October
2011 E-Newsletter
Parent Educators and Partners
in Education
A Tribute to Lisa Oglesby Rocha
Fifteen years ago, Lisa Oglesby Rocha had a vision for transforming the
Dallas community. When she saw the educational gap in the Hispanic community,
she knew we needed to take preventative, cost-effective measures to stop any
growth in that gap. To that end she founded the Dallas Chapter of Avance Inc. The result of her vision and
the hard work of the team she has led during those years has been the
transformation of more than 14,000 at-risk children and parents in Dallas.
Over the years, Lisa doggedly built up the excellence of the program
to ensure it accomplishes its goal of advancing children. She also took a
measured approach to expanding the program, growing it from 2 sites and a
$234,000 budget in 1996 to 33 sites and a $1.9 million budget in 2011—all for
the purpose of reaching the thousands of families needing the Avance message.
While these statistics tell a great deal about her impact, they don’t
tell the whole story of our founder. Lisa has given of herself above and beyond
what was required of her, showing endless compassion to the families in the
program, inspiring the staff to give their best to the mission, and providing
an example of dedication that has left an indelible mark on Avance-Dallas.
Last month we said farewell to Lisa as she wrapped up her time at Avance-Dallas and set her sights on new
ways to serve the broader community. While we were sad to see her move on, we know she’ll
continue making a remarkable difference wherever she goes.
One final word to Lisa: On behalf of all the families, staff, and board
members at Avance-Dallas, warmest
wishes as you continue to advance our community. Your imprint on Avance-Dallas will never be forgotten.
The Board and Staff at Avance-Dallas
Avance-Dallas’ Grassroots Model: Graduates Become Parent Educators
Avance-Dallas has always promoted the idea of our parent
participants moving on to become teachers in our program, and we have employed
(and continue to employ) many of our program graduates as Early Childhood
Teachers. We always make sure they get the appropriate training they need, and
because they’ve experienced how the program changed their lives, they make
excellent teachers for our target families.
But for the first time in
our history, two Avance-Dallas
graduate moms are serving as Parent
Educators in our program this year. That means they’ve gone on to get their
bachelor’s degree and have worked their way up to a new level of leadership,
overseeing their respective staff teams.
We
honor these two graduates, Dilcia and Ana Lorena (pictured above), for their
enthusiasm, hard work, and achievements as they serve at our Oak Cliff and West
Dallas sites. We’re privileged to have such dedicated and talented staff
members on our team!
This year Target
has renewed its significant partnership with Avance-Dallas
by investing two grants totaling $77,000 in our programs that advance children
and literacy.
The first grant of $75,000
continues their focused investment from last year in two elementary schools
where we offer our intensive Parent-Child Education Program. Those two sites
are Sidney Lanier Expressive Arts Vanguard Elementary School in West Dallas and Herbert Marcus Elementary School in North Dallas. By investing such a substantial
grant in families at these two sites for a second year, Target is leveraging
their impact on young, at-risk children through our proven educational model.
This grant also provides a portion of the costs for our Volunteer Impact
Project, which mobilizes our parents to tutor kindergarten and first-grade
students in reading at the public elementary schools where we serve.
In addition, Target has
contributed $2,000 to cover books for our Parent-Child Book Clubs, an
abbreviated initiative that focuses solely on the key parental practice of
reading regularly with children in the home. Target is helping to provide the
foundational tools—books—that make this home learning activity possible.
Minneapolis-based Target
Corporation (NYSE:TGT) serves guests at 1,750 stores in 49 states nationwide
and at Target.com. In addition, the company operates a credit card segment that
offers branded proprietary credit card products. Since 1946, Target has given 5
percent of its income through community grants and programs; today, that giving
equals more than $3 million a week. For more information about Target’s commitment
to corporate responsibility, visit Target.com/hereforgood.
Partner Profile: Rees-Jones
Foundation
The Rees-Jones Foundation exists to provide
support and funding for programs that will help improve in tangible ways the
quality of life and life circumstances of the people served, with special
emphasis on assisting children and their families. Founded by Jan and Trevor
Rees-Jones the Foundation’s mission is “one of compassion designed to
serve God by serving others, sharing His Word and His resources with those in
need.” Like Avance-Dallas,
they seek to provide children with the ingredients they need for success in
education.
The Parent-Child Education Program is our core program
here at Avance-Dallas for
transforming the lives of children. It makes a powerful impact on children by
serving both children and parents together and by delivering 150 hours of
class-based education and home visitation over nine months to instill change in
the family that lasts into elementary school, high school, and beyond. By
preparing children to start kindergarten ready for success, we help them make
it to graduation and college.
Special thanks to The Rees-Jones Foundation for its
generous gift in support of our Parent-Child Education Program. Together we’re
transforming both our children and our city!
Partner Profile: Esping
Family Foundation
It’s a privilege to partner
with the Esping Family Foundation
in advancing young children in Dallas. This year the Esping Family Foundation
has awarded Avance-Dallas a $16,800
grant to fund one of our Lead Early Childhood Teachers.
The Esping Family
Foundation particularly focuses their funds toward children and families and
toward improving educational outcomes—two goals we share at Avance-Dallas. The Foundation’s philosophy is rooted in the heart
of its founder's theory of success: the free enterprise system, which envisions
success through hard work, persistence, creativity, and determination. They strive
to help others help themselves by supporting active programs with strong
leadership and entrepreneurial activity.
The Esping Family
Foundation’s grant will specifically be used to make a significant impact on low-income families in the
at-risk Oak Cliff neighborhood by funding a portion of the salary of the talented
Lead Early Childhood Teacher on our Oak Cliff team. Oak Cliff demonstrates
particular need for early intervention, and thanks to the Esping Family
Foundation, we’re helping to create new leaders from the ground up.