The ingredients of the altruists network in Iasi: a foundation, hundreds of gifted students and enough donors willing to give wings
by Alexandra Filip
Denisa finally took "some things for high school", Andreea managed to pay almost entirely for her home and canteen, and Andrei already had four personal painting exhibitions at the beginning of the year, which she could not have done without the money received from the Scholarship Fund. There are only three of the 766 students financially supported so far by the donors from Iasi, through this program of the Iasi Community Foundation (FCI), which started with a handful of friends who set out to help five students who are good at learning to perform. Since then, 10 years have passed, the five beneficiaries have become several hundred, long-distance donors have turned into mentors, and some scholars are already thinking about how they will help in turn. Together, they form a web of altruists of Iasi, linked together by the generosity to give time, energy and money. A chance for a gifted student who would otherwise get lost under the burden of the need for books and materials and the provision of daily living.
As every December, in a large hall, in a select place of Iasi, children, parents and generous gathered. It's the launch gala of the Scholarship Fund, the moment when, after a matching process, donors and fellows finally know each other face to face. Emotions and awkwardness are on both sides, but they go when they start participating in a game and when they exchange phone numbers and emails. That, when it's not the peak of the pandemic. When it's, everything moves on zoom, in one-on-one meetings and whatsapp groups. The fellows, new or old, shy, dreamy, already know that the stock market is going to get rid of some hardships. Donors, new or old, are perhaps thinking about future challenges and whether or not to lead the role of mentor. What is certain is that they will give wings to children with averages above 9 and an income per family member of no more than 1,000 lei, and the even better part is that they will be able to see, first of all, how their involvement helps.
"I feel that I have received happiness," says Denisa Mardar, who took a merit scholarship in all the years she was a student at the "Octav Băncilă" National College of Art, in Iasi, at the fine art department. "This scholarship saved me from some very high costs", says about the 1,800 lei that were transferred to him in installments, every year of high school.
When I talk to Denisa, she informs me from the start that she is more introverted, that she is afraid of being judged, of not stuttering, first of all, but she speaks with the enthusiasm of a warm summer rain. "I was happy when I was selected, that I knew for sure that if I received this scholarship, I could continue my studies well, not to have very big financial problems. I needed painting materials a lot, at least the ones we used were very expensive, I also helped my grandmother in the scholarship. I also stayed at the dorm in the 9th grade, and my grandparents had nowhere to pay me."
In the 7th grade she was determined to give to an arts high school, in the 8th she already went to a workshop of aesthetics and iconography, where she learned to paint icons, and in the 10th she learned to sew men's shirts. Naturally, he is now studying at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Iasi, in the department of sacred art. She could become a fine arts teacher. Or he'll work in a painting workshop. Or maybe in a sewing one — he's going to decide. Arriving at the university, Denisa no longer receives a scholarship from FCI, but the donor she had and whom she would have liked to know more, Mrs. Crenguța, who is a doctor, is now donating for her cousin, Gabriela.
Denisa also told gabriela Mardar of the opportunity, who is in high school in the 11th grade and receives the FCI scholarship of merit since she was in the 8th. He made his first years of gymnasium in the countryside, in the village of Scheia, and then he went with his parents to learn, in Iasi. "The scholarship helped me a lot, because I come from a family with shortcomings, I also stayed with rent when I arrived in Iasi", gabriela says quickly. She is technically Denisa's aunt, but the girls grew up together, "like two cousins." They took care of Denisa after her biological mother left her and remarried, and the father never knew her.
A generous database
"It is important to know from the beginning the situation at home, that it is often reflected in the respective student," says Claudia Samoila, the project coordinator in session 8 and 9, plus the last session, before going on pregnancy risk leave. Many of the fellows with high backgrounds, but precarious situations, come from the Bucium Placement Center, which also functions as a social center and as a center of excellence and where children end up orphaned by a parent or both, or who no longer talk to their parents and have run away from home. "We go there with a donor, to see his fellow, and at the center you see them all, they take you in their arms, 'lady, lady, lady!' They can't wait to interact," says Claudia Samoila.
