It Began with a Pair of Shoes

by Jan Rife*

Virginia, Farley and Past President and President GTO Branch Amanda Ruiz

Very simply, it began with a pair of shoes," Virginia Wheelwright said with a no-nonsense smile. She was explaining how Jóvenes Adelante got started ten years ago.  

"A local boy had received a scholarship to a local university, but he had no shoes. Well, he wasn't going to go to college without shoes! So my friend Helen Morris took him down to the shoe store where the boy knew exactly what pair he wanted. They were the most expensive pair and they were a half-size too small, but that's what he wanted so that's what he got."

"Helen and the boy became close," Virginia continued, "and she sent him to live with her son in Texas for two summers to learn English. She missed him when he was gone; he was calling her Grandma by then. He completed university here in San Miguel, and then Helen helped him get a Fulbright to Southern Methodist University, where he earned an MBA.

His success impressed Helen's friends. "Our small group of friends, fewer than ten of us, saw this boy succeed and said, well! If Helen can do this for one young person, imagine what we can do for others if we work together! We were inspired, and started fundraising with enthusiasm and determination," Virginia said.

Amanda Ruiz, JA Past President and currently Vice President of the new Guanajuato branch, paid tribute to those early efforts.  "Jóvenes Adelante," she said, "has come a long way since our early days, but that’s only been possible because of the vision and ideals established by our founders. What started with a handful of volunteers and four students has grown with each student’s success."

All 15 JA graduates are professionally employed in their chosen fields in Mexico, and 75 current scholarship recipients are studying law, medicine, dentistry, engineering, architecture, accounting, psychology, tourism and other subjects in 23 universities throughout Mexico. 

  JA, an official Mexican asociación civil and a US 501(c)(3) charity, had a goal of adding 25 new students to its rolls annually. This year, with the addition of a branch in Guanajuato, it increased that number to thirty. Achieving that goal is particularly challenging because of the difficult economy, both in the US and Mexico. 

"But our students overcome much bigger challenges to achieve their goals," Amanda said, "and our founders were so inspiring that we’re determined to get there again this year."

That early enthusiasm continues to inspire new volunteers who are the liveblood of Jóvenes Adelante today. Some of those volunteers, along with Virginia, who served as JA President until 2006, were honored at JA's Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon on February 9. Presented with certificates and silver JA pins designed by JA member Federico Rivera, were Phyllis Culp, Gregory Diamant on behalf of La Biblioteca de San Miguel de Allende, Dr. Cynthia Lynch of the San Miguel Project, Jerry Rosing on behalf of Computadoras Pro Jóvenes, Susan Sargeant of La Conexion, Jon Sievert, Judith Turner, Keith Wall and Jock Whitehouse. Other outstanding volunteers were honored with roses.

At the luncheon, JA president Pat Harding announced the2010 Amigos de Jóvenes Adelante donor campaign and upcoming “Bright Lights” auction at the Hotel Aldea on Palm Sunday, March 28. 

  The Amigos campaign was inspired by the accomplishments of the original founders of JA, who realized that by pooling their money they could make all the difference in a young student’s life. For all tax deductible donations made by June 30, donors will receive special thank you gifts including the silver JA pin, a brass JA keychain, or a bookmark featuring this year's 17 graduates. 

  “The ‘Bright Lights’ auction will feature some exciting donations," Pat said, "but we need more. Anyone with anything they'd like to donate -- artwork, jewelry, time in a timeshare -- can really help." 

Both the auction and donor campaign are especially important this year because of the surprising turnout at a recent workshop for scholarship applicants. JA had prepared for 40 student but 150 showed up, prompting a pair of subsequent workshops to handle the overflow. "This overwhelming turnout indicates that we will have a very large pool of applicants this year. The likelihood of a large number of deserving students is all the more reason we need to raise more money,” said JA Scholarship Chair Fran Mahoney. “Our goal is to fund 30 new students this year,” added Pat, “and although we’re far short of that now, we have high hopes."

It costs $1,200 US a year for each student, and every scholarship recipient is guaranteed five full years of support. That means all the funds must be raised through fundraising efforts or pledged by a sponsor before a scholarship is granted. The number of new scholarships awarded yearly depends upon donations by individuals and foundations, and on the success of fundraising.

But just as Helen Morris knew when she bought her young friend shoes, money isn't the only kind of support students need.

To foster success, every JA student gets paired up with a mentor. "Our mentors provide guidance and support and keep an eye out for what the individual student needs," said Sheila Byrns, vice president of the Mentor Program. "That can be medical help, counseling, tutoring or workshops that teach important skills like resume-writing or networking."

English has become a priority because to get a job with any of Mexico's bigger companies, you need to take an English proficiency exam and score 80% or better on it before your job application will even be considered. When JA realized this challenge faced by their students, they called on their members for help. 

"Qualified volunteers give weekly English classes in small groups at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels," said Ann Bontatibus , JA's Tutoring Program coordinator. "Meetings are informal and take place at teachers’ homes, theBiblioteca, or local cafés. For students who need help with a difficult subject or class, say math or one of the sciences, we can often find a tutor with expertise in that field." 

Local language wizard Warren Hardy, whose progam many gringos credit with helping them master Spanish, has begun providing JA students with English classes at no cost. He adapted his program for teaching English, and now the Warren Hardy Spanish School, aided by JA volunteers, has developed a two-week intensive English course for JA students to help ensure their success. 

"The beautiful thing about San Miguel is that the people who come here want to be involved in their adopted community," said Virginia. And local organizations are collaborative rather than competitive. Take Computatdoras Pro Jóvenes, for example, which has given many JA students reconditioned computers.

"CPJ computers change our students' lives." said Bill Harding, JA’s computer coordinator. "Imagine what a laptap means to a student from the campo who commutes by bus for hours to and from school. The student doesn't have to spend money on internet cafés or fight for a space in a university's overcrowded computer lab, and actually can utilize travel time for homework. A computer levels the playing field for these young people. And imagine what it means to the students' families, when a computer enters the home."

Families and communities find themselves changed by higher education. Suddenly, the impossible is within reach. Parents have been known to return to school; siblings and friends to follow in JA students' footsteps. Inspiration is contagious.

"We have inspirational members, like Virginia, who inspire students," explained Amanda, "and now we have students who inspire other students. It just keeps on growing."

And it all began with a pair of shoes. 

For more information on how you can help by tutoring, donating a computer, becoming a mentor, getting involved with the upcoming auction, or joining the Amigos de Jovenes Adelante campaign, see JA's website at jovenesadelante.org, or email Info@JovenesAdelante.org

* Jan Rife and her husband Jerry are free-lance journalists who live part-time in San Miguel de Allende. 

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