"Every Child. Every day. Whatever it takes.” Jimmy Casas, Educator
We all know them. That person in our community who is committed to change, who brings us together, and who somehow has more time than all of the rest of us to make things happen. NWFCU Foundation takes great care to find and support these Champions for Children in the community who are already changing lives.
Two such Champions are Nancy Latourette, Fourth grade teacher, and Griselda Rufina, Sterling Elementary School Parent Liaison, who are committed to helping children see the possibilities for success.
Fourth grade teacher Nancy Latourette has not lost her enthusiasm for helping children after 30 years. “It’s the kids. Seeing their face struggling with something, and then when they finally get it – I love seeing their happiness when the material finally clicks!” Nancy knows about “Why” statements – her favorite is from educator and author Jimmy Casas: “Every child. Every day. Whatever it takes.”
“When I first started, getting parents involved in after-school programs was difficult," says Griselda. Slowly we built up our program, and now we have 12 after-school programs and counting,” she adds. “I just can’t let the students down. We want our students to be active, and our parents notice that and are appreciative. The students then start to see that their parents are involved, and they let their guard down and begin to really trust us.”
Thanks to the financial support of NWFCU staff and members, the NWFCU Foundation is supporting these Champions’ work by sponsoring and chaperoning Nancy’s field trip to Jamestown this month and hosting a “Shark Tank” after school program for the kids this coming fall. The 'Shark Tank' program gives children the entrepreneurial spirit and takes them through the process from invention to realization.