C.A.M.P. 4 Justice Foundation establishes scholarship program in Alumni Association

The C.A.M.P. 4 Justice Foundation, an organization created to honor the memory of the four Brothers to the Rescue volunteers who perished when their planes were shot down by Cuban MiG fighter jets in 1996, has made a $100,000 gift to establish and endow an Alumni Association scholarship program for full-time, degree-seeking FIU students.

The C.A.M.P. 4 Justice Foundation Human Rights Scholarship program will support students who are committed to furthering the cause of human rights and will memorialize Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Pena and Pablo Morales, who sacrificed their lives in defense of that cause. C.A.M.P. is an acronym standing for the first names of the victims.

“This is a milestone in the history of the FIU Alumni Association,” said Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations Bill Draughon. “These scholarships will have a lasting impact on the lives of our students and serve as a fitting legacy to Carlos, Armando, Mario and Pablo.”

It is anticipated that the first scholarships will be awarded this June, and representatives of both the Alumni Association and C.A.M.P. 4 Justice Foundation will have an opportunity to participate in the selection process.

Michael Mendez '03, director of the foundation, is the nephew of Costa, one of the Brothers to the Rescue volunteers who was killed. A member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, he was a driving force behind the scholarship endowment. Mendez is also the director of the Costa Foundation of Miami, which recently gave $1 million to the newly renamed Carlos Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic at FIU.

“[Michael] and I hope that the foundation’s generous donation, which to date is the single-largest gift ever made to the Alumni Association, will set the bar high and start a tradition for alumni to give back to FIU,” said Alumni Association President Ty Javellana.

Under current guidelines, the gift will qualify for $50,000 in state matching funds.