Nonprofit education center reaches out to immigrant and
low-income women
Morgan Hill – The small building on Church Street doesn’t have an impressive exterior, and people who drive past it without ever entering the Learning & Loving Education Center likely have no idea of the warmth, love, laughter and truly impressive deeds that go on inside.
Walking through the center’s front doors, the atmosphere is welcoming and friendly, with smiling faces and open arms, and Sister Pat Davis, who is the heart of the Learning & Loving Education Center.
The nonprofit center, which opened more than 12 years ago thanks to charitable contributions and the service of the religious order of the Sisters of the Presentation, offers a variety of services to immigrant women and their families, including literacy classes, computer and job skills training, individual counseling, parenting education, nutrition classes and health education and workshops.
Though the main function of the center seems to be helping the immigrants learn English, many people are surprised when they find out the variety of services the center offers. If the parents can learn English and computer skills, they can better help their children with their homework, Davis said, who’s the founder and executive director of the center. There is also an arrangement with the Morgan Hill Unified School District’s adult education program so the women can further their education.
Another component of the center is social services. Many of these women are not aware of organizations such as Community Solutions or other services in the community, and the center offers advocacy and referral services, as well as occasional informational meetings about topics such as domestic violence.
Davis, who seems to treat the center’s volunteers and clients as one big, extended family, gets emotional as she talks about the women who come in to learn English, often bringing their young children to the center’s daycare or early education program, where they begin to learn the language of their new country.
“Most importantly, and it’s a blessing to me, I find that as they learn, as they spend time here in the center and develop friendships, it builds their self-esteem,” Davis said.
Davis is a member of the Sisters of the Presentation, an order of nuns that was formed in Cork, Ireland in 1775 by Nano Nagle.
“The order was formed by a woman who was appalled by the lack of education among the children,” she said. “At that time, it was against the law to teach the poor in Ireland. Now, there are over 3,000 following her dream and walking in her footsteps to educate others.”
The Learning & Loving Education Center, she said, grew out of a dream of also walking in Nagle’s shoes.
“What we are really about here is calling forth the gifts in immigrant women,” she said. “It’s so important for these women to lean the skills so they can not only help their families, help their kids, but also help themselves.”
A handful of the center’s 35 volunteers are retired credentialed teachers – nine of them, she said.
Sometimes, volunteers will come to the center to present a workshop that reflects their area of expertise, said Janet Leach, development director for the center.
“We really appreciate it when people donate their time in this way to help these women and their families,” she said.
The center accepts donations from the public, Leach said; a small “Sharing Room” holds donations of supplies, such as w the women can
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at md****@mo*************.com.
