6.07.2008

Neil Mellen Renews Request to Support Habele Scholarships


Donations for Habele's 2008-09 high school scholarships continue to pour in. In early June the Fund received a check for $600 from a California couple who recently vacationed in Micronesia.

"We are excited to help provide support for the full tuition cost of a student in Chuuk." explained the donors. Micronesia is beautiful but isolated, and we see broader access to adequate formal education as essential to improving the quality of life in this developing island nation."

This donation came just days before word from Ulithi that two additional students in Yap State will also be applying for tuition scholarships this fall. The young women, from Asor and Mogmog Island on the Ulithi Atoll, are looking to attend the prestigious Bethania High School on Palau. Habele sponsored two students at Bethania this last school year.

"This is an exciting time for Habele," said Neil Mellen, President of the Habele Board of Directors. "We have raised funds for one scholarship to Bethania and three for students in Chuuk who will attend Xavier High School and Saramen Chuuk Academy. We recently received thank-you letters from public schools on Eauripik and Ulithi that received donations of books made earlier this year. Now we are working hard to answer requests for encyclopedias from Chuuk public schools and raise money for the two additional scholarships to Bethania."

Habele is an all-volunteer non-profit organization founded by former Peace Corps Volunteers. By supporting public school libraries and providing exceptional students scholarships to private schools, Habele is working hard to promote educational excellence in Micronesia, a former United States Trust Territory in the Central Pacific. Habele works in close conjunction with Peace Corps Volunteers, other nonprofits (including the Oceanic Society), and public school educators in Micronesia, as well as traditional community leaders.

Please consider making a gift of scholarship money or school supplies today. To learn more visit Habele.org