My refugee scholarship project has gotten a great boost after some weeks of struggle.

An Albany Public School guidance counselor has agreed to help me in a search for a gifted refugee girl student who would be interested in applying for a full scholarship to a private school in the Albany area.

Two schools have offered to participate in this program,  which I proposed after Sakler Moo was accepted to the Albany Academy. (I feel obliged to say I had nothing to do with Sakler’s being accepted to the academy, I was asked to help pay the tuition.)

But his admission gave me the idea, and I have begun to focus on this project as a way to change lives rather than just apply band-aids, as urgent as those other needs are.

The schools have both asked to have their names withheld  until any scholarship is offered.

I wasn’t sure this was going to happen until this week, I was getting weary of being ignored.

I contacted several refugee organizations in this area, including RISSE, the refugee and immigrant center in Albany. They all refused to participate.

They  said they had no interest in the project and didn’t wish to help select a student. They didn’t give a reason.

Despite that indifference, I believe this can happen, and I finally found a public school official who gets the significance of the idea and wants to help.

And the more I was brushed off, the more determined I have gotten.

It is impossible for me to talk away from this, the two schools that have contacted me want to give educational opportunities to deserving refugee children, and I have insisted they offer full scholarships, I don’t need any additional money except possibly for minor necessities.

If anything in the world is a no-brainer for me, this is it.

Both have agreed to offer a full scholarship if they find a suitable  student and can raise the money themselves.

I’ve requested this one be a female.

As you know, Sakler Moo, the soccer team player who was recently admitted to the Albany Academy with our help on a substantial scholarship, is thriving there.

He loves the school, is working hard there, and is reported to be doing well and acclimating well. He loves the academic challenge.  I have decided not to photograph him or visit him at the school for now to protect his privacy.

We contributed $6,000 to his tuition, and I  hope to support his education over the next three years.  I don’t want to raise more money than that each year. But I will do my best to help Sakler get through to college, and thanks for your generosity and assistance.

I’ve already collected several thousand dollars for his 2019 tuition and have created a separate Sakler Moo Scholarship Fund, as I’ve written.

Sakler spent some years in a refugee camp after his family fled civil strife and persecution, he got the highest GPA in all of his middle school.

Contributions are welcome and needed, I’m taking it one year at a time: you can contribute to the fund by donating to his account: Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected]. Please mark any payments “Sakler Moo” fund. All donations go into a separate account for this purpose.

I’ve received about $2,000 in pledges promised next summer, and I  believe they will be forthcoming. I believe I will need between $5,000 and $6,000 for next year, we are paying the share owed by Sakler’s mother, which is $2,000. She doesn’t have those funds.

I won’t feel secure until I have the full tuition in the bank.

I’ve explained to both private schools that a partial scholarship is, in a sense, a rejection to many of these families, they don’t have the several thousand dollars to accept a partial scholarship. Most don’t have one thousand.

The schools have agreed to this idea. I’ve made about 100 phone calls, I finally got the right person. It is not easy to find people who care sometimes.

So I am very close, I talked with a school officials this morning, and I now have teachers scouting for a candidate.

These two schools – I’ve met with school officials at both – each seek to have a more diverse student body. They don’t want publicity now because they fear being inundated with applications. I think they will want some  if this goes ahead.

I will do everything in my power to bring this about, this is a life-changing opportunity, it should not be lost. When and if the student is nominated, I will meet with her and hopefully, her family, and  photograph her.

I don’t expect this will call for any further financial support from the Army Of Good, I’ve structured it in that way. Supporting Sakler will be enough for us, and a great pleasure for me.

Thanks for your support. I’m excited to be able to continue my work the refugees and immigrants, who are in such dire need.