It happens every Monday and Friday in a small apartment in Longmont. Inside, five Latina women sit attentively, some with their wide-eyed preschoolers on the floor at their feet while volunteer, Mary Jane Wright stands in front, guiding them through an English workbook.
Wright is a veteran of volunteerism. She has donated her talents to Safe House, The Humane Society, and The Our Center. "Each of these experiences has been great," she said. "But teaching English to these students for Intercambio de Comunidades has been one of the very best volunteer jobs for me."
Intercambio de Comunidades is an organization that works to build respectful communities and broaden opportunities for immigrants through language education, cultural exchange and friendship. Their program teaches English to over 900 immigrants each year in Boulder County. According to Intercambio, Wright's students are performing at least one level above where they started.
"I think I found a teacher within myself," she said. Not all instructors allow children in their classes but Wright welcomes them. She discovered that one of her students, a young mom with a little girl, had to walk eight blocks to class. Wright now picks them up on her way to the apartment.
Wright serves as a vital bridge between two worlds for these immigrants. She knows they are motivated, seeking to learn not only the language, but how to participate and contribute in Longmont, their new home town.
