For the past 52 years, Round Rock’s El Amistad Club has provided over $2 million in scholarships to local high school seniors. This April, the nonprofit distributed $102,000 in scholarships to 50 students but, amid the coronavirus pandemic, faced fundraising obstacles and the cancellation of their largest event, the Fiesta Amistad.
The organization’s fundraising depends on sponsors, a September golf tournament, the Fiesta Amistad and Creekside Charity Bingo — a Round Rock bingo hall that gives its proceeds to several nonprofits. When this business closed in the wake of Williamson County’s stay-at-home order in late March, there were concerns about not meeting the club’s $100,000 annual fundraising goal.
“With bingo being impacted, it certainly had us slightly concerned,” Adela Moreno, El Amistad’s president said. “But thankfully, we were successful from 2019 up until the point that businesses were forced to shut down.”
Moreno was awarded a scholarship from El Amistad when she was a senior in 1999 and said that it was vital assistance to her education. Her great grandfather, Jesse Molina, came up with the concept of the club in 1968 and her family has remained close to the organization since.
Fiesta Amistad — their annual Memorial Day weekend celebration that encompasses local bands, businesses, and food — was canceled for the first time since its creation 51 years ago.
“It’s always something we want to do to bring the community together,” Moreno said. “I’ve been going to the Fiesta since I was born. I never thought that we weren’t going to be able to have the Fiesta, so it is surreal.”
El Amistad’s mission includes education assistance and the promotion of Hispanic culture. Although the organization’s scholarships of $1,500 to $3,200 are not limited to Hispanic students, charter member Isaac Lopez Jr. said that the club sought to help Hispanic youth further their education.
“We felt like (Hispanic people) weren’t being represented in the community and that if we could better students financially and socially, they could promote our culture and do good for the community,” he said.
An unfortunate result of COVID-19, Moreno said, was that El Amistad could not hold their annual scholarship banquet to recognize senior recipients of the awards.
“It was certainly disheartening because it’s a really great opportunity to be able to see the students get up there and receive their awards,” she said. “Thankfully we were still able to give out the awards we needed, but to not have that ceremony was eye-opening.”
Instead, the club recognized recipients on their Facebook page with photos and information on the students’ education plans. One scholarship recipient, Rocio Del Toro of Stony Point High School, plans to major in liberal arts at The University of Texas at El Paso.
“To receive this scholarship is an incredible honor and privilege,” she said. “I am extremely thankful to El Amistad for not just helping me, but helping other students pursue higher education so we may change the world for the better.”
Without the funds that would have come from Fiesta Amistad, the club will work harder to meet their goal of $100,000 by next April. Moreno said that she is confident that their 80 members will take on the challenge.
“The longevity of this organization (comes from) the dedication of the club’s members,” Moreno said. “It’s all dedication, that’s all it is — 100 percent volunteer dedication just so these students can get some assistance.”
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