PR-008-2021
Importance of education highlighted at charity dance
“Education is a great equalizer, a hope for the world especially among the youth,” according to Consul General Maria Lourdes Salcedo who was the guest speaker at the annual charity dinner-dance of the Soriano-Orodio Foundation on 13 March 2021.
The Soriano-Orodio Foundation is helping children reach their dreams through education. The dinner-dance organized by Nelda Orodio-Estores and her team is able to raise
funds to help support scholarships and build libraries. “We have supported 53 scholars from grade school to university and 4 are now gainfully employed,” Nelda announced. They have also built school libraries, the latest of these is in Tupi, South Cotabato.
The Soriano-Orodio Foundation also launched the Young Violins Talents in November 2008 through the tutorship of musical director Zion Go Abatayo from Melbourne U
niversity. They have been performing at various events such as the Bush Orchestra and the Newport Christmas Carols Orchestra and in big concerts in Melbourne. They performed at the dinner-dance that night to an audience of about 200 guests.
“I believe in the power of music. I think we can all agree that music is a universal language. There must be something magical about music that touches the soul and the heart. So bring it on,” charmed ConGen Salcedo. She noticed how happy the guests were to be able to mingle and enjoy again after Victoria’s numerous lockdowns due to Covid-19. The dinner-dance was moved from its original date of 13 February2021 due to the 5-day snap lockdown around that date.
She also spoke of the pandemic and the need to be agile. “Many of us here are called upon to be agile leaders, capable of adapting and adjusting to changing times. Young people these days like to consume information at their fingertips, they are fast and they like change. Our advocacies should also gear towards these changes – how to navigate the world and link people with what matters to them through IT, for instance, instead of doing things like in the past. Perhaps we also offer scholarships on trades because these are good pathways to livelihood and income,” she added. END
