Mitzi Mace
Washington Hispanic

Compromised with the mission of the THIRST Center, the president of Clark Construction, James Clark shared agreeable moments with the children of the center to whom a story read.

The laudable and self-sacrificing work realized by the Hispanic Center of Educational Development (BE, for his initials in English) for more than 35 years is recognized by a group of corporations, organizations without ends of lucre and members of the community who have not curtailed efforts to make the sleep real of having a building where to expand his services and at the same time to integrate the children and his families of scarce resources in Washington DC.
To cut the traditional tape during the opening ceremony on Monday, the 2nd of February they were present the mayor of Washington DC, Adrian Fenty, the president of Clark Construction, James Clark, the director of the Office of Latin Matters for the Mayor, Mercedes Lemp, the chief of the team of assistants of work of the president Barack Obama, Michael Strautmanis, Raymond Ritchey, the director of the Meeting of THIRST, between other personalities.
BE Center it is the first bilingual preschool school in the District of Columbia and it constitutes the first program subsidized by the government of the District that obtained the national accreditation for the quality of given services.
They have paraded his classrooms like main and voluntary recognized activists and community leaders who at present work in favor of the immigrant community. These are the cases of Bibi Otero, who worked like teacher for THIRST Center and now there directs CentroNía, Saúl Solorzano, the director of CARECEN, Cecilia Múñoz, who has been named to work with the president Barack Obama, between others.
“ Our school has served as model for the establishment of new centers in the District. We have always been faithful to the mission to serve to the immigrant population to make sure that the children should join without problems inside the American community”, he said to Washington Hispanic, Martha Egas, director of the development program of the child of the THIRST Center.
“ Our biggest satisfaction in all this time is to see how our pupils of preschool have obtained the academic success and have turned into professionals”, adds Martha Egas.
BE Center offers free services for the families that they qualify and/or according to the income level. To have an idea a single mother of a child with income for 6,415 dollars a year does not pay anything for the services. If the family of five members brings income of up to 56.525 dollars a year he must pay a monthly quota for 13.08 dollars for the first child and 9.81 dollars for the second one that goes so far as to the school to receive preschool education.
It grows BE Center
For 38 years BE Center located in the quarter of Adams Morgan it has offered preschool education services to children from two years and a half up to the four, as well as support programs after the school and classes of English like the second language for adults. Now thanks to a colaborativa headed by Clark Construction, Boston Properties, the government of the District of Columbia, between other institutions the center will be able up to trebling the number of adult students and raising the children capacity for the preschool program.
Also they are going to initiate a program for infantes from 36 months until two years betting for an early education for the suitable development of the child. Now when they have more classrooms they are in aptitude to implement classes of GED, computing and skills for the work.
For the time being the new building located in 4110 Kansas Avenue, NW, Washington DC has been acquired under a contract of 20 years with call option after 10 years.
“ Not only we have the challenge of expanding our services and that are of quality, but have a new challenge to obtain the resources to make the buy real. For it we count with the support of the corporation Clark, the Office of Latin Matters of the Mayor (WAVE), the program of solidarity of the Inter-American Bank of Development (BID), between other organizations compromised with the education and integration of the immigrant community”, Martha Egas finished.
The persons interested by the services of the THIRST Center to call (202 462-8848

Mitzi Mace
Washington Hispanic

With the university students support, trade union leaders of Honduras in representation of 1.800 workers went to demand respect to his labor law.

Moisés Elías Montoya Alvarado and Norm Estela Mejía came to Washington DC in representation of 1.800 workers of the factory Jerzees of Honduras to denounce labor injustices and the massive dismissal of his partners for the fact to have organized itself in a trade union.
The factory Jerzees of Honduras Russell belongs to the corporation, which one supports contract with different universities in the United States to make garments with the logos university students. For such a reason the workpeople with the support of the Committee of Solidarity of Georgetown and the students' association went inside the field of the University Georgetown to demand from the house of studies that should cancel his contracts with Russell. During his trip also they visited the Congress to exhibit the series of abuses of which they have been victims.
“ Later that the company was bought by Fruit the Loom they began the abuses, took many benefits from us and they were demanding unattainable production goals from us”, it points out Washington Hispanic Moisés Elías Montoya.
According to the workpeople the situation deteriorated when they decided to organize themselves and form a trade union not only because they had to do it undercover but because they turned into threats target and even more than one hundred of workpeople was dismissed of his positions.
“ Into help of the trade union we manage to incorporate our partners, but the labor situation deteriorated and finally they decided to close the factory. Even the company began doing campaign against us and we receive death threats”, tells Norm Estela Mejía.
In a bulletin the corporation Russell pointed out that the decision of the closing of one of three factories that they have in Honduras was taking place like result of the difficult financial situation that crosses the country.
But, for the trade union leaders the only reason is because the personnel was unionized.
“ Also we cannot obtain employment because they have put us in a black list with our photo so that they do not give us work in other factories”, makes sure Mejía.
With the delivery of a letter directed to the rector of the University Georgetown where they ask him Russell to cancel his contract with the corporation, these workpeople initiated a tour along several states of the country where they will visit universities so that his demands are listened. The University of Miami Russell has already just cancelled his contract with the corporation as a token of support to the labor law of the workpeople.
The students of Georgetown and the workpeople argue that the labor practices of the factory it goes against the code of conduct that the University establishes and any company that supports a relation with the studies house must respect these codes.
“ Georgetown must finish with his contract with Russell, a company that has committed a series of abuses in violation of the code of conduct of the University against the persons who sew clothes with our logo”, expressed Marley Moynahan, a student and organizer of the Committee of Solidarity.
For his part Erik Smulson, in representation of the rector of the University Georgetown received the missive and pointed out that it is very premature to take a decision, but that definitely it goes away to evaluate the case.

