WAFO seeks donations for summer enrichment program
Warwick. The program, Dulce Esperanza, helps provide a safe place in the summer for the children of farmworkers.
Warwick /
| 14 Jun 2024 | 01:28
Since 2017, the Warwick Area Farmworker Organization (WAFO) has sponsored a program called Dulce Esperanza, or Sweet Hope, to provide a safe space for over 90 children of local farmworkers during seven weeks in the summer. The program is largely funded through community support, but this year WAFO says it needs an additional $20,000 to fully fund the program.
The program is held in the Pine Island Elementary School. This year, the program will run from July 1 to August 16, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dulce Esperanza is staffed by a combination of paid professionals and a variety of volunteers from the community. About 90 students, age 6 to 17, are registered.
Each morning, a school bus picks up children from Pine Island, Warwick, Florida, Goshen, and Minisink. After breakfast, the students work on their academic skills, including a focus on English language proficiency. Following lunch, there are enrichment activities, such as gardening, dancing, music, and crafts. Just before boarding the bus at 4:30 p.m., the children are given a snack. In total, over 9,500 meals are provided each summer.
WAFO explained, “While the parents pay what they can, Dulce Esperanza cannot survive without donations.”
Anyone interested in donating to the summer enrichment program can do so via the Warwick Area Farmworker Organization website, by emailing info@wafarmworker.org, or by sending a check to WAFO; PO box 607; Goshen, NY, 10924.
The website also has an Amazon wish list of supplies needed for the summer. All donations are fully tax deductible.
This summer a program for the teen leaders is being added. Students will be able to complete a Morehouse Medical School – Community Health Worker Certification for high school students. WAFO says this is the first time such a program will be offered in our area. Students will complete 20 modules as well as participate in a community health event.
For more information, contact WAFO Executive Director Katherine Brieger at kbrieger@sunriver.org or 845-258-1560.