Soledad was excited when she found a STEAM program (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) for her 10-year-old son. She was even more excited when she learned that the organization offering the class also offered a host of other programs and services for families in Frederick County’s immigrant community.
Born in Mexico’s San Juan Viejo, Soledad moved to the United States in the early 2000s and lives in Frederick with her husband and four kids. Over the past year she has participated in numerous programs offered by Centro Hispano de Frederick. She says the programs are invaluable for individuals who are trying to find their footing in the U.S.
“This place is really important for me,” Soledad said with the help of a translator. “They provide information that you can’t really find anywhere else. They make me feel valued and encourage me to learn and grow.”
Centro Hispano offers tools and resources to help limited English proficiency (LEP) residents overcome challenges with language and cultural differences. The organization offers English language classes, citizenship classes, enrichment programs for seniors, a women empowerment group, emotional support programs, legal services, and summer enrichment courses for children, among other things.
Centro Hispano’s co-founder and former Director, Maria Teresa Shuck, says that community members who have a language barrier face many challenges as they try to access basic services.
“If you don’t read or write or understand English – maybe you’re just arriving in the country, maybe you’ve experienced trauma – you need all kinds of supports including medical, mental health, food, the kids need to go to school, you need an ID … we help families overcome those challenges,” Shuck says. “We do some hand holding, but at the same time, we are teaching and encouraging our folks to become self-sufficient. So we’ll help you and at the same time, you need to help yourself.”
Shuck says Centro Hispano offers a place where people can go to ask for help and receive that help in a language they understand.
“There’s no judgement here, if they walk in the door we’re going to help them,” Shuck says.
Committed to supporting families with children in Frederick County, the Community Foundation provided Centro Hispano de Frederick with $34,000 to help fund a staff position. 
Soledad says she and her husband have both attended parenting classes that have taught them to communicate better with their children and exposed them to different parenting styles. Additionally, she has participated in an empowerment program that supports women disadvantaged by social, economic, language and cultural barriers.
“I couldn’t put a price on what I’ve gotten here, the help has been invaluable,” Soledad says. “And it’s not just me, my whole family has benefited from the programs here, we’ve learned a lot.”
The Community Foundation established three areas of strategic focus based on the Human Needs Assessment: preparing for an aging population, supporting families with children and responding to substance use disorder. This story can also be found in our FY 2024 Annual Report to the Community.