Anthony and Terran D'Andrea

Mercedes de Martinez and her husband Aurtero are the founders of FANA (Foundation for the Assistance of Abandoned Children) Bogota, the organization with which Terran and Anthony adopted their two beautiful children, John and Angela. Mercedes passed away in 2012 and the D’ Andreas have created this scholarship to honor her memory.Mercedes Rosario Pineda de Martinez was born in Cartagena on September 24, 1939. In 1961, she married Arturo Martinez Gomez. The couple soon learned that it was unlikely they could have children. They returned to Canada, where Mercedes had attended college, and in 1968, welcomed a little girl, Maria Lucia, into their home. Hoping to give hope to other adoptive couples in Colombia, Mercedes worked hard to make adoption in Colombia less cumbersome. Four years later, she and Arturo were able to adopt Elena and founded FANA.The couple’s experience led them to welcome several abandoned children into their own home in 1972, and with the help of their parents and friends, they succeeded in providing a home for these children. In 1979, Mercedes founded the Hogar Marguerite d’Y ouville to better assist young mothers in need. She undertook several major campaigns in Colombia and traveled throughout the world to find support. She was invited for an audience with the Pope who was so touched by her work that he decided to send the Grey Sisters of Charity on mission to FANA. For 40 years, Mercedes and her family worked relentlessly to protect and defend abandoned children and were responsible for placing thousands of Colombian children with loving families all over the world.