolisko Educational Assistance Program (The KEAP Project). It is a tuition assistance program that harnesses community support to help in the educational needs of children of specific low income groups, who contribute to the development and social transformation of the Philippines. These are Development Workers who serve the welfare of children, indigenous people, and the Environment (e.g. community organizers, social workers, researchers, advocates, etc); teachers involved in the education of children in special circumstances (e.g. low income, disabled children, abused, etc); and Overseas Filipino Workers who still cannot afford to fully fund the education of their children. The KEAP beneficiaries are KEAPers, and those who help them are The KEAPers' Friends. Be a KEAPer's Friend and join KoFE in this drive to help the country by helping those who are directly involved in the country's social transformation. For partnership opportunities, please contact Ms. Gay Cruz-Valdez (School Administrative Assistant) at 710-5279.

The Kolisko School holds Public Orientations for Parents and Short Lectures on particular weekends. Please call 710-5279 for inquiries. For those who wish to visit The Kolisko School for a one-on-one orientation session we are open Mondays to Fridays from 9am to 4pm Please call 710-5279 or 0917-5702946 for an appointment
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This article is a revised version of what was published in The Manila Bulletin and The Daily Tribune. Many thanks to the publishers of these newspapers, and their editors and writers. You made a difference in the lives of many who have been touched by this story. Your publication paved the way for their children to finally find us.

Many thanks to Susan Quimpo who helped me improve on the original article I wrote and read in the The Kolisko School's Milestone Party held last March 2, 2008. ;-). Thanks too, to Noemi Jara who helped further improve the above version.

May 15 and 16 Beading Workshop

Bond with your child
Engage your students
Inspire your ward!


Learn to make Bead Jewelry TOGETHER!


The Kolisko School offers


BEADING workshop
May 15 and 16, 2008
830am to 4pm


Php1,750/person (materials included)


Adult and Child (age 9 & up) are encouraged to attend as pairs.


Limited Slots! Register Now!
Call 7105279


The Kolisko School
#10 Alabama St.Brgy Kristong Hari
New Manila, QC

On Giving

Giving (called Dana in Sanskrit) is one of the most important virtues. It is basic to all other virtues or soul qualities since it is expressed through the physical body. In fact, it is the primary means of overcoming inertia to which our physical nature is inclined. The Buddha considered it the foundation of the spiritual journey, and that it is.

Our practice of giving helps us to develop a sensitivity to others and to circumstances around us. It helps us to grow in respect and in generosity. Giving begins the process of transformation, even without seeking it. The Buddha said: “Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy; while giving, the mind of the giver is made peaceful; and having given, the mind of the giver is uplifted.” It is through giving who and what we are that we experience happiness.

The soul always seeks to manifest something of value to the world through your thoughts, feelings and actions. Soul is not motivated by what you will get out of it, but rather by what you can give. It is motivated by awareness of need. It knows that you have the ability to respond to that need, thereby restoring something or someone to a stature of dignity or value.

Giving and receiving

Giving is not done to fulfill a psychological need to receive. That would be self-centred egoic manipulation. Giving is done as a natural expression of the soul beginning to awaken the heart. To give with true generosity, we need to cultivate the ability to receive graciously without taking or grasping. When we are able to receive with equanimity, we have the spirit to give without expectation.

According to the Bhagavad Gita, giving and receiving are the same when done with detachment. This implies that one both gives and receives with gratitude. It is as much a privilege to give as to receive. And one can do both without being attached to them. This requires that one focuses on the love that is shared more than on the object or act through which it is expressed. This way, one stays soul connected. The detachment that accompanies giving then does not give preference to anyone. One gives to strangers as well as to familiars.

Be aware of your motives

Putting forth efforts to reach out, such as by doing good deeds, helping others, and the like, are fine, but they do not necessarily lead us to be less self-centred. It all depends on our motivation. Do we act out of a desire for comfort or security or appreciation? Do we act to make life around us conform to our image of the way life should be? Or do we respond with detachment to what we perceive as real need? We have to know ourselves sufficiently to know what our true motives are.

