Rotary extends culinary scholarship program

After witnessing the results of the ongoing culinary scholarship program for indigent Filipinos, Rotary International District Club District 3780 vouched continuous support to Culinary Education Foundation (CEF), the social arm of the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA Manila).

The culinary scholarship dubbed “Cooking for Life Program (CLP)” has been conducted by CEF for several years.

The 13th CLP this year marks the first partnership with 101 networks of Rotary Clubs in Quezon City who lent their unwavering support for this worthy endeavor. This year’s culinary sponsorship aims to provide weeks of quality cooking education to 200 indigent high school graduates From center to right: Rotary Club of Sto. Domingo head Johnny So with Annie Guerrero, CEF president and Dr. Veritas Luna, CCA chancellor for education; with the beneficiaries of the Cooking for Life Program. between the ages of 18 to 35.

“This program is really worthwhile and worth supporting,” said Rotary District chief of staff Jesse Tanchanco during the CLP’s thanksgiving ceremony at the CCA campus.

He also expressed interest in continuing support to CEF for the years to come. “We would like to make this a long-term activity of our district here in QC so that even though our club will have a different set of officers, the program continues. We plan to support this annually.”

While the first batch composed of 45 scholars have yet to finish the CLP, Tanchanco said he already sees that they are ready for productive livelihood.

“We’ve been very happy with the way CEF has organized the program and this has convinced us to extend our participation,” Tanchangco said.

The Rotary Club of Sto. Domingo, the club closely overseeing the scholarship program, believes CEF’s culinary scholarship program is a good model that can be expanded to other fields such as auto repair or computer training.

“We are offering this as a model for other clubs to follow,” he said, adding that Rotary Clubs outside the country should also consider doing something similar.

Ultimately, the scholarship seeks to boost the family income of Filipinos in need.

With The Cravings Group being the main proponent for the CLP, scholars have employment opportunities after the program.

With the culinary scholarship’s theme of “making a difference,” it seeks to provide values and inspire scholars to put their hearts in each dish they serve. “We try to inculcate important values to our youth, giving them hope so that they become more employable in the future,” said Chancellor of Education of CCA Manila Dr. Tawie Luna, who is also past president of Rotary Club Sto. Domingo.

For more information on how you can support CEF, visit the website: www.cefmanila.com. Follow CEFPH in FB for more updates.