A year of scholarship lasts as long as a school year, students receive the first tranche of money in January, and the last — in November. First, however, you need to find the brilliant students who are studying in the city of Iasi and need a chance. For this, FCI scours the database of contacts gathered throughout the year and sends a press release: to schools, school inspectorate, teachers, NGOs, school counselors, old and current scholars, on social networks, volunteer groups and about wherever students are found.
In order to become scholarship holders in the Scholarship Fund, they must meet some conditions: the semi-annual average must be over 9, the average income per head of family should not exceed 1,000 lei, and the child must be involved in extracurricular activities, competitions, Olympiads, volunteering, etc.
Those selected have the chance to receive either a merit scholarship (children in grades 5-12, with very good results at school) or performance (students in grades 1-12, who excel in a certain field, regardless of age, and to whom family income is no longer taken into account, because the costs are very high anyway). "Most of them come from theoretical high schools, not technological ones, that is, from good high schools, because there they are taught and have high averages, they are good children," adds Claudia.
Sometimes, it happens that the average of a scholar falls below 9, as was the case with a student in the 9th session, in the 11th grade, who remained a corigent in mathematics. "We met with him, let's try to find out what the problem is and how we can solve it. I had a math teacher in the database that I talked to, and she agreed to do tutoring with him once a week. Now she's in college," Claudia recalls.
Other times, some children lose their scholarship. It was the case of a girl already in the 12th grade, who was studying at a technological high school in Iasi, with a difficult financial situation at home and whom her parents could not keep at home. Unfortunately, he dropped out of high school and went abroad.
Andreea Lupu is a happy case. He found out about the stock market by chance last year and narrowly gathered all the necessary paperwork. Now she is in the 11th grade at a vocational high school of painting, the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Iasi. Here he learns about cultural heritage, art objects, the history of the art of the study of colors and technical drawing, paints icons, sketches and bodies.
With the money received from the donor, plus those from the merit scholarship at school (50 lei per month, for those with averages from 9.50 upwards) and the high school money (250 lei per month), Andreea breathes a sigh of relief: she managed to pay, almost entirely, her home and canteen, and to cover a part of the material money.
Those who give are those who, at some point, have received
Phase two: the donors are being sought. Fundraising campaigns are made, old donors are asked if they want to continue, calls are issued to convince new ones, discussions are made with companies, and sometimes even current donors become fundraisers and bring their friends, colleagues, acquaintances into the project. They donate their birthday or participate in Swimathon, an event started in many cities in the country and beyond, through which funds are raised for various causes and programs.
Those who give are the ones who, at some point, received, is the theory of Corina Farcas, the one who dealt, for a while, with raising funds and finding donors. "Where do you get the resources?" is the question he went with in 2019 to the donors, aiming to find out from whom they received them and what is their relationship with education, with school, with education, with a favorite teacher.
"When I asked them about resources, I did not refer only to who gave you 10 lei and sent you to buy what you wanted, but to who gave you a hug when you were a child, what person marked you, what words, what teachers, something you remember in an instant and after 30 years," Corina says about the first campaign made for the Scholarship Fund. It was happening in 2019, and although the campaign was a success, 2020 followed and the pandemic that would give everyone the ordinance of life over their heads.
Because it has been a tough year, with donors no longer able to afford to donate and with children affected by moving school online and isolating behind screens, the number of scholarships has declined. They were at least hoping to find donors for the 88 scholarship holders who remained in the program and who were not in their final year of high school. "The program was a setback in 2020, but we saw it as a win, that it was a tough year, we did not expect to have donors for them. But although the number of scholarships has decreased, we have maintained more donors willing to continue donating than in other years," says Corina Farcas. "Moreover, it was announced at the foundation what children do not have a tablet, phones or laptop, and the donors jumped to the rescue almost every time and donated laptops for them," says Claudia.
At the first session of the scholarship fund, five students were selected, and in session 2, which was held in the same year, there were 11. Then 30, 67, 82, 66, 106, 123, 103, 88 and 85, this year. It reached 766 children, some of whom benefited from the scholarship several sessions in a row. The Foundation linked the relationship with the fellows and donors, from how they were first selected and transparency towards others, believes Ciprian-Mihai Păius, executive director of FCI, especially since many donors have also become ambassadors of the program.
