In Support of Education
Amigos de Guadalupe, Center for Justice and Empowerment has a mission to lift the people of the Mayfair Community of East San Jose out of poverty. One of its primary means of accomplishing this task is through education. Most of the families in Mayfair are immigrants who have come here in search of a better life through education.
Consider the story of Gladys, who is a junior at Sonoma State University. Gladys just found out that her financial aid was being reduced by $5,000 annually because her father earned $3,000 more last year than the year before. Gladys was determined to stay at Sonoma State, though she could no longer afford to stay. So, she got another job—her third job—in addition to taking classes. She could not tell her parents because they would have disallowed her to walk 90 minutes each way to get to work. More than that, she left work at 10:30 PM for the walk back to campus. She did not want her parents to worry, and she was determined to finish her degree in Social Work. So she walked.
Gladys has the resiliency to succeed, as do many of the students of East San Jose. They just need the access. The sad fact is that only 2% of the graduating seniors who come from Mayfair will continue on to receive a university education. It starts in elementary school and before, where only 14% of entering kindergartners enter school reading ready with the pre reading skills they need to be successful.
These children need your help. Support their education by supporting the literacy programs and scholarships Mayfair students need, and Amigos offers, to gain access to the kind of education they desire—the kind that will make them contributing members of society. The picture you see is evidence that with your help, our students can attend universities like University of Chicago, UC Berkeley, St. Mary’s College, and other great CSU, UC, and private universities. Help these students be all they can be. They are willing to do the work, and they will be successful. Just ask Gladys!
In the three years that Amigos has been awarding scholarships, it has provided over $30,000 to entering and continuing college students. In addition, Amigos has provided summer and after-school literacy programs to help students become college and career ready. Help us continue this work.