2013 FOM Scholarships Awarded to Easter Island Students!

Aloha!

The Fraternal Order of Moai is very pleased to announce the awarding of our TWO FOM Scholarships to students from Rapa Nui (otherwise known at Easter Island) through The Easter Island Foundation!!

This is the 4th year for Fraternal Order of Moai Scholarships for students from Rapa Nui, with preference always given to students studying in fields that will benefit the island and who intend to return to Rapa Nui at the completion of their collegiate studies.

Funds for the scholarships are raised at our annual event, Ohana Luau at the Lake, in Lake George New York. So, while everyone who attends had a great time, drinking, eating, shopping, listening to bands, room crawling & all that Ohana entails, it's all done with a purpose to help those beyond us.

You can read all about the TWO FOM scholarship recipients here:http://www.fraternalorderofmoai.org/news/index.php/2013/02/19/fom-2013-scholarships-awarded-by-eif

& all about the Easter Island Foundation & the good works they do for the people of Rapa Nui here: http://islandheritage.org/wordpress/?page_id=3
Please join us in supporting their good works.

More on Ohana Luau at The Lake HERE: http://www.LuauAtTheLake.com

And - even if you can't join us in Lake George, please do consider donating to our Silent Auction held at the event, from which 100% of the proceeds go to fund our donation to the Easter Island Foundation and these 2 Scholarships. And.......BONUS: ALL donations to the Ohana Silent Auction are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!

More on the Silent Auction & how to donate HERE: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=44852&forum=4&0

Aloha & Mahalo for your support of Ohana Luau at the Lake & students from the island of Rapa Nui!!

& to add some extra context to the story, I am please to share pictures of our 2 FOM Scholarship awards as well:

Lafquen Passalcqua Hucke (above) Fraternal Order of Moai Award ($3000)

Lafquen is in her fourth year of studying social anthropology at the Universidad Católica de Temuco. Her studies include recognition of the importance of the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples. It is her belief that cultural knowledge should not only be preserved, but also transmitted to future generations to encourage pride in their ancestry. Through her education, Lafquen wants to document the cultural traditions and the ancestral knowledge of the Rapa Nui elders.

Pamina Olivares Paoa (above) Fraternal Order of Moai Tangata Manu Award ($2500)

Pamina is in her fifth year at the School of Architecture and Design, Pontifica Universidad Catolica, Valparaíso. The study of architecture has enabled her to combine two subjects she is passionate about: art and history. After she completes her studies, she would like to work towards reinforcing two of the island’s economic mainstays: fishing and tourism. One of her ideas is to develop a long term project working with other disciplines towards creating a marine reserve on the island for endangered species, with the goal of having a sustainable ecosystem. She is also interested in preserving the ancestral methods of fishing to both revive these traditions and use them for tourism. She envisions development of an interpretive trail along the coastline that emphasizes the importance of fishing and marine resources to the ancestral Rapanu that will help educate visitors about the island’s coastal resources.

Awesome, I need to dig around in the closet and see what might be a good item for the auction this year.

-Rev

Kudos for keeping this program alive and successful! While most TCers (me included) are spilling countless tears about closing restaurants, drinking from Moai mugs and wondering what Tiki party to book this year, here are folks quietly putting their money and effort where their mouth is, towards helping a culture that started it all!

I agree with Sven, Great Job!

Thanks for the kind words bigbrotiki maybe the trade-winds will carry you to Ohana sometime.