To the Band of Brothers: April 19, 2021

Good Morning!

 

I thought I would share with you the words I said yesterday when launching the Tombola Parent Challenge. Enjoy!

 

“If you’re ever in our administration building you may notice a great picture hanging on one of the walls. It’s an old black and white photo of a patio filled with people and, in the center, a tall pedestal with a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The title of the photograph is “Tómbola 1919.” It’s amazing to know that already, at that time, Belen had Tombola.

 

It’s been a tradition of ours for a very, very long time. In the early 60s, when Belen had to come to Miami, those first few years were without Tombola. The Jesuits were too busy trying to get the school off the ground. But it wasn’t too long before the rides and the booths were once again on campus and set up to spark up the great tradition. When it did, it took off.

 

Now, for over 50 years, we have faithfully and enthusiastically held our beloved Tombola. Alumni who haven’t been to the campus for years, parents who want their sons to come to Belen, grandparents and aunts and uncles, have been descending on our campus to enjoy that time-honored tradition.

 

This year, though, it wasn’t a communist regime and an unexpected exile that interrupted Tombola, but a virus. Who would have thought that something as microscopic as that would put a dent on such an enormous tradition? Every year, Tombola is not only an opportunity for our community to gather together and enjoy each other’s company, but it is also an opportunity to raise the necessary funds to continue providing much-needed financial assistance to a large number of our families. So many of our young men and their families need this assistance in order to receive the Jesuit education that Belen has been providing for 167 years.

 

Annually, Belen gives over a million and a half dollars in financial assistance. I know how important this is because my family received it. If not for that help, my brothers and I would not have studied here.

 

So, because we are not ones to declare defeat, it was important to at the very least hold some kind of event that would give us the opportunity to say that there was a Tombola in 2021. While it is true that it is a far cry from our traditional Tombola, it serves at least as a reminder that Tombola is not dead, just temporarily modified.

 

The COVID pandemic has meant that our financial assistance has had to increase. More than 30 new families have reached out for help and we have addressed every single one of their needs. It is for this reason that I would like to announce that we are launching today a Parent Challenge. I encourage you to click here to watch a video that explains the impact of the Annual Fund for Belen and how not having Tombola has impacted our school. I encourage all parents to pay close attention and accept this Parent Challenge to help raise the funds that our traditional Tombola raises.

 

In addition to the Parent Challenge, I would like to also announce that we have been very blessed to have recently received a million-dollar commitment to our For the Great Glory Campaign from a Belen alumnus. This donation will go to help fund the extraordinary vision for our school as detailed in our strategic plan. The alumnus who has made this pledge has chosen to remain anonymous, but his great generosity to our alma mater needs to be recognized. It is for this reason that for now, at the very least, we mention it here today.

 

Let me now take the opportunity to be clear about a couple of things. First, next academic year, when the new school year begins, Belen will not, I repeat, will not be offering a virtual option for studies. In the second half of the month of August, when classes begin, all our students will be on campus and we will be returning to normal school life. And second, when February of 2022 rolls around, I ask you to get ready to enjoy the greatest, most well-attended Tombola in the history of our beloved school.

 

On behalf of all the Jesuits, school administration, faculty, staff, alumni, students, and, especially families on financial assistance, thank you for your incredible and unwavering support of Belen Jesuit. ‘Que siga la tradición,’ let the tradition continue.

 

Now, we will have the raffle drawing. Three of our great seniors will spin the tombola filled with raffle ticket stubs and call out the names of the winners. While I agree that what we are doing here today virtually is not the same as the great Tombolas we have experienced in the past, it is an attempt to keep alive the tradition and its purpose. To a very large extent, it is a statement that neither a communist regime nor a virus can keep our tradition down.”

 

Auspice Maria