A donor offers the amount of 2,200 lei, of which 1,800 lei go to the stock market, and 400 lei covers the costs of the foundation for the administration of the program. He knows what the money is being spent on, as at the end of the semester, students are forced to send a report in which they justify their expenses, as well as a letter of thanks.
In happy cases, the donation contract continues even after it has expired on paper
Ideally, after a fundraising campaign, there are enough donors for all the children who have submitted their applications for the scholarship, and on their table, along with the letter of intent through which the little ones say why they think they deserve to be selected, a profile of them, made by the foundation after an interview, arrives.
"As a rule, we talk to the donor beforehand, maybe one wants a child who is passionate about mathematics. Or just orphaned scholars of mother or father, because he has been through this situation and wants to help. We have donors who only want girls, not boys. Or to be in 9th grade, so she could take them all the way to the 12th. A donor, just this year, wanted a student who was passionate about the kitchen.
"It's easier to do matching when you have these preferences," explains Claudia. Even so, at each edition, there are still ten or fifteen students who apply, but do not meet the requirements, there is no compatibility or do not choose their donors. In such cases, when fates smile, discussions with individual companies or donors are opened, and the fundraising session is extended until January. The launch gala is also the moment when the fellows and donors sign a contract, and in happy cases, the help for children continues when they reach college, even if the signed paper has expired.
"Usually, donors go on social cases, very few on performance, that's why the number of performance scholarships has decreased", says Claudia and reminds of Ana Târzianu, performance dancer who received scholarship from session 4 to the 11th edition, brothers Câdu and Amalia and Cosmin Stan, with fencing performances, brilliant chess students, cello, painting, music (1st place in the zonal phase and 2nd place in the national team), tennis (the respective scholarship was ranked 50th nationally, in the 16-year-old category, and she was 14 years old).
Among them and Andrei Pennazio, who since the beginning of the year has already had four personal exhibitions of painting. Andrei is 16 years old, he studies industrial design at the "Octav Băncilă" Art High School in Iasi and he had exhibitions in almost all the big cities in the country, but also in Italy, France, Bulgaria, the Republic of Moldova and China, where he represented Romania in an exhibition to which all the former communist countries were invited. He doesn't have anyone in his family with artistic inclinations, maybe a more distant uncle who, at one point, was at an art high school. From a very young age he painted on the sheet, at 9 years old on canvas, at 10 he started seriously, and at 11 he had his first exhibition.
Just when he returned from Florence on April 20, followed the theses, then the exhibition in Cluj, he returned and had to give the works to a specialty on drawing, in order to finish his averages. "I have to organize myself in advance and make a structured schedule, that from 9 to 13 I paint, then I start school, lucky that I sit next to it and get there quickly, until 19 am, I get home, I do my homework or, if I have something to finish drawing for school, I continue, I go to bed and I start again. It depends on how I have the hours, that sometimes I have in the morning, but for the most part this is what my schedule looks like", andrei recites a schedule that does not happen to spoil. Good luck to mom, who is in charge of organizing exhibitions, thinks about trips and the rest of things, what scholarships and other opportunities to find for her son.
A small donation to supplement other donations
This year we have celebrated 10 years both since the Scholarship Fund exists and since the foundation of the Iasi Community Foundation. "How we started on the road is not necessarily and how we got to the 11th edition, says Ciprian-Mihai Păiuș. " What we identified for the beginning, as a need, was to support children who perform and that not necessarily everyone supports, because most of them are inclined to go to social need. Those who perform come from much better families from a financial point of view, but performance costs, many people end up not doing it precisely because they can't afford it, not because they wouldn't have talent or work ethic there," ciprian explains.
Thus, the program was, at the beginning, one of performance scholarships, and the first five scholarships were given through the contribution of several donors, the resources being gathered during the Drag de Iasi gala. Alina Avătămăniței remembers that the five were a very diverse group: she remembers a young artist, a young woman passionate about biology who participated in many competitions and Olympiads. They made the selection according to the recommendations of some teachers who knew their potential.
