Colegio de Sta. Lourdes of Leyte Foundation, Inc.

A CSLLFI alumnus gained a top score on the Bloomberg Aptitude Test this past June of 2014. The exam, designed by the Bloomberg Institute, the educational division of the financial information powerhouse Bloomberg, LP, tests students on eight areas of finance. Bloomberg’s goal in administering the exam is to connect employers in the financial industry with the top promising prospects out of colleges and universities.

Ryan Balderian, class of 2014, achieved the highest score in the Philippines and third highest score in Asia and Pacific on the June 2014 Bloomberg Aptitude Test.

Over 100,000 students have taken the exam worldwide. The top performers of each month’s 100 question exam are featured in Bloomberg Institute’s Hall of Fame. In June of 2014, CSLLFI alumnus Ryan Balderian, class of 2014, achieved a score of 650, the third highest score in Asia and the Pacific, placing him in the 99th percentile of all test-takers globally. It was also the highest score of any student from the Philippines.

Thank you to everyone who supported the fundraiser on Startsomegood! The administration, faculty, and students are amazed at the tremendous support given to Colegio de Sta. Lourdes. The fundraising effort went beyond even the Ultimate Goal of $12,000 and reached the sum of $13,000. We are working on a plan to best deploy the funds so that we can continue to help the poor students of Leyte and Samar achieve a brighter future. Everyone who supported the fundraiser can take pride in the fact that they have contributed to the education of promising young individuals who otherwise would struggle to afford a college education. Again, not enough can be said about the generosity of Jock Rutherford, who organized the fundraising effort. Colegio de Sta. Lourdes and its students are unfathomably lucky to benefit from his selflessness. We look forward to working with Jock to rebuild our school and utilize the funds to maximize the educational benefit to our students. Thank you again to everyone who supported us!

Please check out the latest effort to rebuild our campus:

http://startsomegood.com/CSLLFI

This initiative was started by Mr. Jock Rutherford who volunteered with the Red Cross after Supertyphoon Yolanda struck and worked closely with our students who also volunteered. During his experience in Leyte, he saw the hard work our students did to help the survivors of the storm move on with their lives even though they themselves went through the same traumatic experience. He also saw for himself that our school, which provides its students with hope for a better future, is in great need of help to restore its capacity to provide the quality education it has come to be known to provide. The support so far has been overwhelming, and we cannot express how thankful we are for Mr. Rutherford’s selfless efforts and for the outpour of generosity that his efforts have produced. To read more about his story, click here.

We hope you can help us by sharing the link. We need your help so we can continue providing education to students who are determined to learn and serve the community.

Check back again after 6 weeks to see if we have met our goal. We will be sure to give you updates on the rebuild! Thank you for your generosity and support for our efforts to educate these deserving students!

Several alumni of the Colegio de Sta. Lourdes have organized a concert for the benefit of the school. Tickets are still available! Please note the venue has changed to PEOPLE’S CENTER, TACLOBAN CITY. We are looking forward to a night of music and hope.

Hope to see you there!

Main Gate of Colegio de Sta. Lourdes post-Yolanda

The Colegio de Sta. Lourdes  was badly damaged when Typhoon Yolanda barreled through Leyte. The physical destruction of the school, while costly, does not compare to the heartbreak of others affected by the storm. People have lost their homes, their livelihoods, and, most dishearteningly, their loved ones. The Colegio de Sta. Lourdes is concentrating its efforts and dedicating itself in helping those whose lives were changed irrevocably by the storm.

Dr. Rustico Balderian, President and Founder of Colegio de Sta. Lourdes, in his capacity as a director of the Red Cross and Chairman for Disaster Management, is directing operations in Tacloban City, working with both government and non-government organizations. Their current focus is to help find those he need immediate medical assistance. They have been able to transport victims using the Red Cross ambulance and bringing them to clinics to receive medical attention from volunteer doctors. Dr. Balderian has gathered the students and graduates of the Colegio de Sta. Lourdes as volunteers for the Red Cross to assist the volunteer doctors whose attention has been stretched thin with all the victims who need help. These students were also greatly affected by Typhoon Yolanda, but they are still working to help those whose lives were destroyed by the storm.

As the infrastructure and communication network in Leyte has been damaged, the Colegio de Sta. Lourdes has been operating in Manila to help organize relief efforts. Through the help of concerned friends who generously sacrifice their time and effort to help those in need, the Colegio de Sta. Lourdes has been gathering relief goods and cash donations. The first batch of relief goods consisting of over 568 packs of goods,  925 water bottles, 6 boxes of assorted medicines, and one generator were sent by Navy ship from Navotas to Tacloban City. The second batch of goods will be sent as soon as transportation can be arranged. The goods ready for shipment include 42 sacks of rice (50kg), 800 food packs, and 1,500 bottles of water. Combined, these goods weigh over 5,000kg, so finding cheap, quick transportion has proven difficult. The team is hoping to find air transportation soon.

To continue its efforts, the Colegio de Sta. Lourdes is accepting relief goods at their operations center in Cubao (see address at the bottom). Water bottles are accepted, but water purification tablets/droplets are preferred so transportation will be efficient. Goods packaged in tetrapacks are also preferred over cans since they are lighter and easier to transport. Noodles are good for families as they can make lots of soup to eat with their rice to sustain themselves.

Cash donations can be sent through three methods: 1) deposit into the Colegio de Sta. Lourdes RCBC Peso Savings Account, 2) money transfer (Western Union, Moneygram, M Lhullier), or 3) Colegio de Sta. Lourdes Paypal account. See details below on how to use the three methods at the bottom of the post. If you make a cash donation, please email a copy of the deposit slip or transaction receipt to csllfi@yahoo.com. If you have any preference as to how your donation is to be used, you may specify in your email. We will do our best to use donations according to such requests.

The destruction wrought by Typhoon Yolanda was both shocking and heartbreaking, but it provides an opportunity survivors to come together to rebuild anew. The road ahead is daunting and full of challenges. The Colegio de Sta. Lourdes, its administration, and its students are prepared for this long journey to recovery. Together, we will overcome.

For Philippine Peso donation:

For US Dollar donation:

Ms. Glicyl A. Alvero, December 2012 NLE Top-notcher

The Colegio de Sta. Lourdes of Leyte Foundation, Inc. is proud to announce the results of its December 2012 Nursing Licensure Examination takers as released by the Professional Regulation Commission. Thirty-seven members of the class of 2012 took the exam with thirty-five passing, resulting in a 94.59% passing rate. The national passing rate was 34.46 percent.

Every year, the Colegio de Sta. Lourdes takes pride in its consistently high passing rate. This year, however, it celebrates a new milestone. Its graduate, Glicyl A. Alvero, of the 2012 class has garnered the highest score on the December 2012 Nursing Licensure Examination with a score of 85.80 percent. She was the only test-taker to achieve this score and is the first almunus of the Colegio de Sta. Lourdes to become the topnotcher.

“My family and I would like to congratulate the newly licensed Registered Nurses, their proud parents, and the faculty and staff for a job well done. We wish them the very best in the future and are confident of their success,” said Dr. Rustico B. Balderian, President and Founder of the Colegio de Sta. Lourdes.

“Our school ensures that students with the drive and desire to learn receive an opportunity to explore their potential. Miss Alvero and her classmates exemplify the type of graduates that the Colegio strives to produce,” said Dr. Balderian.

Congratulations to the newest batch of registered nurses from the Colegio de Sta. Lourdes! You have made us all very proud. We wish you success in the next stages of your career!