Hand in Hand
Hand in Hand
Around 20 miles east of San Juan, Puerto Rico, a nonprofit called Centro Esperanza has spent nearly half a century supporting the families of Loíza through a multifaceted array of services.
Mochila Alegre (Happy Backpack), a food distribution partnership, ensures that dozens of children in the area spend the weekend nutritionally stable. Vida Esperanza (Life and Hope), a psychological program, provides counseling and psychotherapy three days a week for all ages. Melodías de Esperanza (Melodies of Hope) offers music classes – children learn violin, viola, piano, or percussion, and the quality of instruction has unlocked doors for students to attend highly acclaimed music schools. Through Montessori del Mar, (Montessori of the Sea) children from 18 months to 9 years old receive a high-quality education. And Turismo Patrimonial y Servicio Comunitario trains and certifies youth ages 14-20 as tour guides and ambassadors for the heritage and culture of the city.
Over 75 volunteers visited Centro Esperanza during the first-ever immersive corporate service responsibility activity at a Parents as Teachers International Conference to join the organization in practical, hands-on support. Participants planted native trees and organized storage to support the Montessori curriculum and programming.
“Centro Esperanza and Parents as Teachers are a good partnership because we both work with families and the community and we both help in the development of early childhood,” said Alondra Perez, coordinator of Programa de Turismo Patrimonial y Servicio Comunitario. Alondra facilitated the day’s operations, and she said that service events like these happen about once a month at their location.
For Anna Cismesia, program manager for Step Up Suncoast Parents as Teachers in Sarasota, Florida, spending the afternoon accomplishing these tasks with the group felt like a valuable investment that would free up time for Centro Esperanza staff to focus on the central goals of their work. She noted, too, the alignment with her own values and those of her affiliate and her peers.
“I think the whole Parents as Teachers mission lines up directly with doing something like this,” Anna said. “Why wouldn’t we bring people from all over the world and give them an opportunity to give back to the community that’s hosting us?”
The conference team agrees – an on-the-ground partnership with a local organization is likely to become a tradition at each of the future Annual Parents as Teachers International Conferences, continuing in Portland, Oregon, in 2026.