Alina is an individual donor, but also a member of the foundation's board, since the time when FCI was, rather, an initiative group. "The gala was the moment when the last necessary money could be raised through which to set up, because, from the discussions we had at that time, it was quite difficult to understand and trust the mechanism that a community foundation offers, to raise money, not to implement the foundation projects, but to finance other NGOs and initiative groups to make projects", says Alina, who also donated to scholarships that night.
It was also natural for him to do it, she thinks. It was a small donation to complement other donations, and the act of providing support to the fund and the foundation came by itself. It was in line with the mission of the scholarship fund, as Alina understood it, to make it clear "that we are here to support Iasi and, implicitly, the young people in Iasi, that we want to finance projects and support scholarships, so as to offer them the necessary substance and support to transform the community in time.
Ciprian also talks about the construction of Iasi, and at the Gala he understood that there are people in the community who appreciate the need for value, "who identify with the young people who perform, who see, eventually, a potential brand of the city, in this area of excellence". A goal was slowly, slowly coming together: to form a network of altruists, investing in those who will give shape to the Iasi of tomorrow.
Not all donors can be mentors. Nor should they
The idea of the fund has not changed over time, but it has transformed. First there were the merit scholarships. Then, in order to satisfy both the need to receive and give more than just financial support, the mentoring component was also introduced. "'I have a computer, a phone, is there any child who needs this?', 'But tell him he can write to me or call me at any time!' Do you know how many times I got this message? People want to be mentors, they want to be useful, but someone has to ask for it", believes Corina Farcas.
On her first scholarship, a shy young woman who wanted to learn piano, Alina Avătămăniței remembers that she helped her financially and with advice, "and this mattered the most, the fact that I trusted her, I supported her. I came up with this idea then that, look, I was able to help, to put a brick that changed maybe a route."
To do something that mattered so much that it would change someone's life she wanted all the time, plus in the family history she was a grandmother who wanted to go to school and become an educator, but she could not, due to lack of resources. Alina understood that donating can change the grandmother's story, and help is more effective when you go deeper, to the real needs of the child, and when there is continuity.
Now she's donating for a 7th grade boy, passionate about anatomy, whom she met this year, and the challenge is to guide her steps towards his dream of being a doctor. "I haven't told him yet, but I want to let him know that I'm with him in the long run, whatever happens. An anchor of stability, that you can't have an impact when you support a child for only one year", believes Alina, who also supported the first scholarship until she was nearing the completion of college.
Navigating the emotional map and needs of a teenager is not easy, so not everyone can be a mentor. For a short time, the program also included counseling sessions with a psychotherapist, precisely to teach scholars and donors how to manage a mentee-mentor relationship. Over time, however, interest and enthusiasm waned: although curious at first, the fellows realized that there was extra time to consume, and many donors found out that it was not necessarily their vocation. In addition, the compatibility between the parties has also had its say, although there are scholars who would have liked to have come closer to donors, and donors who are afraid of insisting, when they tell their children that they can call them at any time.
That is why, currently, those who want to assume the role of mentor can also help themselves with a guide uploaded on the foundation's website, and the sessions with the psychotherapist have been replaced by training activities on various objectives, personal development, socialization, self-knowledge, openness of professional horizons. "What matters is that they do not feel that they are being given or that they are being assisted, but rather see it as a recognition of their efforts, of their work, of perseverance. We try to encourage them and show them that we support them for who they are and not necessarily for where they are now alive, that maybe they have less than others," says Ciprian, who is also a donor, but avoided the role of mentor.
He neither had a mentor, nor did he like what he saw in others. "I realized that some mentors were very self-centered: if they roasted themselves at some point on a thing, they wanted to explain to the fellow how not to get cold. Or teach a young man at an early age how to plan his budget and other savings. It didn't necessarily seem to me that this should be the approach," he explains.
