Carlos González Gutiérrez, Consul General of Mexico in San Diego, and Arnulfo Manríquez, President and CEO of MAAC, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize their partnership in order to promote, raise funds and manage the Colibrí MX Scholarship.
The Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego aims at bridging the gap to higher education for underserved Mexican immigrants and their children through the development of its own scholarship program. It acknowledges that the Mexican diaspora is complex and very diverse in terms of socioeconomic and political access. It aims at mobilizing the more successful members of the Mexican community in favor of those who have been systematically underserved.
González Gutiérrez also believes that San Diego is a particularly well-suited community for this kind of project. “Thanks to its philanthropic culture and infrastructure the scholarship program has everything it needs to succeed within the San Diego community”, he said after signing the MOU which formalizes the Consulate’s partnership with MAAC. “We believe this project will help foster community solidarity by bringing together existing resources and promoting volunteerism towards a common goal,” he added.
Of the newly formalized partnership with MAAC, González Gutiérrez said that the Mexican consular network has a long tradition of partnering with local organizations. “We truly believe that we are only ever as strong as the alliances and partnerships we are able to foster and maintain. We are very grateful to have MAAC and its talented team on board for this project.”
The Consulate delivered financial resources in the amount of 24,000 USD, of which, 8,000 will be used as seed money to launch the program and 16,000 will go directly to the scholarship fund. The resources were allocated by the Mexican government via the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior (Institute of Mexicans Abroad).
MAAC’s Manríquez, expressed, “We are proud to partner with the Consulate General as stewards of the Colibrí MX Scholarship Fund that will help assist deserving San Diego area high school students on their path towards a college education. The colibrí, or hummingbird, transcends borders as it makes its annual migration from Mexico into the United States and symbolizes hope, perseverance, and personal strength—the same principles that our immigrant families possess as they seek greater economic mobility in a new land.”
MAAC is the leading provider of comprehensive social services in San Diego County and works to create healthier and stronger communities by providing a space where individuals and families in need can find means to self-sufficiency through advocacy and access to high-quality programs in five key areas of focus: Affordable Housing, Economic Development, Education, Health & Wellbeing, and Advocacy & Leadership Development. For more information, visit www.maacproject.org.
The joint project aims at raising at least 70,000 USD in order to deliver 70 grants of 1,000 USD each. The Colibrí MX Scholarship aims at serving first-time college students enrolling in the fall 2020 semester with a GPA of 2.5 or higher and who can demonstrate Mexican or Latino origin, financial need and residence in San Diego County. Further requirements will be published upon opening of applications early in 2020.
