When more than 85 percent of a community’s residents live at or near the poverty level, bridging an Anglo-Hispanic cultural gap while assisting families in need can seem like an impossible dream.

In Pharr, where a community outreach program has literally grown up around the local United Methodist church, it’s a dream come true. In fact, Pharr Community Outreach Program (PCOP) has been so successful at bringing the young, old, poor and prosperous members of their community together, it could very well be a model for transitional churches throughout the state.

One of the most successful aspects of the program lies with the informal educational services available for low-income Hispanic families.

“We really want to help these people become independent members of the community,” PCOP Programs Coordinator Elva Michal said. “We’re able to provide them with practical skills they can use now and in the future.”

Classes offered by PCOP range from beginning English and basic computer skills to sewing and handcraft projects that can be used to supplement a family’s income. While the mothers and fathers attend class, their school age children are tutored to improve reading skills, play educational games and complete craft projects with a Christian emphasis. Toddlers and infants find a safe place to play while their parents and siblings learn.

“The whole family is here together. Not having to worry about the children is an important part of what makes the program work,” said Yolanda Rodriguez, PCOP’s new director of outreach classes. A recent grant from the Texas Methodist Foundation made the development of her position possible. A prior grant from the Foundation provided support to help get the program started.

“We couldn’t have done nearly as much without these grants,” Michal said. “The first one was a critical component in developing the childcare and transportation aspects of what we’re doing here.”

While monetary support, building improvements completed by mission groups and donations of supplies from partner churches continue to provide many needed resources, the people of Pharr are the most important resource and have the greatest impact on the success of the project.

Elva and her husband, Keith, have been the heart and soul of PCOP from the beginning. They have become such an integral part of the community that many program participants now refer to them as “Grandma and Grandpa.”  The couple tirelessly devotes time to teaching, administering the program, recruiting volunteers, soliciting material donations and raising funds to keep Pharr’s mission of empowerment alive.

“It’s grown far beyond what Keith and I can do,” said Michal. Hiring two part-time employees and soliciting additional volunteers helped them expand the program’s potential. They started with four teachers three years ago and now keep more than 30 volunteers busy most weeknights during the school year.

This newfound help includes a retired contractor who teaches basic home improvement classes and a local caterer who prepares evening meals. Even the “Winter Texans” who take beginning and intermediate Spanish classes as part of the project have shown an interest in volunteering alongside the Hispanic participants who have benefited from the program.

“They want to help, they want to be a part of it. It’s a great exchange of relationships,” Michal said. “We got it started, but now the community is doing the leading.”

Rodriguez serves as a prime example of this type of commitment. She once found herself as a divorced mother without a high school education who desperately wanted to improve her life. Through a similar program, she obtained the skills needed to go to college and complete a degree in social work. Even though she could make more money elsewhere, working within her community means much more to her.

“I got an opportunity to help myself, so now I want to spend my time helping others in the same way,” Rodriguez said. “I get paid through seeing people happy and God is always with me here.”

The workers dedicated to PCOP have seen time and again how this type of commitment, along with the support of donors who make grants and tangible resources available, truly do make a difference.

“It changes lives,” Michal said. “It truly does.” – Winter 2003

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