I-4 La Paloma, Fall 2008

Fall 2008 Otoño Volume 1, Issue 4 PAC, Western Region. -By Susan Williams. Student Support Specialist Assistant The Migrant Program in the western part of Pennsylvania covers many counties. At this time, there are families and young people in Bedford County where folks come from out of state to help with the peach and apple harvest. But there are also families living in Centre, Clinton, and Huntingdon Counties who work and live on large dairy farms. There are many young men and women who live in Indiana County who help with vegetable farms and tree farms. In Armstrong County there are even families who work at a mushroom operation. And finally, out in Washington County south of Pittsburgh, there is a Mexican community working for two large vegetable and fruit farms. So you can see that our families are here there and everywhere. Even though we are spread all around, all families are visited on a regular basis with tutorial services, books, educational games and advice for parents. We provided advocacy for children and parents in schools by staying in touch with teachers and counselors. There are times that it is possible for some of us to gather for a rest from work and a time to socialize with good food and games and time to talk with each other. On September 7th, a gathering of several families and other young people met on one of the large dairy farms in Clinton County. Families from Huntingdon County traveled 60 miles to be with their friends whom they don’t see often enough. Children ran and played together and took home books, bubbles, rubber lizards, and silly balls. Older friends played badminton, ate and had laughs together. We had the good fortune of having Jorge Perez-Rico, Parent Coordinator, and his daughter Victoria attend. He talked about our program and fielded questions that were of a serious concern for some of our parents. Because of that meeting Ernesto and Olga Castellanos were elected as representatives for the State PAC meeting in Gettysburg. So you can see, we may be few in numbers and spread all around, isolated, but we are still connected. October, 2008