Nearly 300 people filled the 841 Brewhouse banquet hall last Friday, July 26, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Community ESL (English as a Second Language) Program of Whitewater.
The gala, which included music, dinner, a recognition ceremony and dance, honored the many individuals and organizations that have partnered with founders Jorge Islas Martínez and Sandra Heyer over the years to teach English and life-skills to language
learners and families new to the area.
Members from all sectors of the community—education, business, city government, health care, social services, etc.— and many past and present students, teachers and their families attended.
The owner of the 841 Brewhouse, Jim Burns, says it was the most heavily-attended event they’ve hosted in recent years.
Honored contributors to the ESL Program were: Sarah S. Lynn, Anjie Kokan, José A. Martínez, Marlene Martínez, Margaret Fischer, Simone McKinney, Wallace Sherlock, Terilyn Robles, Alisson Keiser, Jessie Dugan, Katherine Konover, Susan Huss-Lederman, Silvana Del Val, Maritza Guerra Sucuc, Jesús Vargas, Margaret Jones, Antonio Cortez, Jennifer Paulson, Marta Aranda, Henrrique Alas Melgar, Rita C. Luna, Yasmin Palomec García, and Mireyda Palomec Cortes. In addition, Islas-Martínez
received a special honor from Voces de la Frontera for his community advocacy.
The Whitewater Community ESL Program would like to thank the many individuals and organizations that supported the event. Among them were: the Mexican Consulate, Voces de la Frontera, Whitewater Unites Lives, the Immigrant Support Coalition,
Rainbow Community Care, Planned Parenthood, Whitewater Unified School District, Fort Community Credit Union, Associated Bank, Premier Bank, Katzman Farm, Soberalski Immigration Law Firm, Open Arms Free Clinic, Rock River Clinic, the Methodist Church, and McCullough’s Pharmacy. A special thanks to The Community Space for its support and to Marco Wence, who provided music. There were many others in attendance who contributed to a wonderful showing of community spirit.
Lisa Huempfner
Immigrant Support Coalition
Editor’s note: A previous article on the Banner provides additional background about the Community ESL program.
