Hispanic center thrives around volunteer core

Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, January 16, 2007

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE -Sara Reyna and Ariana Garcia jumped into each other’s arms.

On a recent cold Tuesday evening, most of the Garcia family had walked nearly two miles to the Alderwood-Terrace Rotary Club’s Hispanic Center in Mountlake Terrace.

Ariana’s mother and grandmother settled in at the center’s computers to work on their English language skills. Her older siblings sat down with volunteer tutors to work on their homework, and 7-year-old Ariana got a big hug from Sara, 17.

“Sara’s really fun, and she’s pretty, too,” Ariana said.

“Not prettier than Ariana,” replied Sara. “OK, let’s see your homework.”

Now in the second half of its second year, the center is staffed by about 15 volunteers who serve about 15 families who come to the center twice a week to get a boost in skills they need to help them find success in their communities, said center director Pat Cordova.

Sara Reyna and her stepfather, Al Hernandez of Mill Creek, have volunteered at the center since September.

Sara is a high school graduate who had been home-schooled by her mother. A professional musician, Sara plays harp for the Bellevue Opera, weddings, political events and at Mexican restaurants such as Frida’s in Mill Creek.

In December she played for the center’s Christmas party. Sara also is a tae kwon do state champ, a skill she shares with the children on Thursdays at the center.

“I love working with the kids,” she said. “It’s a passion, and it’s easy to get caught up in it. The families are so great.”

Cordova calls Sara one of her best teenage volunteers.

“It’s inspiring to have a young lady her age who is so capable of working with our students and so willing to do anything that is needed,” Cordova said.

Sara, who plans to attend the University of Washington in 2008, has little free time and prefers to spend it at the center.

“It’s better to be here than have an evening that might turn into TV watching,” she said. “I don’t volunteer because I have to. I like the connection.”

And Sara and her parents appreciate that volunteering at the center offers her the opportunity to develop her Spanish-language skills. Her father is of Spanish descent and her stepfather was born in New York to Puerto Rican parents.

Al Hernandez, a self-described “computer geek” who works as an information technology specialist for a cell phone company, keeps the computers and the English-language computer programs running at the center. He said he is just as passionate as his stepdaughter about his volunteer time there.

Helping others become fluent in English is important, he said.

Hernandez was a boy when he moved with his parents when they returned to Puerto Rico.

“And I couldn’t speak Spanish. So I know what it’s like to move to a new country and not be able to speak the language,” he said.

Now bilingual, Hernandez also tells the story of a recent meeting with a Spanish-speaking clerk at a discount store. Another customer asked for some help and the clerk’s lack of English skills prevented her from offering clear help.

“She started crying. This was her second job and she was looking for a third because these low-paying jobs were not enough to help her family,” he said. “I felt very moved. So if I can help someone become bilingual, if I can put a smile on somebody’s face, that’s enough for me.”

Jorge Garcia, Ariana’s father, arrived at the center after he was done with work. The director of maintenance at a south Snohomish County nursing home, Garcia said he started “at the bottom” and then worked into leadership positions as he learned to speak English.

“The center is a good place for my family. My wife and mother learn to speak English and my kids’ grades have gone up since we started coming here,” Garcia said. “Pat has helped the Hispanic community get together. She’s beautiful, a real go-getter.”

Cordova, a longtime city activist, and her family, many of whom are bilingual, make up the core of the volunteers. The center is squeezed into a couple Sunday school rooms provided by the New Beginnings Church. All the equipment, game tables, furniture and snacks are donated.

“As a volunteer all my life, I know that if you worry about money your program won’t go anywhere,” Cordova said. “But if you spread the word, you’ll be successful.”

Hispanic center

The Rotary Hispanic Center is open 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through June at New Beginnings Church, 21705 58th Ave. W., Mountlake Terrace.

Help with homework, computers and English language skills, along with dance, martial arts and game activities are offered free of charge.

Bilingual volunteers are especially appreciated. Also needed are donations of snack foods and school supplies. For more information, call 425-775-6362.

Reporter Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427 or gfiege@heraldnet.com.