About the pressures that some scholars feel, "that they are somehow 100% owed to have some results", stefan Ciobăniță also speaks, even if he did not feel it "really like that". He was a scholar for three years, when he was a student at the "Gheorghe Asachi" Technical College in Iasi, and now he is a student of Architecture in Bucharest.
In addition to architecture, Stefan also deals with fine art, graphic drawing, painting, he had exhibitions, he learned on his own, in high school, he didn't even know that he had talent, but now he talks to you about how drawing is a process, you teach your hand and muscles to make certain movements, you increase your ability to understand what you see, how light and shadow work. you work with the space. Simple, right? He sympathized with his donors, a couple "crowded enough", but with whom he met several times.
"The first time I managed to carry them and works, but I was at the beginning, I was just drawing, woe to my head," he recalls. Then he had works, exhibited, took awards and was always congratulated and supported. "Somehow, when someone gives you something, it's such a pressure that, ok, that man has to see that, nah, he didn't offer that something for nothing. Congratulating me, it was a confirmation that they are satisfied and do not have a minus in their account in vain."
When he has the opportunity, he will surely support someone through scholarship, especially if he is passionate about fine arts. "It's this thing that, eh, you starve to death with art and I'm sure there are brilliant people who aren't supported, and a scholarship would help tremendously. And two, three I would help, I find it brilliant to be able to support someone like that," says Stefan, communicating with his hands.
The network of altruists of Iasi
So, in all this geography, has that network of altruists, donors and mentors who, through philanthropy, have managed to be directly involved in the development of the people who will form the Iasi of tomorrow? Yes, Claudia thinks, because there is already a fairly large network of people who are actively involved. Corina is of the same opinion, but for her, the network is a living one, which must be maintained more by the foundation, so as not to break the ties. For Ciprian, the goal is an ongoing one, it is, rather, about the process than the result, although the results show that some donors have been in the program for years, and many scholars already know that they will donate. Theodora Irimia really does that.
On it, the scholarship she received two years helped her learn Korean. He paid for his courses, studied for three years, a year he also taught, and in college he went, with Erasmus, to South Korea. "In hindsight, the fact that I had a scholarship then and was able to do classes really helped me get where I wanted to go, after all." Now, Teodora works in a company that has a Korean product, who was looking for someone who would get along better with the customer and says that, "what I do now is exactly what I have always liked". When he was in high school, however, the road was not as clear. To go to college? But if he's not going to like it. Better stay in nature, in the countryside.
Discussions with the mentor, who lived outside and with whom she kept in touch online, helped her. "I was actually looking recently at the exchange of emails and many of the tips he was giving me at the time I applied them." – Nelson Mandela To find something she's good at, then to see if she likes it, to write to someone in the field she'd like to work in, even if she's anxious — it's stuff that she hasn't forgotten and that she's used. "In the end, it helped me make a decision, not to be afraid, to go to college." – Nelson Mandela
In 2019, Theodora felt it was time to finally do what she had wanted since she was a scholar, to give herself, in turn. "I was thinking that I am 23 years old, maybe I am too young, I have nothing to teach them. In the end, however, it matters any kind of interaction, at least of encouragement, to know that what they are doing is good, that if they come from unfavorable conditions, it will be better in the future than now. For 2 years she was a 5th grade girl, who came from a disorganized family and stayed at the Bucium center and would have continued with her, but the girl was taken from the center and the communication was lost. "It was explained to me that, being at the center, immediately a parent can come, take the child, there is no contact."
This year, she is the donor of an 8th girl, with whom she has not yet been able to communicate much, something she will work on, because she knows, since she was a scholar, what a shame it was to write to the donor, but how important is a good communication, besides financial aid.
"I remember that I had some thoughts when I was a scholar, I couldn't wait to get big, to be a donor myself. Once upon a time, I didn't know how, when, how fast. I like to give, not necessarily that this makes me feel better, but I think that's what I'm in the world for, to give, that something better maybe I don't know how to do", teodora thinks. "It feels like FCI has made a community."
"The article was made within the Journalism Scholarships on Philanthropy, a program developed by the Association for Community Relations and supported by Lidl Romania"
The article was published on the Presshub platform and can be found here.
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