Víctor Caycho
Washington Hispanic

Luis Gutiérrez, conferee of Illinois, goes out in defense of the civil children separated from his parents deported or stopped in raids.

A series of mítines and meetings with the community that will be fulfilled in 14 big cities of the nation announced the democratic conferee Luis V. Gutiérrez, all destined to promote an integral migratory reform that is put in agenda this year.
The approach of this campaign, as Gutiérrez sustained it on his Internet page, is to denounce “the injured current system” that across raids and deportations it is separating to thousands of children's families that are American citizens.
“ There is getting carried away the financial sustenance and the aptitude to enjoy rights and privileges that these children born in the United States deserve”, there corroborated Rebecca Dreilinger, spokesman of the conferee.
The trailer, of five weeks of duration, will begin on Friday, the 27th of February in Providence (Rhode Island) and will culminate on Saturday, the 4th of April in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania). The itinerary comprises also several cities of the states of Chicago, North Carolina, New York, Florida, Georgia, Texas, New Mexico and California.
At the end of the tour, Gutiérrez will announce in Washington DC about the papers compiled during this campaign, concerning the damages inflicted on the citizens by the absence of a migratory reform ntegral.
The conferee of Illinois is one of the most pertinacious promoters of the above mentioned reform in the House of Representatives and during the electoral campaign of the democratic candidate of that time Barack Obama president of the United States managed to introduce this topic as priority in the government agenda of now.
Obama promised like candidate to promote a debate on the migratory reform in his first year of government and ratified it after his electoral victory of November 4. Even on January 20, day of the Capture of Possession of the presidential control, the team of press of Obama reaffirmed on the digital page of the White House this promise and supported that it will base his strategy on the familiar reunification.
Gutiérrez at present is giving form to a proposal of migratory reform that is based on three fundamental props: 1) to improve the frontier safety; 2) to finish the undocumented immigration, and 3) to legalize most of the immigrants in irregular situation who live in the country from June 1, 2006. The initiative will be presented shortly for his debate in the House of Representatives.

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From Washington
Meter maintenance
The Meter will carry out a rehabilitation project therefore he announces the closing of the station of the Pentagon (Blue Line / Yellow) during the holiday weekend of the day of the President, Friday, the 13th to Monday, the 16th of February. The meter will provide service of free bus between the Pentagon City, and Enfant Plaza Para information
visit www.wmata.com/riding/alerts
/metrorail_alerts.cfm.

Literacy seminar
A.D. LEARNS presents free seminars of the education of literacy in Spanish. Essentials to teach literacy, it is given on Thursday, February 19 2009, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. And next steps of pursuit of essentials to teach literacy in Spanish, it will initiate on Friday, February 20 2009, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm. He needs to register to assist the seminars one communicate with MaryAnn Florez to the tel. 202-331-0141 ext. 25

From Maryland
Workshop for license
The House of Maryland realizes the workshop “Like obtaining the driver's license in Maryland”, on Thursday, the 26th of February 2009 from 4:00 p.m. in the facilities of the HOUSE of Maryland New center of workpeople in Langley Park. For information 431 4185 can communicate to themselves with Francisco Cartagena del Depto of Education (301) ext 263.

Prevention seminar
The Department of Police officer of the County of Prince Georges will give the Seminars of Domestic Violence - Education and Knowledge. Forbes Blvd is given in Community Policing Institute Ubicado in 4380 in Lanham, MD is carried out on Thursday, the 19th of February at 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. For information call (301-772-4402.

Housing seminar
Housing Initiatives Partnership and the Dpto. Of Housing of the County of Prince's Georges they present the Seminar: "Buyers of Housing for the First Time” on Saturday, February 7, 2009 to 9.00 am in 6525 Belcrest Rd. Suite 555 – Hyattsville, MD 20782. For major information 301 985 3155 in Spanish.

From Virginia
Finance seminar
Reston Interfaith, realizes an interesting seminar in Spanish, to improve his finance titled: "That to do with my mortgage - That to do with my debts” avenges to this workshop free and opened for the community, is realized on Wednesday, the 18th of February at 6:00 p.m. in the locality of Herdon NRC. For information communicate to him with Martín Ríos 571 - 323-1438

Community services
The Center of Community Services of the Newly arrived person (NCSC) offers the Hispanics who reside in Fairfax's County free information about classes of English, medical services to low cost taken care of children and services of immigration. For more information 241-0300 be contacted in Spanish with Claudia Mantilla to (703 ó (703) 241-0301.

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