Why I Give Back
(This article originally appeared in the Belen Jesuit Magazine, summer 2019 edition.)
When asked to write this testimonial, my reaction was, why me? Initially, I thought, there are others who have given back more. However, giving back for me has not just been about making a financial contribution to Belen Jesuit -which I have done - it has also been about giving my time and sharing my insights.
Since my first day at Belen as a student, I remember being told that giving back is our responsibility. It is a lesson that has been instilled in every Belen student. There are many reasons why someone chooses to give back, such as, to fulfill a need, to help someone less fortunate, and/or to help a cause about which one feels passionately.
Even though there are many reasons to give, people come up with many excuses to not give. The reasons can stem from, I don’t have time, I don’t have money and the organization that’s asking already has a lot of money. The truth is, sometimes those reasons are valid and other times they are just excuses. My family and I have found that these reasons, for the most part, can be overcome. Those hurdles can be cleared by asking questions that would clarify any doubt regarding the validity or need to make a donation. For instance, at Belen you can designate your gift to the Annual Fund if you want the school to choose the best way to use the money, or you can designate it to one of the existing scholarships. You can also become involved and have a more in-depth understanding as to the need and learn how donations are
used.
I began at Belen in the ninth grade - the first junior class of the school at its current location. Our total class size was 56. To this day, my classmates are my brothers. I usually speak to most of them and even those from the class of 1982 on a weekly basis. My son Carlos graduated in
2010, and although his class size was larger than mine, they are a tightly-knit bunch. Like me with my classmates, he speaks to his own classmates frequently. That bond that Belen creates among its students, is reason alone to give back to Belen.
However, the truth is that this brotherhood goes beyond our graduating class. The teachers, coaches, and priests of the school made a much bigger impact on me than any of the other teachers I had in college and law school. When people come together and realize that they have a Belen connection, it usually leads to a new friendship or business deal. Again, this alone is invaluable and yet another reason that validates giving back to Belen.
Truth be told, for as wonderful as Belen is and how amazing it has grown since my time as a student, it relies on the generosity of others (alumni) to give back. Without our time and/or money, Belen simply cannot accomplish its goals of advancing its strategic vision. When you analyze the finances of the school, tuition simply doesn’t cover it all. If we want state of the art facilities and top-notch teachers for our kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids to enjoy.... WE have to do our part. In my opinion, Belen has identified various ways to give back and has developed a system and procedures to clearly define necessities and goals. Additionally, the opportunity to give your time and talent is always valuable.
Simply put, Belen created the foundation for many of us, and that alone is probably the best reason why I give back.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba, by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the school's property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit is situated on a 34-acre site in western Dade County, just minutes away from downtown Miami.