South County is home to a nonprofit agency that touches the
lives of as many as 350 residents each year. Its name indicates its
uniqueness: Learning and Loving Education Center.
South County is home to a nonprofit agency that touches the lives of as many as 350 residents each year. Its name indicates its uniqueness: Learning and Loving Education Center.
Founded in 1994, this non-denominational, women-focused organization was partially funded by a Roman Catholic religious order, the Sisters of the Presentation. It provides a wide variety of services to the community, and it does so in an atmosphere of love, respect and tolerance for all.
Education is the primary focus of the center. It provides an amazing number of opportunities to immigrant women and their children. Originally participants came from Mexico and Central America; today they represent 16 countries including China, Iran, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, Japan, Italy and Afghanistan.
Having moved to several different locations during the past decade, the center is now located in a 4,200-square-foot building in Morgan Hill at 16890 Church St., No. 16. Inside are pleasantly decorated and furnished classrooms, offices, computer labs, a language lab and kitchen. Approximately 180 women and 60 children pass through the doors every day.    Â
A total of 28 volunteers from a variety of backgrounds teach an amazing number of classes.
– English literacy (5 levels)
– Computer/job skills training
– Internet access
– Early childhood education
– Nutrition
– On-site child care/preschool
– Sewing/art/quilting
– Health education
– Lifelong learning workshops
– In cooperation with the Morgan Hill Community Adult School, classes are offered leading to the GED test and a high-school equivalency diploma.
Another important program is the Community Based Education Training. This introduces to recent immigrants the American school system and teaches them skills such as how to handle parent-teacher conferences, how to understand report cards, and things like personal hygiene and dress codes.
An exciting result of the center’s work was the establishment of ECO-CARE, a womens’ collaborative of former students who began a housecleaning business that emphasizes the use of products that are more friendly to the environment than conventional products. ECO-CARE can be reached at 778–8445.
Janet Leach, the center’s development director, sees the organization as a facilitator of a network, making connections to other community resources. “Our clients are on the margins of society,” she said. “They have so many needs, challenges, and barriers to success.”
Support for the center comes from diverse sources – corporate and foundation grants; funds from the Sisters; individual donations; and fund-raisers. But there is still need for contributions from the community. Besides money, the center welcomes gifts like office supplies, paper goods, classroom supplies, coffee and snacks.
More volunteers are always welcome. A photographer or videographer to help publicize the center’s work would be especially helpful right now.
Although the center welcomes people of all religious traditions and remains nonsectarian, Sister Pat Davis of PBVM emphasizes that “God is here; His spirit is part of our lives and our interactions with each other.”
For more information, call 776-1196 or go to www.learningandloving.org.
