Area coordinators in the Philippines refer to the foundation students who they feel would be good candidates for a BELIEVE scholarship.

"They'll gather a list of potential students and go interview the families," Whiting said. "We have pretty extensive information we gather about the income of a family. (The area coordinators) then complete these forms and send them to (us)."

The selection process is constantly evolving as it's difficult to decide which students will receive scholarships, Kirk said.

"It's still (improving). As long as we do this, we'll pick students who really deserve it," he said.

The foundation started in 2001 when a group of young men who served as LDS Church missionaries to the Philippines committed to do something to alleviate the grinding poverty they found in the country. They formed the Live to Learn Foundation, which paid the public education expenses of impoverished Filipino children.

"We had the first group of students in 2002, and ... we've grown," Kirk said. "By the end of the 2005 school year, we had just over 120 kids in four cities total."

In the spring of 2006, Live to Learn partnered with the Pearls with a Purpose Foundation, which was created to aid poor Filipinos by shipping essential items including clothing, food and school supplies. With this affiliation, Live to Learn expanded its service area.

The BELIEVE Foundation was created independently in June 2006 using the same principles as Live to Learn but adding a focus on helping students understand and internalize positive core values and develop leadership skills. In December 2006, Live to Learn and the BELIEVE Foundation merged to form BELIEVE International.

"BELIEVE is an extension of what Live to Learn had done," Whiting said.

In April, BELIEVE International volunteers visited the Philippines to open another eight locations, bringing the total number of areas the foundation serves to 15.

"We fully intend to expand across the Philippines. That has been a major project in the past 12 months," Whiting said.

Sponsors are asked to pay $90 each year, which covers all the costs of schooling for one student per year. BELIEVE International's Web site, www.believeinternational.org, has a listing of students available for sponsorship.

"Anybody who wants to sponsor can pick or we can assign them. It's a chance to serve people," Kirk said. "It's fun if (the sponsor and student) develop some kind of connection. We encourage students to write some kind of extra letter to facilitate communication between the student and sponsor. We think most sponsors find this rewarding."

The main purpose behind BELIEVE International is to enable Filipino youths, like Donald, to receive an education who would be out of reach otherwise.

"We believe this will help students overcome poverty," Whiting said. "If one student got educated with these characteristics, he or she can help others overcome poverty."

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E-mail: twalquist@desnews.com