AY Foundation’s National Discipline Awards 2020 Recognizes 497 Outstanding Students

This year’s National Discipline Awards (NDA) by the AY Foundation recognized a whopping 497 outstanding students who strived to uplift not only themselves but their communities as well.

The NDA which was established way back in 1990 continues to echo the mission of late Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco’s pursuit of instilling national discipline among the country’s youth.

The prestigious award gives the limelight to a student’s character and morals rather than their academic achievements.

Not just a noble program, the award affirms the foundation’s advocacy towards the nation’s growth, as it upholds the “the youth as the hope of the fatherland.”

The astounding 497 awardees live up to the 28th NDA’s theme of “Persevering for Progress.” Even in the face of adversities, they continue to impart their talents and skills as they take on volunteer work, leadership programs and organization of community drives among many others. These exemplary young men and women will be presented with the San Lorenzo Ruiz gold medal and a cash award of P7,500.

This award has been bestowed by the AY Foundation to more than 13,000 high school and senior high school graduates from more than 1,200 partner schools nationwide, since the commencement of the awards.

Alongside the award, NDA recipients will be invited to join a three-day live-in training program free of charge under the foundation’s Championing the Youth for Community Leadership (CYCLE) program.

This program grants them a venue to strengthen their relationship with other people and enhance their community leadership qualities. It also encourages them to join community work in urban poor areas within Metro Manila.

Despite the sudden shift to online schooling incited by the COVID-19 pandemic, these awardees were steadfast in their pursuit to be the nation’s hope.

This follows the AY Foundation’s thrust to uplift the lives of the Filipino people, especially the poor.

Back in 1970, the foundation started off as the Bayanihan Foundation, as an organization that serves as an educational fund for the children of Sun Life Grepa Financial Inc. employees, an affiliate of the Yuchengco Group of Companies (YGC).

They expanded into helping center-based street children and indigenous groups as means to support different communities while carrying out their mission of lending a helping hand to the Filipino community.

After taking their time to pursue health related projects, the foundation changed its name once more to AY Foundation, Inc. Two years after, the celebrated AYF National Discipline Awards was launched.

Through the years, their programs continue to advance and accommodate the communities they serve.

Up until today, they echo their advocacies to the future generation – starting with the NDA awardees who exemplify the virtues of discipline, integrity, self-sacrifice and courage.