Welcome and thank you for attending the 17th Annual Scholarship Banquet.
The Portuguese Foundation was organized in 1990 and two years later created the Scholarship program with the principle that education is the most important element in achieving ones full potential in life. Since 1992, the Foundation has distributed 111 scholarships valued at $170500.00.
The Foundation's ability to help these students comes from the talent and hard work of its Board of Directors, members and most importantly from the generosity of individuals and businesses that have sponsored these efforts throughout the years.
1990, the year that the Foundation was established, was also the year that many of this year's scholarship applicants were born. This era is shadowed by the peaceful fall of the Berlin Wall and the horrors of 9/11 and military action twice against Iraq. In between these two events, society has seen diplomatic initiatives, led by the United Nations in conjunction with the United States in Bosnia and by Portugal in East Timor. And we have seen the globalization of the economy through the implementation of the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA) between the USA, Mexico and Canada and the unification of the European Continent under one currency, the Euro, along with the explosion of the internet from a research tool to a social networking outlet This period also began with efforts to protect our environment with the enactment of the Clean Air Act, but ends with the threat of global warming.
What will the next eighteen years hold for us?
This generation of Portuguese - Americans have a unique advantage in today's global market, not only in North America and Europe, but also in the emerging economies of Brazil and Angola. We can be confident that today's scholarship recipients are poised to succeed in leadership roles in the coming decades. "Third Culture Kids", a concept developed by the author Lee Aitke, suggests that children of immigrant parents are better able to adapt and find niches in an evolving society because of their comfort with foreign cultures and the understanding of a larger world beyond their neighborhoods.
However, success cannot be achieved without teamwork. Teamwork is not limited to athletics, but also entails cooperation within families, and social and academic clubs. That is why it is so important to PFI to continue awarding these scholarships of educational achievement and honoring community organizations, such as Casa Benfica, Leoes Unidos de Hartford (Sporting) and the Hartford Portuguese Club Soccer Team. These organizations embody the spirit of the Portuguese Foundation by maintaining a connection to our heritage through their enjoyment of soccer.
Within each team, individuals must strive to be the best that they can be. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: "To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to give one's self; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - This is success".
Thank you for your support.
John Bairos, President
