Our History

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Brief History

Around 1995, Fr. Vinai requested that the Seven Fountains sponsor the education of a group of poor students residing in BanKad. At the time, Fr. Miguel, who was the superior, agreed to the request. Subsequently, Mr. Pracha, the development officer of the diocese, approached Fr. Miguel with another request to sponsor the transportation costs for about twenty students traveling from Sedosa to the school in Pang Hin Fon.

In 1998, Fr. Miguel Garaizabal, S.J., the English Community Chaplain, called a brief meeting after Sunday Mass. He asked if we, as a group, could brainstorm ways to raise funds to keep 30 to 40 young students in school. Many suggestions were proposed, and over time, the group gradually grew.

In 1999, Fr. Miguel, S.J., served as both the instigator and the inspiration behind the Student Scholarship Fund at the Seven Fountains. The initiative began with three families hosting meals in their homes and selling tickets for these events.

(The first event was a Christmas dinner held at the home of Ray and Than. Later that year, the Wilson family hosted a summer BBQ at their home in the U.S. housing compound on Nimmanhaeminda Road. This was followed by an early cool-season dinner at the Velder family’s home on the Ping River in Baan Fahaam.)

Funds raised from these events were handed over to Fr. Miguel for distribution to support students in need.

Christmas Dinner at the home of Ray and Than
Christmas Dinner at Seven Fountains in 2004

In 2002, During this year, a proposal was made at a meeting to introduce direct sponsorship of individual students as a way to generate additional funds. Rene Vines volunteered to lead this effort and successfully managed it for approximately five years. Sponsors from Thailand, Spain, and the USA began supporting individual students.

Since 2004, The first Christmas Charity Dinner was held at Seven Fountains to raise funds for the Scholarship Fund.

In 2007, When the previous fundraising coordinator was no longer available, Fr. Miguel entrusted Kevin with all the index cards and other paperwork, asking him to be the new fundraising coordinator. At that time, fundraising efforts lacked advance planning. The system relied on index cards, written in pencil, which included a code, the student’s name, the sponsorship amount needed, and a brief description of the child. The funds were deposited into a dedicated Seven Fountains bank account set up for the sponsorship program.

Index Card for ML55 in 2008
Our Sponsored Children in 2007

In 2008, After his first year as fundraising coordinator, Kevin proposed collecting email addresses from sponsors to invite them to renew their sponsorships. He also suggested designing a sponsorship form that included a line for email addresses. Fr. Miguel agreed, and by 2009, this system was implemented. Each year, the number of sponsored students and the total amount of sponsorships increased.

In 2011, When Fr. Miguel moved to Sampran, Fr. Paul, as Superior and Director of the Center, took full responsibility for the Student Sponsorship Fund. Fr. Vinai assisted in identifying needy children, preparing scholarship forms, and distributing funds. Students also helped complete the scholarship forms.

In 2017, Fr. Paul remained in charge of the Scholarship Fund and asked Fr. Dzung, then a Regent, to assist. Fr. Dzung collected information about the students, conducted surveys of their schools and villages, distributed funds, and wrote detailed reports. This marked the first time in several years that sponsors received comprehensive reports about the students they were supporting.

In 2018, Fr. Dzung formed a management team with Fr. Paul’s approval, wrote a guideline booklet, and designed a new logo for the Scholarship Fund.

Mae Sariang Survey in 2017
The Management Team – 2024

In 2022, Fr. Miguel appointed Fr. Dzung to succeed Fr. Paul as the Director of the Scholarship Fund. With the number of sponsored children reaching 886, Fr. Dzung established a structured management system, introduced salary payments for staff (previously volunteers), implemented a yearly schedule for the Scholarship Fund, and initiated annual meetings for the management team.