Helping others as a way of fulfilling one’s own psychological needs is not necessarily harmful to others, but it is not the most healthy approach. The motivation to help others can be mixed altruism and selfishness. It can be a way to avoid dealing with what is going on within ourselves. If we are to honour the soul, we cannot use others to get the comfort, solace, security and love we feel we are lacking.

Our motives will usually be mixed. We give because we recognize a need, and we feel good or get some appreciation because of our giving. We must not stop giving just because our motivation might not be pure. To gain greater awareness does not necessarily require us to stop our practice that was conducted without awareness.

Being aware during the act of giving purifies intention and can help us develop detachment and get beyond our self absorption.

Our gifts to life

On the spiritual journey there are always two essential elements. One is relating to a reality greater than oneself, and the other is helping or giving to others. These two elements speak to one reality – that is, our unity with all life and our specific duty to serve the other in the situations in which we find ourselves.

The Buddha taught that “the greatest gift is the act of giving itself” because it portrays the true nature of all life, which is to give itself that all might live and love. Although the motivation is not self-centred, giving to help and free others also helps and frees us because I and the other are one. It was with this understanding that when asked why he gave so much and helped so many people, Ghandi humbly replied: “I don’t give to anyone. I do it all for myself.”

To make our giving a true gift, we could be aware of some guidelines:

True giving requires some sacrifice on the part of the giver.

True giving must show respect, and not condescension, toward the recipient.

We are grateful to the recipient for making the act of giving possible.

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This article was taken from http://www.thesouljourney.com/soulperspectives.shtml

For The Children of The Kolisko School

The Kolisko Foundation for Education or KoFE is a non-stock, non-profit organization created by a group of parents and friends who seek to HEAL OUR LAND through education, environment protection, and wellness. To serve as our vehicle to achieve our vision, we have opened The Kolisko School for Steiner Education (The Kolisko School) #10 Alabama St.Quezon City. Barangay Kristong Hari, E. Rodriguez, QC.

We seek to make middle and low income families have easier access to private education through socialized tuition fees. It is also our goal to make available full and partial scholarships to children of of low income professionals and staff in the field of Development who help marginalized groups in society. Examples of these staff are social workers, community outreach staff, personnel working in foundations, teachers of disabled children, orphans, etc; and even low income ofws who still remain in poverty sitution.

The fund created for this group is The Kolisko Educational Assistance Program or The KEAP project. The beneficiaries are The KEAPers, and those who help them are The KEAPers' Friends.

Many of us work as volunteers and we need help from organizations and philanthropic individuals to support us in our work. Thus, we would like to invite you to be our partner in building the scholarship fund of The Kolisko School. And there are many ways to do this:

1. Let us all watch the movie block screening of “INDIANA JONES 4” on May 25, 2008(Sunday) 4:30pm at the Robison’s Galleria Cinema 1. Ticket cost is Php250. For every ticket sold Php100 goes to scholarship fund for socialized tuition fees and The KEAP Project. We hope to sell 480 tickets and earn Php48,000 from it. The rest of income goest to expenses since we do not have any big sponsors for the project.
2. Help us find business establishments and companies willing to sponsor the event. We have sponsorship packages that may interest them. Please refer them to us.
3. Be A Friend for a day by sharing a comfortable amount of Php300, Php500, Php1,000 or more to help The Kolisko School in the following areas:

   __The-KEAP-Project-Fund, __Provide for the Chairs/Tables/Classroom Materials Fund, and the ___ Classrooms for the Children Fund

   
   
4. Support the projects above for a week, a month or a year. A continuous source of your support will go a long, a long way.
5. Be a resource person. Donate your services, skills and talents, donate unused materials and equipments, donate anything that may find some use in The Kolisko School.
6. Be an advocate. Help spread the good news. Find us a partner who may be looking for this kind of involvement.

Please contact the info above or any KoFE member who sent you this email for further details on how you can help.

You know that it takes a village to raise the child; and one child makes all the difference.

And you can make that happen, today.