Jacob Soares Education Fund in Remembrance from Abhishek Patel

February 24, 2010 Paras Universal Comments 0 Comment

For a number of reasons (including that I may be getting quite sentimental in my mid-life/older age), Mr Jacob’s passing has had a much deeper impact on me than I expected. We have lost many friends and family over the years but I find myself far more moved by this than I have felt before. I think it speaks to the impact that he had on me, on us, and on every student that was lucky enough to have him as a teacher. He was a selfless soul who dedicated his life to teaching. But to me he was more than a teacher. He was an educator! He taught me to be resilient in the face of adversity and instilled an aura pf positivity in my mind. We tormented him with jokes and indiscipline and despite all the annoyance we gave him, he was always ready to give us 100% of himself when we needed it. He became much more than a teacher during the numerous scouts and PA trips he accompanied us on. He became a leader, a mentor, a spiritual guide, a story teller, a philosopher and best of all… a friend! I’m sure that he had as profound an impact on many of you as he did on me. I hate to think that no student will speak of Mr Jacob like we did/do and I feel compelled to do something about it. To that end, I have had a chat with his wife and having obtained her permission am setting up a “Jacob Soares Fund” (or education trust or whatever we need to call it). The objective would be to raise funds from the students who he carved into strong, successful and GENEROUS human beings and apply those funds towards the education and upkeep of students who are struggling financially or need help. I am working with a Partner at PKF to help with setting up how the funds will be disbursed and if you want to know more, please direct message me and we can chat. In the meantime (Abhishek Patel) , I have gone ahead and created a campaign to raise the money (see link below). His wife and daughter feel that Kenya was the place he called home and loved the most so would like the funds to benefit the children there. In the meantime, I will pledge the first $1000 to the cause and will continue to fund whatever I can annually. I hope that many of you can help honor one of the most memorable educators I/we have had the pleasure of learning from! Asante sana!