Project at Pharr UMC touches
students, volunteers

By Carole Lahti
Pharr UMC volunteer
Since the Pharr Community Outreach Project/Shalom was a gleam in a few eyes, I have been continuously involved in one way or another with it. I have watched it grow from an after-school program for kids to a few classes for adults to many classes including literacy, sewing, parenting and more. I have been through its ups and downs, its successes and stumbles, and its financial struggles and times of abundance. Along the way, I have celebrated with the project, and I have wept with the project.
I have always believed in the project and all it offers, but it wasn’t until very recently that my heart had been so totally moved by it. Let me share some things that opened my heart so wide in recent weeks.
An adult reading and writing class needed a replacement teacher for the spring session, and it seemed that the Shepherd who often leads me from behind was pushing me in that direction. Hesitantly, not knowing what to expect, I volunteered. After all, it was only for 10 weeks.
My little class has several young men who sincerely want to improve their skills so they can better their lives. One wants very much to go to college, but before he can, his reading and writing skills must be considerably improved. Another is dyslexic and lacks confidence in his ability but has determination and great eagerness.
Students are faithful in attendance and very appreciative of the help they are getting. To see adults who somehow have fallen through the cracks of the educational system realize their need and take the giant step of asking for help is exciting. And when one of them correctly sounds out and comprehends a word he didn’t recognize, and I can see in his face that the “light has come on,” it brings tears to my eyes, knowing that we have helped him do that.
Another heartwarming event has been having a friend who spoke almost no English begin coming to the classes. After only six weeks of classes, her English has improved dramatically. Seeing her burning desire to learn being met by the English as a Second Language class and knowing how important it is to her has made those classes very personal to me as well. I know that my friend isn’t unique but that many others are being helped as well.
A third event was hearing our program coordinator, Pilar Rocha, give a testimony of what the project has meant to her during a meeting of the United Methodist seminary deans at our church recently. Pilar spoke about coming to the classes as a student and how they not only contributed to her mastery of the language but also changed her perception on how we see immigrants and increased her self-image. Another round of tears came to my eyes and some others as she spoke. Pilar came to the project as a student, then became a VISTA volunteer with the program and now is a much-valued and loved part-time employee.
The Pharr project always needs volunteers. A volunteer can teach a class (no prior experience required), help in the office, assist with snack sales at class break times, help with fundraisers, assist with childcare and in many other ways.
If you have a little time to spare, won’t you consider sharing? You might find a tear of joy in your eye, too. Let Sylvia Perez, project director, know if you even would consider being a volunteer.