|
Spanish American
Committee celebrates 45 years of service
By Arooj Ashraf, La Prensa
Correspondent
Cleveland: The Spanish
American Committee (SAC) celebrated forty-five years of
service on Nov. 18, 2011. As the agency began its New Era,
staff, board members, clients and supporters took time out to
reflect and honor the contributions of many whose legacy is
intertwined with success and challenges of the organization.
Efrain Colón,
president of the Board of Directors, said it was the vision and
hard work of people like: Moises Maldonado, Juan Rios,
Herminio Carasquillo, Al Summers, José Berrios, Minerva Fuentes,
Miguel Caraballo, Cesi Castro, George Torres, José Rodríguez,
Aurea River, and Juanita Serrano, who formed the
committee to voice the needs, concerns, and dreams of the
community.
“We will continue to serve
as a gateway to success with the support of those who trust us
to serve with integrity,” said Ramonita Vargas, Executive
Director, who has served with the agency for 27 years.
Established in 1966, SAC
is the oldest and largest Latino human services organization in
Ohio and serves more than 5,500 families annually with a $2.1
million budget. SAC impacts economic and social development in
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and the State of Ohio with five-cove
program areas: family support, employment training and
education, housing services, early childhood enrichment center,
and consumer affairs.
These programs deal with
basic life skills from job readiness, GED attainment, bilingual
assistance and interpretation, fraud prevention, financial
literacy, and domestic violence.
Keynote speaker
Natividad Pagán, Executive Director of Multilingual
Multicultural Education of the Cleveland Metropolitan School
District, is the first Latina appointed principal in the
Cleveland Schools. She credits SAC for making a huge difference
in her life and planning the trajectory of success for many
leaders in the community. “This is the agency that propelled all
of us into a life of service, allowed us opportunities to spread
our wings,” said Pagán.
SAC also provided a
reflection of the community at large through its success and
problems. She said the founders embraced the idea and forged a
big dream founded on the principle that they did not want the
new generations to suffer the hardships and prejudices they had
suffered.
Pagán described SAC as a
harbor, a connector, where people came to express their
concerns, learn and connect. She confessed despising the word
‘Committee’ in the agency’s name, but through continued
reflection realized the essence of the word in Spanish
translates to ‘A group of people coming together to resolve’.
She said the staff works
miracles with the limited resources available—“There is a strong
will to do the best; you are always on a mission.” This devotion
to service has created numerous programs that have branched out
as individual organizations, she said.
She urged SAC to continue
service with the strong focus on the mission, and seek new ways
to engage the community, create new initiatives, always be
positive and, “continue to be careful stewards of grants.”
SAC honored staff,
directors, and supporting agency. Among them was Fulgencia
Ramos, who has worked with the Committee since before the
charter was signed. “Every day Ms. Ramos comes in with a smile,
and leaves with a smile,” said Vargas, and thanked her for her
service and support through the years.
“I feel I have
accomplished what I had set out to do- help people,” said Ramos.
As a single mother she raised three children and helped them
embark on successful careers. For her, the most satisfying part
of the job is watching young people graduate high school,
college. “They come back and tell me, ‘Thank you!’”
Her daughter, Yoli
Pochatek, said her mother’s devotion was a constant source
of inspiration for her and siblings. The two reminisce together
and marvel at the changes that have occurred through the years.
“I learned the importance of listening from her; she said
sometimes all a person needs is someone to listen.”
Bill Harkins,
CEO of AMCLO Group Incorporated, was honored for supporting the
education programs: “I support the agency for its commitment to
helping people and I can see its effects in the two young men
that work for me,” he said.
US Congressman Dennis
Kucinich presented SAC leadership with a Proclamation on
behalf of Congress, and thanked them for their continued
service.
For more information on
the Spanish American Committee please visit: http://www.spanishamerican.org/
|
Spanish American
Committee staff celebrating 45 years
Yoli and Dennis
Pochatek with Fulgencia Ramos and Romonita Vargas
Luis Gomez,
Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Romonita Vargas and Efrain Colon
Efrain Colón,
President of the Board
Bill Harknis,
CEO of AMCLO Group Incorporated
Romonita Vargas
and Flor Gomez
Natividad Pagán, Executive Director of Multilingual
Multicultural Education of the Cleveland Metropolitan School
District
Natividad Pagán |
