The photo at left should be a familiar sight. The mango tree has grown taller over the years and the fruit hangs higher up in the branches. How do we harvest the fruit? Often we use a bamboo pole to reach the fruit and to help us pick it. This is so that the fruit does not get bruised and damaged. The bamboo pole is an extension of our arms and hands.

Then we have low lying plants. Dwarf fruit trees that grow to perhaps three feet high. These dwarfs don't produce as much fruit as the giant mango trees but its fruit is edible just the same. If we are just planning fruits for ourselves, then dwarf trees would suffice.

But here's the difference. We are growing trees so that we can share the fruit with others. This metaphor is clearly illustrated by our mission to help those poor families who cannot afford to send their children to school, by helping to send them to school. We pool our resources, solicit sponsors to our scholarship offerings and try our best to raise funds to supplement our donations.

But look at these folks in the next photo. Not only are they harvesting their mangoes by hand but by teamwork. You get the picture. Collaboration, cooperation, commitment, and a concerted effort will bring even the most difficult task to fruition. Which fruits are we picking today? The Prez and Andring outlined it rather clearly:

• The SAS Ai Centennial Souvenir Programme AD space solicitation
• The Souvenir items sales
• The recruitment of active members, sponsors, donors, and other generous people into our SAS Ai community

And many more. The idea of course is to observe a priority tree. Let us get the low lying fruit harvested first then we can use bamboo poles to reach the ones sitting up in the higher limbs and branches.