Tuloy Foundation and Capital One: A meeting of two hearts

MANILA, Philippines - Tuloy Foundation, an organization I put up in 1993, is a shelter for children with bright dreams. I look at them and think, “Where have the years gone by?” I remember envisioning an institution that provides topnotch care for disadvantaged children. It has finally come to life through the commitment of selfless people and organizations who saw what I saw in these children – an immense potential and a good future.

Three years ago, we received a phone call inquiring about our organization. Little did we know that the phone call will spark a partnership that will change the lives of our students. The call was from Capital One Philippines Support Services Corp.

Shortly after, I attended their site inauguration in Northgate Cyberzone in Alabang and met then Capital One Philippines general manager Paul Townsend. He announced that their associates chose Tuloy Foundation to be the center of a literacy program that the company was organizing. That day, Tuloy Foundation found a rare partner in Capital One Philippines.

It was an instant meeting of two hearts because Capital One’s values of excellence and doing the right thing are aligned with our values at Tuloy. They saw in our deliberate care for the children the same care they extend for their own people. Just like in all kinds of relationships, ours is founded on compassion and unconditional trust.

A few months into the partnership, I became more inspired by Capital One Philippines’ genuine commitment. They put up what we now call the Contact Center Readiness Program, a nine-month contact center training initiative designed to teach Tuloy students key competencies required for entry-level positions in IT-BPM and other service industries, including a fully-equipped classroom and a trained teacher.

Capital One Philippines associates also spend time teaching the kids and what impressed me even more was the dedication of their top executives who catch up on the children’s development once every week. From the hundreds of organizations I have worked with in the past, it was rare to see top executives themselves taking the lead. Because of this, their people contribute selflessly marked with a sense of pride and belonging.

The program has left a remarkable impact on the lives of our students. After undergoing the training, they are also given an opportunity to be employed in Capital One Philippines, allowing them to change their lives for the better.

To date, 16 graduates are already employed in the Alabang site; 13 have found employment in other BPO companies; 15 are currently undergoing on-the-job training; and a brand-new class of 10 students started last November.

Capital One’s love of service does not end there.

Start of something big: The Contact Center Readiness Program, a collaboration between Tuloy Foundation and Capital One Philippines Support Services Corp., graduated its first batch in 2013.

Just recently, they sponsored a water tower providing clean drinking water to our students both in Alabang and as far as Angeles City, Pampanga.

Investing in a community is easy – an organization can simply issue a check and wait until a project is done; but Capital One is different. Investing for good is ingrained in the company’s culture and DNA and it’s evident in the way they commit fully to a partnership. They want to make sure that we succeed by holding our hand every step of the way.

It is truly a meeting of two hearts; a passion lit by the same match. I can only hope that we all find a bit of Capital One in every person and every organization we encounter in our lives.

(Fr. Rocky Evangelista, SDB is the founder of Tuloy Foundation, a Philippines-based non-government, not-for-profit organization for marginalized children.)