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The Ayla Award: Other tuition awards are made to special recipients; assistance for a young Muslim girl seeking a higher education in Selcuk, Turkey, and financial assistance for needy students at the School for the Deaf in Quetzaltenango, Guatamala.
THE CIRCLE OF CHILDREN: addressing the needs of children orphaned or otherwise affected by war or terrorism. Contributions to date include:
- Darfur: A contribution of books and soccer balls was made to the children in Darfur
- Pakistan: Heat sheets for earthquake victims in Pakistan
- The Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem: Educational support for pregnant mothers suffering from severe malnutrition.
- The Rita Zneiber Foundation (2007) - schoolbooks for 250 orphans in Morocco.
- The Tibetan Water Project (2008): provide running water to 82 households in Gongmoro Village in Amdo, Tibet. Currently, villagers have to complete a 20-30 minute round trip to local springs in order to gain access to clean drinking water. This project will not only bring running water to each household, but it will also provide much needed employment opportunities for the local Tibetan population.
- Al Rahma Homeless Shelter (2008) Baghdad. It is our goal to make a substantial contribution to the
shelter in Baghdad, Iraq. To this end, Arete will host its first benefit concert in the Artemesion Mountains of Greece on June 23-24.
In 2004, Arete’s founder performed “A Praise Song for Peace” in the ancient stadium of Nemea in Nemea, Greece, during the Olympic year. In 2008, performers will gather for a presentation of music, poetry, and drama that directly benefits “The Circle of Children,” and our stated goal in 2008 of providing what assistance we can to Iraqi children made homeless, or otherwise caught in the throes of the current conflict in Iraq. The ancient Nemean and Olympic Games once included contests in music and poetry. With this event, it is our intention to give emphasis to the cultural aspects of what was once an ancient peace festival. We deeply appreciate these artists for donating their time and talents to help recreate the spirit of Arete in the aftermath of the 4th Nemead that will be held June 21-22 in Nemea, Greece.
The Arete Fund was initiated in 1996 with the proceeds from Dianne Tittle de Laet’s memoir, Giants & Heroes: A Daughter’s Memories of Y.A. Tittle. We are extremely grateful to have received unsolicited donations from Dr. Bernard Lown, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, the NFL Alumni Association, the San Francisco 49ers, Enchantment Resort, Gerry and Kirsten McCauley, Mr. William Clark, Amistad Foundation, the Parsons Family Foundation in New York, as well as numerous contributions from members of our immediate community. We are grateful for the opportunities to help build community by expanding on its very definition, and ever thankful for the support we receive.
Arete
"The Greek word arête comes down to us inextricably connected to the athletics of ancient Greece and laden with a plethora of meanings. A definition of arête would include virtue, skill, prowess, pride, excellence, valor, and nobility, but these words, whether taken individually or collectively, do not fulfill the meaning of arête. Arete existed, to some degree, in every ancient Greek and was, at the same time, a goal to be sought and reached for by every Greek. It cannot be translated by a direct one-to-one equivalent into the idiom of modern American English, and even though the context of a particular use of the word may refine its meaning in that context, the word arête still carries with it a notion of ephemeral excellence and of transient triumph that makes its translation an exceedingly risky business. In addition, the word arête has imbued ancient athletics with an aura of the quest of man for perfection, a quest which—at least in the eyes of moderns—was isolated from more practical matters such as politics and economics. Arete—incompletely understood—has thereby dimmed our picture of the realities of antiquity and has robbed us of many of the real lessons to be learned from ancient athletics."
From ARETE: Greek Sports from Ancient Sources by Stephen G. Miller, a professor of Classical Archaeology
Recognizing excellence of effort through educational scholarships
And extending global good will
Through artistic and humanitarian programs
It is the mission of The Arete Fund to encourage greater cultural understanding through education, and by means of artistic and humanitarian projects that foster mutual respect between peoples. Arete makes annual contributions to colleges or trade schools on behalf of needy and deserving individuals who exemplify arete – an ancient Greek word for excellence and virtue; and in turn, seeks to promote Arete and rekindle its ancient meaning for the modern day as a means of promoting peace and communicating good will, hope, and fellowship.
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SCHOLARSHIPS AND TUITION ASSISTANCE:
•M-A Arete Award: Annual contributions on behalf of graduating seniors at M-A High School in Menlo Park, California.
•Hopi Arete Award: Arete makes similar contributions at Hopi High School on the Hopi reservation in Polacca, Arizona.
