People Care

Last night a student who is unable to attend class for several weeks while she is in a college course came in to make a payment on her books. (I'll call her 'J'.) She was beaming with joy over a recent introduction to a volunteer ('A') who offered to meet students over coffee for conversation. They had met last Saturday for the first session. 'J' could hardly contain her excitment over how much she had learned in that one meeting and the new friendship she already forged with 'A'. In fact, they had talked about eventually going to stores and local businesses to practice English in real life situations.

You know, I am continually surprised (pleasantly) by the community outreach to these students of English as a second language. 'A' came to me through the Broomfield library. The library has been extraordinary in their support of the ESL program both in Broomfield and Brighton - yet another example of the outpouring of support. 'A' was interested in helping with the ESL program but travels during the week - thus was unable to commit to regular classroom instruction. But, where there is a will there is a way and immediately 'A' reached out to 'J' and arranged a mutually convenient meeting time.

And, love reflects love ... already 'J' and 'A' are friends. And, I'm sure it will be a lifetime friendship. I could literally see it all over 'J's face. She was thrilled with the experience she had last Saturday and could hardly wait to tell me all about it. I do have to admit I had a twinge of jealousy - I would love to have the time to also give to my students outside the classroom like this. But at the end of the day, what is important is that these relationships are being forged and these students I love so much are truly immersing in the communities they live in.

It's interesting how this facet of the 'program' is growing. There is a similar situation in the Broomfield program as well. 'D' embraced two ladies from Korea who needed conversational experience when we started the Broomfield program in April. They all have children the same age and meet frequently while their children spend time together as well. 'D' has told me these two ladies are her friends and she feels like the blessed one to have met them. I received a letter from one lady ('S') thanking me for the introduction to her new friend.

These are perfect examples of how prejudices and stereotypes evaporate as we open our hearts and lives to one another. While each of these situations in isolation seem small, I can see the big picture. The world is getting smaller...one person, one hour, one conversation at a time.

(Note: the picture in this post is by tompagenet on Flickr.)