Say Hello to Everyone

I started as a volunteer at Mountain View Elementary School in 2005 as a way of contributing to the school and to be close to my kids. Joel Arvizo, UNP partnership manager and professor, met me as a student taking his EDU1010 class in 2010. This was a class he taught for University of Utah students and community members. I was surprised when I learned that my work at Mountain View would be acknowledged with the UNP Community Resident in Action (CRIA) award.

My goal as CRIA was to connect community—this includes everyone. I found people who were willing to pass out fliers, not only to people who speak their language, but to any adult who needed to know what was going on at the school. We have giving and receiving activities, we put together a Utah Food Bank activity with a yard sale that would help fund some of the Community Learning Center activities. I know now that you don’t need to know the language to speak with a parent or a student.

You smile to them, and you invite them to share Pastries for Parents, and have strawberries for the first time in their life. I wanted other parents like Rosalía, and María to do the same, so yesterday, I watched them lead a meeting. It is a matter of dar para recibir. They paid me for 6 hours gave an extra six hours. Tengo muy presente las palabras del presidente Kennedy: “No preguntes lo que tu país puede hacer por ti, sino lo que tú puedes hacer por el país. Cuando me hice ciudadana, recuerdo muy claramente que el senador Bob Bennett dijo, no seas un ciudadano más, ve y ayuda, involúcrate en la comunidad. ¿Como te vas a involucrar? Siendo voluntario, involúcrate en la escuela, involúcrate en la educación de tus hijos.

I have learned how to help everyone to get involved. In our meeting yesterday we asked people to introduce themselves and say something positive about the person sitting next to them—something they respect about that person. We focus on unity and education. We are here to make something positive happen in school for our children. We had 25 attendees and we do this every week. It is called “Good Morning, Mothers.” Our main ideas are safety, communication, college readiness, and relationships. Say hello to everyone, no matter how they dress and what language they speak.