Concerned Parents of Hazleton Fund
The Concerned Parents of Hazleton Fund was established in 2008, but their impact in the community is already strong and growing. They are an advocacy group dedicated to providing pathways for success through educational access for students and families in the Hazleton area for whom language is a barrier. In July 2009, the group established a pass-through fund at The Luzerne Foundation in order to accept donations while they seek their own 501c3 nonprofit status.
Many members of the group are bi-lingual and serve as interpreters and advocates for Latino families in the Hazleton Area schools. Called in by school administrators and principals, the group helps students understand what is expected of them. They will call the student’s homes to speak to parents or grandparents in their native tongue to explain school policies with the end goal of making the Latino student more comfortable in a new environment and ultimately, more successful.
The group holds meetings in a different school building each month with the superintendents and principals, the heads of the ESL (English as a Second Language) programs, counselors and others. It was during one of these meetings that it was discovered students from warmer countries would stay at home when the weather got bitter because there was no bus service available to take them to school. Working with the city and the mayor, two buses were rerouted and special discount passes created for these students to use. Since the beginning of their involvement, truancy and absenteeism among Latino students has dropped significantly.
The Concerned Parents of Hazleton program began with helping high school students make the adjustment to a new school and community- extending their involvement to walking students home along Lincoln Street. When a parent is present, confrontations are dissipated.
Public meeting are also held with local agencies coming in to help the new immigrant families. Approximately 150 families attend each meeting. Concerned Parents of Hazleton also participates in diversity forums, serves as translators, holds computer literacy courses and citizenship courses. They recently opened an office at 100 W. Beech St in Hazleton that is staffed with volunteers.
