THE Montessori de Oro (MdeO) batch 1998 will hold a block screening for a cause on November 15 as they celebrate their 20th anniversary this year.
With a plan to touch the society with outreach programs, the MdeO '98 started with choosing the Xavier University Alternative Learning System (ALS) class of Jett Torres as the beneficiaries of the block screening of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Crimes of Grinwald."
The class will be given free movie pass of the said advance movie screening in Centrio Ayala Mall Cinema 2.
"This idea came in because this year, when we do the grand reunion, I really wanted to see in full screen what an organization can do if it’s really together," Christy Ann Lastimosa, head organizer of MdeO '98, said, adding that the block screening is a combination of fund-raising and giving back to the community as the proceeds will be for the benefit of the ALS class students.
Torres' ALS class is one-of-a-kind as it accommodates street dwellers and out-of-school youth to accelerate to elementary and high school.
The students under the ALS class are on the age range of 13 to 20 years old.
The class was inspired from the former street dweller, Rusty Quintana, who believed that poverty was not a hindrance in finishing college.
With sheer determination, he was able to get off the street and received a presidential medal of excellence after finishing a degree on Development Communication, major in Education Communication in Xavier University.
At first, according to Lastimosa, they were planning to have the children in girls and boys town as their beneficiaries, however, they were worried about the security and safety of the kids.
"It’s really a risk if there's no one who could handle them hands on. So what we did was find another institution that has the capacity to go by themselves at the movie house, and then we just make sure that they're there, they can experience watching with us," Lastimosa said.
The block screening for a cause is just one of the other community outreach programs the MdeO '98 has planned.
The group also considered getting involved in solid waste management and blood-letting activities in the later part of this year.
With the theme "MdeO 98 Falcons: Soaring High in Mission, Gliding Graciously with Passion," the group deems their outreach programs as part of their mission that pushes them to soar high like a falcon.
"It’s rare to soar, actually, for a falcon, much more of a gliding factor ang iya. So like, where does our soaring capacity comes in? It’s because we have a mission. So if you have a mission, you soar high, it’s not just the gliding. We really mention the gliding because that's the main pattern of how the falcon goes," Lastimosa said.
"'Gliding graciously with passion,' so if you don't have passion, you can't create a mission, and if you don't have a mission, you can't soar high like a falcon," she added.
Montessori de Oro Batch '98 Falcons' 20th anniversary will culminate with a grand union among fellow batchmates this December.
For ticket reservations, contact Christy Ann Lastimosa at 09178557858.