By The Rev. Lori Mills-Curran, ProGente Connections Executive Director
As the year comes to a close, we wanted to update you about all the work we are doing, our plans for the future, and invite you deeper into mission with us.
Our English Plus ESL program serves over 50 adult students each week. We have 13 volunteer teachers, both from churches and the surrounding community, in 8 classes and in 2 locations, so our programs are affordable and widely accessible.
Our children’s program, Português Plus, is thriving with over 45 Brazilian immigrant children learning to read and write in their heritage language.
Our devoted Português Plus teachers traveled to The American Association of Teachers of Portuguese Conference in August 2018 for professional development.
We held our first Gala Fundraiser in September 2018, a wonderful cross-cultural celebration of students and teachers, volunteers and friends, with music, dance, drama and a delicious Brazilian buffet.
Our Life Together fellow is utilizing her community organizing skills to help us set new goals, plan events, research and apply for grants, and teach ESL classes.
Our Program Director is hard at work at Boston University’s Nonprofit Management Leadership Program for nonprofit professionals, incorporating best practices for program evaluation, fundraising, and board development.
I am deeply involved in advocacy work and in developing community partnerships.
We need your support. ProGente Connections is determined to become self-sustaining before our Together Now campaign funds come to an end. Help us expand our vitally-needed ESL classes and know-your-rights workshops to churches across the Diocese, give scholarships to children in our Português Plus program so there are no barriers to learning their heritage language, provide our teachers further professional development, and further our advoacy work.
You can take action too. To help us become self-sustaining and continue this work into the future, donate online through the link below.
https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/1409645
In the name of the immigrant Jesus, we thank you for your incredible support.