A truly grassroots organization, Escuela Bolivia was volunteer-led for its first seven years of existence and over time has continued its legacy of volunteerism and community involvement. We wanted to thank all of the volunteers who have supported us and wanted to share inspirational volunteer stories with you.
Escuela Bolivia staff and volunteers after a community meeting this summer.
From left to right: Victor Zepeda, Gustavo Guerrero, Vanessa Guerrero, Eneida Alcalde,
Vivian Delgado, Karla Rios, Robert Panfil, Kathie Panfil, Milenka Coronel, and Pablo Feliciano.
Vivian Delgado, Board Member
How long have you been volunteering with Escuela Bolivia and in what capacity?
The first time I walked through Escuela Bolivia's doors was in May 2009 where I was a participant in a PESA session. I subsequently volunteered as an Emerging Leaders mentor for the Summer and Fall 2009 sessions and the Summer 2010 session. I became a Board member in August 2009 and I've served on the Board’s fundraising committee. I helped with PARTICIPA's winter session and will be helping with the Spanish Academy for the first time this summer.
The first time I walked through Escuela Bolivia's doors was in May 2009 where I was a participant in a PESA session. I subsequently volunteered as an Emerging Leaders mentor for the Summer and Fall 2009 sessions and the Summer 2010 session. I became a Board member in August 2009 and I've served on the Board’s fundraising committee. I helped with PARTICIPA's winter session and will be helping with the Spanish Academy for the first time this summer.
What inspires you to volunteer with Escuela Bolivia?
I fell in love with the organization because it addresses the needs of Latino families—if Escuela Bolivia had been around during my childhood, my family and I would have benefited so much from their programs. The mission and its programs align perfectly with the support that I believe Latino students and parents need. I want to do my part to help the organization and the families that we serve.
The highlights from my work with Escuela Bolivia include spending time with our ELP Students and working with Board member, Rosa Briceño and Program Coordinator, Ellie Clavel during a session of PARTICIPA.
It is refreshing to spend time getting to know our students. I see a lot of myself when I look into their eyes. Seeing their confidence steadily increase after every session is the best motivation to continue giving my time. I make sure to attend as many sessions as my schedule allows. This helps me connect with more students and gain their trust so that they feel comfortable reaching out when they need guidance or a friend to talk to.
Observing Rosa and Ellie in action as they facilitated PARTICIPA sessions was also very inspiring. They are highly skilled facilitators that are doing a fabulous job of empowering our parents with invaluable information about the public school system. I consider myself lucky to have been able to learn from Rosa and Ellie by volunteering with the program. Seeing a program run its course from start to finish helps me be a better advocate when I'm speaking to future volunteers, participants and other supporters.
Fernando Lopez, Website Coordinator
How long have you been volunteering with Escuela Bolivia and in what capacity?
It's been probably 3 years now. I help on the administration of the website and the internal email. I've also provided some technical support in one fashion or another. For a while I also helped and supported the Emerging Leaders Program as a mentor.
What inspires you to volunteer with Escuela Bolivia?
It's the connection my family has with the community. My kids used to attend Spanish classes at the Saturday School and living all the way in Centreville I stayed at the school with them and started working on the computer lab.
What was your favorite project that you worked on at Escuela Bolivia and how has this made the organization stronger?
Undoubtedly the website. Since I started volunteering it has been through two major overhauls. It has evolved from a single page with general information to a more robust website that showcases the organization and all its efforts. Working with the ELP students was also great fun and very rewarding. It's amazing how much energy and how many ideas these kids have. It's inspiring to see them go through the program and become public speakers with confidence to tackle present and future challenges.
Lizzette Arias, Summer Program Intern
I have been actively volunteering with Escuela Bolivia for almost two months. Mostly I worked in the office and with the Emerging Leaders Program.
What inspires you to volunteer with Escuela Bolivia?
I was first inspired to volunteer with Escuela Bolivia because many leaders of the community I have met have in some way supported or still support the programs they offer and to me this says that Escuela Bolivia is special.
What was your favorite project that you worked on at Escuela Bolivia and how has this made the organization stronger?
Once I started working with Escuela Bolivia I realized that it is a great resource for Latino families that may not be available elsewhere. For that reason my favorite project to participate in was working with the Emerging Leaders Program sessions; Escuela Bolivia makes a real impact and difference for the community through this program.
Thank you to all of our teacher assistants, mentors, Board members, IT support experts, interns, students, and AmeriCorps volunteers… We owe much of our success to you!!
Interested in being a volunteer? Please email us at info@escuelabolivia.org to join our list.
Interested in being a volunteer? Please email us at info@escuelabolivia.org to join our list.
