BRIEFS

claro celebrates its first anniversary

Despite the chilly weather, spirits were warm among the CLARO supporters who congregated at the Covenant Presbyterian Church to partake of the hot wings, chips and cake that adorned the red-and-white checkered tablecloths.
The Feb. 7 convivio potluck in Marshall was not just a dinner, but a celebration of a successful year for CLARO (the Centro Latino de Apoyo, Recursos y Oportunidades).
Executive Director Carrie Tyler addressed CLARO's success.
“Not only have we been able to help out Hispanics, but we've been able to reach out and interpret.”
The event focused on the program’s first anniversary, but CLARO still seeks assistance for the future.
“One thing I do need to stress is volunteerism,” Tyler said. “We need volunteers.”
Tyler is a full-time volunteer who for now is living on unemployment checks, but hopes to secure a paid position through fundraising. Eduardo Crespi, director of the Centro Latino in Columbia, emphasized the need for funding.
“What Carrie needs is money,” Crespi said. “CLARO needs money for a real salary.”
Eduardo Crespi is hopeful about the future of CLARO.
“Right now, we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg of what Carrie is doing.”

— Stacy King

Latino Centers in Columbia and Marshall expand kids’ programs

After-school options are growing for children in Columbia and Marshall as both cities’ Latino centers expand their educational programs.
At Columbia’s Centro Latino, a $10,000 grant has moved eight education programs into a space twice as large as they have now to form the long-awaited La Escuela Latina.
“This space gets so packed,” volunteer Caroline Sweet said. “We serve a wide variety of ages and to pack them all together is distracting.”
The grant from the Rolla-based Tom Sager Foundation will allow Centro Latino to pay rent on the new space. It will be located under Centro Latino’s office in Parkade Plaza.
“It’s going to be a place where the community comes together and educates itself,” said Alejandra Gudiño, a Centro Latino board member.
However, expansion is not contained to Columbia. Benton Elementary School is now the site of a two-week-old after-school program formed by CLARO and the Marshall public schools’ A-plus School program. This program, which runs from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, lets ESL students complete their homework and refine their reading skills.
CLARO director Carrie Tyler is enthusiastic about the program.
“My goal is to bring MAP scores up,” Tyler said, referring to the district’s generally low testing scores among the Hispanic students. “Parents don’t have time or skills” to help their children with homework, she said.

— Diego Sorbara